Used to roll my eyes at guys dragging plywood around, figured if the chart says you're good then you're good. Then a buddy of mine punched a pad through soft fill on a job and I watched a 40 ton machine lean like it was thinking about going over. Scared me straight, no joke. Now I walk the whole setup first and poke around with a rod, and if it slides in easy I know I'm digging or spreading. Wet ground after rain is the worst because the top looks fine and the bottom is soup. Chart only tells you what the machine can do, not what the dirt under it can take.

That bit about floating too early hit home because I did the same thing for years. What finally worked for me was waiting until I could stand on the slab without leaving deep boot prints, then hitting it with the float when the bleed water was just about gone but the surface still had a dull sheen to it. In heat like that you might only get a few minutes in that window, so keep an eye on it and don't rush the first pass.