As the crane radius decreases, the leverage the load exerts _______.

• A. Increases
• B. Decreases
• C. Remains
• D. Doubles

Answer: (B)

The turning moment (or leverage) a load exerts on the crane is the weight of the load times the radius (the distance from the crane’s pivot to the load). This moment arm determines how much twisting force the load can apply to the crane.

When the radius decreases, that lever arm gets shorter, so the turning moment produced by the same load is smaller. In other words, the load has less leverage on the crane as it is brought closer to the pivot. This is why the statement is that leverage decreases with a smaller radius. For context, if the radius were to increase, the moment would grow, and the crane would experience more tipping tendency or require more counteracting capacity.