Most industrial equipment lives quietly in the background waiting for something to go wrong. Yes, this is quite the statement – but one thing is for sure – Lifting gear isn’t like that. As soon as you lift it, you realise you’re putting weight on something – metal or synthetic fibre – and keeping it above ground and hopefully above people. That changes the game rather quickly.
If you’re buying lifting equipment for the first time – whether it be for a workshop, a warehouse, or a building site – the variety of gear available can be overwhelming. Chain hoists, lever blocks, slings in a variety of materials, shackles in a range of configurations – and that’s without even going near the esoteric stuff like spreader beams, lifting magnets, or vacuum lifters.
The answer is to start with what you want to lift and work backwards.
Materials Matter More Than Most Assume
If you walk into any industrial supply house, you’ll find slings made of chain, wire rope, synthetics, and polyester round slings. Each of these has situations where it’s a good idea and situations where it isn’t.
Chain slings have a lot of advantage in withstanding heat, cutting edges, and abuse. Most slings won’t last in those conditions. Chain slings are heavy, stiff, and may scratch sensitive surfaces. Wire rope provides a good strength-to-weight ratio and works well in the outdoors. It does have disadvantages – problems inside the rope itself, problems between the individual wires, and kinking which may cause the whole rope to fail.
The synthetics are light in weight, flexible, and won’t scratch surfaces. However, synthetics have disadvantages – problems with chemicals, problems with sunlight, and problems with cuts that may not be readily apparent. Round slings have disadvantages – problems with the outer sleeve which may conceal problems in the core.
No material stands out as the clear “best.” It depends entirely on what you’re lifting, where you’re lifting it, and what might be in the environment.
Supplier Relationships and Technical Support
Relying on the cheapest lifting gear supplier will get you into trouble the minute you need something out of the ordinary or get into a situation that the supplier’s catalogue does not address.
A better supplier will have people on their staff who actually have some knowledge of rigging and lifting gear. Want to lift something through a doorway that has limited headroom? They will be able to brainstorm solutions for low-headroom chain blocks or beam clamps. Dealing with gear that needs to rotate while it’s being lifted? They will be able to tell you about swivel shackles that will be able to handle the load.
This expertise is especially important if you’re expanding your lifting capacity or doing something out of the ordinary. The price differential between suppliers is small if you consider the support that the better supplier will offer. And so yes… looking at lifting tools and equipment can be daunting – but the key is to start with researching the best one for your operation. Do your research, work out the numbers – and get lifting!