Different Types of Rigging and Lifting Equipment
The rigging and lifting industry relies on heavy-duty equipment to prevent damage, excessive downtime, and injury. Here are the different rigging and lifting equipment types every worker should know.
Wire Ropes and Chains
A key piece of rigging equipment is the wire rope or chain. Wire ropes and chains connect lifting machinery to the loads and offer high durability and strength. Moreover, they come in varying lengths, sizes, and strengths based on the lifting or rigging application.
Wire ropes have woven steel strand structures that create a flexible yet strong piece of equipment. They come in bright stainless steel or galvanized finishes and grades, ranging from 30 to 100 in strength. Moreover, wire ropes have an internal core to provide additional support and prevent bending or crushing.
Rigging Hooks
Rigging hooks help with lifting heavy equipment. Rigging hooks offer different sizes and designs for various load types, often categorized by their hook openings.
The rigging hook opening, also called the throat, ranges from 5/8 of an inch to 1 and 17/32 inches in size. Construction and automotive industries benefit from rigging equipment like rigging hooks.
Eye Bolts
Eye bolts are crucial pieces of rigging equipment that act as anchor points, used for looping ropes or cables in rigging configurations. Many different materials and sizes accommodate different load types.
There are two common eye bolts: straight eye bolts and shoulder eye bolts. While straight eye bolts help with straight-line applications, shoulder eye bolts help with angular connections. Other eye bolts, including screw eye bolts, lag eye screw bolts, and U-bolts, are useful for rigging.
Shackles
Shackles are another type of rigging equipment. They allow different types of rigging equipment to connect and disconnect quickly from one another with connecting links. It’s common to use shackles with loads that weigh more than 6,000 pounds while accommodating up to 11,000 pounds.
The different types of shackles, including screw pins, round, and safety pin types, typically involve a closed-off loop of steel. This allows for a secure connection between rigging equipment while moving heavy-duty equipment.
Without proper rigging equipment, moving heavy-duty or fragile materials isn’t streamlined or heightens the risk of danger. Take the time to understand why rigging and lifting equipment is so crucial for industrial work so you can finish each work day safer and wiser.
Originally Published on https://www.breakfastleadership.com/
