Cradle Systems

Dowel Cradle Systems & Crack Inducers:
(also commonly referred to as "baskets" are a prefabricated wire assemble designed to house plate, round or square section dowels, with or without sleeves, at predetermined centres and heights. The cradle assembly provides exact vertical and horizontal positioning of the dowels whilst enabling faster set up time.

Once concrete is poured and finished, a saw cut is placed in the slab surface as soon as practical immediately above the cradle to induce the crack and form a contraction joint. As an alternative to saw cutting, surface Crack inducers are pre-formed metal strips that, when inserted into the wet concrete on the surface, will induce a crack.
Ground crack inducers are placed on the sub-base prior to placing the concrete and will assist in propagating the crack from the base upward. It is not recommended to use the ground crack inducer without also using a surface crack inducer as a crack may propagate from the base upward in a random appearance.