Tried a new rigging method on a 50-ton lift in Phoenix and got a real surprise

We were setting a big HVAC unit on a tight roof, and the foreman said to try a double basket hitch instead of a choker. I was sure it would slip, but it held so solid the load barely swung. Learned that sometimes the old school way isn't the only right way. Anyone else had a rigging trick they doubted but it actually worked great?

3 comments

3 Comments

jakewhite1mo ago

Ever see a rigging trick that looked wrong but saved the day? I watched a crew use a single sling as a double wrap choker on a long steel beam, and I was waiting for the whole thing to slide out. It didn't budge an inch, and it made the whole pick way more stable than the fancy hardware we had planned. It's funny how the simple wraps can sometimes grip better than we give them credit for. Makes you double check the book sometimes.

ryanm601mo ago

That double wrap choker trick works because of the capstan effect, basically how rope grips a winch. The real risk is crushing the sling fibers on the sharp beam edges during the lift, which can cut its strength in half. It held this time, but that hidden damage means you might not get a second safe use out of that sling.

nancyjones1mo ago

Right? @jakewhite, the book hates when the field works better.