Tips for Choosing the Right Rigging Equipment

Tips for Choosing the Right Rigging Equipment

Whether you’re working in construction, shipbuilding, forestry, or manufacturing, rigging is a daily operation for many. You shouldn’t take any rigging or hoisting operation lightly because merely using the wrong equipment could result in a serious accident. Keep several considerations in mind when choosing rigging equipment to promote safety and efficiency. If you’d like to learn from our experts, we put together a list of tips for choosing the right rigging equipment. Read on to learn more. Read More

Truck gathering tree logs

What Equipment You Need for Logging

In logging, a crew’s safety and reliable equipment are the top priority. Logging often requires crews to work at extreme heights and on precipitous slopes, making the work environment dangerous. To reduce the chances of injury, manufacturers have developed several pieces of equipment for logging to help workers with rigging trees safely, among other things. If you’re searching for more information about what logging equipment you need, our experts put together this guide below.
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What to Know Before You Buy a Web Sling

What to Know Before You Buy a Web Sling

So, you’re preparing to put your lifting machinery to work and realize you need a new web sling. You should make sure you get the right web sling before rushing into a purchase. That way you’ll ensure your web sling can safely lift the load and keep yourself and the rest of the crew safe. If you’re looking for more information and what to know before you buy a web sling, please read the guide below. Read More

The Advantages of Cable Railings

The Advantages of Cable Railings

When you think of railing materials, you probably picture a traditional wooden deck or maybe wrought iron, but what about cable? No, not the cable for your television, but steel cable. Believe it or not, there are several advantages of cable railings. Continue reading to learn more. Read More

construction site

The Different Types of Rigging Hardware

Whether you’ve installed a rigging system before or not, there are several pieces of hardware you’ll need aside from the cabling itself. Continue reading to learn about the different types of rigging hardware.

Cable clamps

Sometimes referred to as clips, a cable clamp is an industrial-grade galvanized metal that holds the cables throughout the rigging system. In most setups, you’re going to need at least two of these. The most common use for cable clamps is to hold the cable together to reinforce the cable and reduce the load.

Eye bolts and hooks

The main use of eye bolts is to attach them as a point of securing the cable. There are several factors that go into choosing an eye bolt, but the most notable factor is its weight capacity. There are three common variations of eye bolts: standard nut eye bolt, shoulder nut eye bolt, and stainless shoulder nut eye bolt. All of these have their own weight capacities and applications. An eye hook is the industrial-grade hook that you’ll attach to loads. As a safety and security measure, all quality eye hooks will come with a latch mechanism on the hook as well.

Shackles

As one of the most-used rigging hardware factors, quality shackles are vital to a successful rigging setup. One way to identify quality shackles from economical shackles is if they’re forged or not. All our rigging shackles are forged to ensure the highest strength. Plus, to help you not forget the shackle’s weight capacity, all of ours have the capacity permanently embossed on the hardware.

Forged swivels

To help position your load with the most control, you’ll want reliable swivels. We offer three types of swivels: eye and eye, jaw and eye, and chain. To ensure strength and durability, all of our swivels are also forged, just like our shackles.

Slider choking hooks

Similar to eye hooks, choking hooks help you lift bundles or materials that you tie up with chains and more. You should ideally have several choker hooks in your arsenal. Slider choking hooks are commonly found in industries that move a lot of logs and other materials that require being tied up to lift and move.

Turnbuckles

Lastly, to help workers control the tension on a cable all while reducing excess cable slack, you’re going to need a turnbuckle. There are several variations of turnbuckles and we offer five: jaw and eye, jaw and jaw, hook and eye, hook and hook, and––you guessed it––eye and eye. Each turnbuckle has its own advantages, depending on your application. Like the majority of our other hardware, all our turnbuckles are also galvanized by forging.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the different types of rigging hardware and their uses, you can look for quality hardware. Galvanized and forged materials are certainly your best bet, especially if you need longevity.

Here at American Cable Rigging, we’ve been a family owned and operated business for over thirty years, and that’s exactly how we do business. Our family takes pride in providing our customers with high-quality products and being a one-stop-shop for all your cable rigging hardware needs. Contact us today for more information; we’re happy to help.

two construction workers surrounded by steel pipes and bars

What to Look for When Choosing a Chain Sling for Lifting

Lifting equipment uses chain slings to enhance safety and maximize productivity in the workplace. There are different types of slings used to lift loads. They are designed to work in stringent conditions. Some can resist high temperatures, the flexibility of movements, and have exceptional strength.

The type you use will be determined by your application. Whether you want to cable railings for construction, transportation, or mining, there are several factors to consider.

Types of Materials

If you are looking for cable and rigging supplies, you’ll find slings in different types of materials. Your lifting applications ought to have the right configuration of material, design, and cable structure. You have to keep in mind that some issues with the setup may not be easily detectable.

Therefore, it is important to carefully consider how wear, damage, and load variations, will impact the performance of the chain sling. Wire-rope configurations can either be in single or multiple assemblies. Their flexibility makes them suitable for a variety of rigging and cable needs.

An alloy stainless steel cable is recommended for high temperature and for lifting heavy loads. An alloy sling is durable and can resist corrosion in a harsh environment, where other chain slings would fail.

On the other hand, synthetic cables are flexible and inexpensive. A synthetic chain sling is preferred when the load has an irregular shape. Due to their flexibility, they can adhere to objects with varying forms. However, they are very sensitive to heat, UV radiation, and corrosion.

Components and Cable Railing Supplies

Depending on your configuration and the application, you may require some additional components. Some of them may include:

Toggle Turbucle: They can be used for a wide variety of applications, from residential to industrial. They are useful in situations where the tension of the chain sling set up may need adjustments.

Oblong Links: They allow for increased flexibility in the assembly of chain slings. They are useful where the configuration has more than two sling legs.

Hooks: There are different types of hooks you can use to facilitate loading and enhance safety.

Understand the Mechanics and Physics

When choosing lifting slings, it is critical that you understand the mechanics and physics in your application. Some of the factors you should evaluate include:

Configuration: Choose an assembly that will lift the load safely and effectively. That requires you to carefully assess the size of the leg and the sling, as well as the angle of the loading points.

Load Weight and Shape: The weight and the shape of the object could dictate the type of sling you use. Irregular shapes may require a flexible cable that can appropriately grip the load.

Maintenance: You will require additional components to facilitate lifting loads. Consider how the material will fair in that environment. You should remember that the configuration will require regular maintenance work.

In Conclusion

You can minimize the risk of mistakes by thoroughly understanding your applications and the limits. Use quality equipment and parts that adhere to standards. You can find more information about chain slings and their components on our website.

stainless steel cable railing fittings

3 Qualities of Stainless Steel Cable Railings That Make Them Perfect for House Use

Stair falls are common, injuring about 1 million Americans get every year. However, this need not be the case as you can install stainless steel cable railing fittings on your stairs and prevent catastrophic falls from happening. Utilizing cable railing for your stairs will not only protect you and your family but also add to the overall aesthetics of the interior of your house.

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3 factors to consider when choosing lifting slings

3 Factors You Should Consider When Choosing Lifting Slings

The number one cause of death in the construction industry is accidents caused by falls. As there are a lot of heavy objects being lifted as construction goes on, sometimes the lifting slings malfunctions and leads to catastrophic falls. To avoid such dreadful experiences in your construction project, you should ensure that you use the right lifting slings to move, position, and lift a load. Choosing lifting slings should be easy once you fully understand how they function, in what environment they should operate, and the weight of load they should lift.

 

Lifting slings are classified as chain slings, web slings, wire rope slings, round slings, metal mesh slings, and synthetic rope. In selecting any of the types of slings for lifting, you should consider their strength and the maximum capacity of load, resistance to corrosion, and flexibility of the sling. Additionally, factor in the ease of inspection of the sling, the weight of the sling, resistance to abrasion, and ease of repair.

 

Lifting slings are generally a costly investment for most people who buy them, and it’s why some contractors prefer to hire. Whether buying or hiring, you should make sure that they will accommodate all aspects of all the objects you intend to lift. Especially when buying, you should ensure that you maintain them well so that they serve you longer without wearing out quickly.

 

You want to select the best lifting sling that’ll give you optimum service in your construction project. Therefore it’s important to consider these factors when choosing lifting slings.

 

1. The Weight and Fragility of the Load

 

Know, beforehand, the weight of the load you intend to lift. It will help you choose the lifting sling with matching strength. For instance, if you are lifting bulky generators or tanks, you can use synthetic web slings, because they will not only support the weight of the load but also save them from getting scratched. Your tank or generator would get scratched if you, instead, used wire rope slings. Remember that the aim is not only to lift an object but also to safeguard the object from getting damaged in the lifting process. Mostly, the heavier objects are usually made of hard metals, making them easy to lift using rough lifting slings such as alloy chain slings.

 

2. Center of Gravity of the Load

 

The shape and design of a load will tell you where the center of gravity is. You do not want to miss the center of the load when lifting, as the load will swing in a strong thrust and cause damage to people and property. When lifting irregularly- shaped objects, consider choosing lifting slings with the most flexibility. Synthetic slings work best for these objects with irregular shapes because they can easily roll around the object and take the object’s shape. Because of the flexibility of synthetic slings, you do not have to worry about the center of gravity when lifting rounded objects and other irregularly shaped objects. You can also consider using synthetic round slings and synthetic web slings for such objects.

 

3. Are the Objects Abrasive, Sharp-Edged, or Hot?

 

You might need to lift some objects that have sharp edges during the construction project. Here, you should remember that lifting slings such as synthetic rope slings and synthetic round slings can be torn by sharp-edged objects. If this happens, it will cause a catastrophic fall, and the object would get damaged. For sharp-edged and abrasive objects, consider using alloy chain slings or wire rope slings.

 

For hot objects, you should use metal mesh slings as they withstand hot temperatures. Metal mesh slings are also resistant to corrosion, so you can also use them to lift corrosive objects.

 

Are you wondering how to choose a lifting sling? You should buy from a trusted rigging supply company so that you get the best quality. This is, of course, after taking into account the environment the lifting sling will operate in, and the type of loads that you want the lifting sling to lift. You can also ask the rigging and supply company to help you filter through the different types of lifting slings. With their professional guidance, you are sure to make the best decision while choosing lifting slings.

snow piled up on a deck fence beam

Improve Home Safety with the Right Railing Materials

The main purpose of railings is to prevent people from falling whenever they use the decks or staircases. It is, therefore, important to find the right type railing material depending on where you want to use it. Whether you are thinking of indoor or outdoor spaces, you have to start by choosing the right railing materials.

When you go to any store to buy railings or order online, your safety and that of the other people that share the house is what will help you to make the right choices. Studies show that in America, a child falls and is taken to the hospital every six minutes because of poor or no railings.

To be sure of your safety, follow these tips whether you are looking for a cable railing or any other type. Read More

types of lifting slings

Questions To Ask When Purchasing Lifting Slings for Your Construction Job

Buying the right types of lifting slings ensures you and your team’s safety. However, if you’re unsure of what kinds of factors go into this major decision regarding your equipment, read on. Here’s what you should consider before purchasing your lifting slings for your construction project.

1. What is the size of the item that needs lifting?

Construction is a dynamic industry. You can be lifting another worker, heavy equipment, sharp signs, or anything else that needs to be hoisted up into the air to get the job done. Therefore the type of sling you’ll need can be determined by the object you’ll be lifting. If you need a malleable sling, a rope or mesh sling can conform to nearly any shape. However, if the object is particularly heavy, your priority should be a strength. A metal chain is perfect for the job.

2. What is the load limit on the lifting sling?

When deciding on types of lifting slings, make sure you’re aware of the load limit. This can vary between types of slings, so always double-check before ordering.

3. Can I trust my manufacturer?

Make sure you’re placing your order with a trusted brand that specializes in railing supplies, What kind of precautions do they take with their equipment? Do they conduct proof and destructive tests? Can you place a custom order?

4. What kind of environment will I be working in?

Finally, the last question you should ponder is what kind of weather conditions you’ll be subjected to while on the job.

If you will be near saltwater, a stainless steel rig can help prevent corrosion. On the other hand, if you’re working near harsh chemicals or strong sunlight, synthetic webbing slings can dimish in quality over time when exposed to these elements.

Looking for cable and rigging supplies?

There are different types of lifting slings, each with its own unique purpose. Since construction is a multi-faceted job, you want to ensure that you’re purchasing the right equipment. If you’ve never had to purchase these lifting slings for commercial use, consider the object you’ll be hoisting along with the limit and abilities of the sling.

However, additionally consider ordering from a quality manufacturer. If you’re interested in learning more about ordering the proper equipment from a qualified rigging supplier, contact us for more information.