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Rant: Tried a new rigging method for a tricky lift in Tacoma and it backfired
We had to move a big AC unit onto a roof downtown, and the foreman said to try a double-basket hitch with the nylon slings to keep it level. I set it up like he showed me, but when we lifted, the whole thing tilted about 15 degrees and started spinning slowly. We had to set it down fast and re-rig the whole thing with chains, which took an extra hour. Learned that nylon stretches way more than I thought on a long pick like that. Anyone have a go-to method for rooftop units that won't twist on you?
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the_parker6mo ago
We had a 5-ton chiller slip in a nylon basket hitch last year for the same reason. The stretch on a 70-foot pick was enough to make it dance like a slow-motion pendulum. We switched to polyester roundslings for anything over two stories, the stretch is way less. Even then, a tag line is mandatory for us now.
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wood.uma6mo ago
Man, that slow-motion pendulum dance sounds way too familiar. Learned the hard way myself with a nylon strap and a long lift, felt like watching a bad dream in real time. Polyester and a tag line is the only way to fly now, right?
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stella226mo ago
Watched a pallet swing once, still makes me cringe.
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eric_adams115mo ago
Nylon's stretch on a longer pick is no joke, we had a steel beam do that same pendulum dance on a 60 foot lift a few years back. Switching to polyester roundslings cut the stretch way down, and now we rig a tag line on every single pick over 30 feet. Keeps things from getting sketchy real quick, @stella22. You use the basket hitches with tag lines now too or stick to chokers?
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