A quiet chat in a Michigan yard changed how I think about rigging

I was setting up a 50-ton lift in Grand Rapids last fall and an old rigger named Frank watched me for a minute. He just said, 'Your choker angles are fine, but you're forgetting the sling will bite when the load shifts off the ground.' He was right, I was only thinking about the static pick. Anyone else had a simple tip from a bystander totally shift your setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas.tyler1mo ago

Man, that's so true. I read a crane op's forum post once about how wind doesn't just push the load, it changes the center of gravity on tall stuff. They said a light breeze on a vertical tank is fine, but that same breeze hitting it sideways once it's horizontal is a whole different beast. Made me stop and actually watch the weather vane on site, not just check the app.

alice_kim1mo ago

Our crew in Houston learned that lesson the hard way, @thomas.tyler.

robin_bennett781mo ago

Frank's point about the load shift is spot on. A millwright once told me to always check for hidden balance points on machinery before the pick, not just the marked lifting lugs. That advice saved a gearbox from a nasty swing last month. What's the best piece of field advice you've gotten?