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These monsters were designed and fabricated with Masterlinks dramatically reducing the handling weight AND cost when compared to conventional 4 ply steel triangles. The web sling wizards at Lift-It think outside of the box so you don’t have to!

When it comes to recovery there is on choice, Lift-It Manufacturing. Our client stocked up with an ample recovery gear long before dark winter hits. (64) 1-3/4” soft shackles with a breaking strength of a half million pounds each paired with (24) 1-5/8” Endless tow rope grommets in both 20FT and 30FT lengths. Each 1-5/8” tow rope has a breaking strength of 404,250 Lbs. when new. When only the best is “good enough”, trust Lift-It for all your recovery and rigging needs! Serious recovery jobs require serious gear!

Lift-It®, a leader in innovative lifting and rigging solutions, is thrilled to announce it will provide its clients cutting-edge end termination technology for high-performance rope sling systems! This strategic development with Applied Fiber marks a turning point in the lifting industry, delivering uThe patented technology redefines how fiber ropes are terminated, enhancing strength, durability, and overall efficiency. By leveraging advanced engineering and manufacturing techniques, this innovation replaces traditional methods with precision-applied terminations that open entirely new options in rope and connection technology. A Game-Changer for the Industry, the adoption of this breakthrough represents a significant step forward for Lift-It® and the lifting sector as a whole.

Historically, revolutionized long aerial line operations work, giving helicopters a much greater versatility in terms of the number and type of payloads they can carry. As with much of the helicopter industry, long line operations can be traced to Igor Sikorsky’s pioneering work back in the late 1930s, but it wasn’t until the advent of the Bell 47 that long line external load operations became commercially practical.

Very proud to announce Lift-It is at the top of the pile yet again!! When you think of the best, Lift-It & Slingmax are always top of mind! With over 40 licensed fabricators around the world this is no small feat. Day, or night we’ll turn on the lights for you! For 37 years Lift-It has been a top producer of Slingmax® Twin-Path® products. From 500 pounds to 1.4 million pounds Lift-It has the knowledge, experience and tenacity day or night to fabricate your Slingmax® Twin-Path® products! Let us help you with your next mega lift!

We had the distinct pleasure meeting some of the great people at Luma Aviation while providing external cargo rigging principle course. Coming back for one more day of rigging inspection. Puerto Rico. Day 2 “hands on inspection” was amazing. Take our classroom instruction and improve knlowedge and comprehension in a “hands on” environment. Learn, apply! Highly impressed with the Luma Aviation’s team attitude and attendance from top of the organization all the way down. Engaging conversation between the team, sharing experiences and learning from the curriculum and real world experiences shared! Thank you Luma Aviation for your time, energy!!

Fall Zone + Sphere of Influence = Danger Zone By: Michael J. Gelskey, Sr. The U.S. Department of Labor – Occupational Safety & Health Administration in 29CFR 1926.1401 defines the fall zone as, “The area, including but not limited to, directly below the load in which it is reasonably foreseeable that partially or completely suspended materials could fall in the event of an accident”. Untrained users may be unaware of the subtlety of “but not limited to, directly below the load”. Erroneously the focus may be placed solely on the “directly below the load” without regard to “but not limited to”. As an example, consider a scenario in which a spreader bar is used to lift a load and it is connected to the crane with a two-leg bridle sling. Imagine the sphere of influence if during use, just one of bridle legs were to break. The load may fall “directly below”, but the spreader bar, while still connected to the crane with the remaining bridle leg may be propelled into the “but not limited to” zone.

Significant improvements have been made to the equipment used in load handling and load securement activities. In 1973 it would have seemed unimaginable that years later, synthetic slings with an ultimate break strength of 1,360,777 kgs weighing only 15.62 kgs per meter would be readily available. High performance fibers Kevlar®, Spectra® and Dyneema® are used as strength members for high performance synthetic ropes and roundslings, and crane boom hoist and pendant lines. The use of high-performance fibers has not only improved efficiency but enhanced user safety.

Come see us in Phoenix for our “Best Practices in Sling Protection” workshop presentation. On September 20th, Mike Gelskey, Jr., Vice President and General Manager, Lift-It Manufacturing is a featured speaker at the Specialized Carrier and Rigging Association event in Phoenix, Arizona. Sling protection is a critical consideration in all load handling activities. Join Workshop speaker, Mike Gelskey, Jr., as he shares best practices to avoid damages. Register now and learn how to utilize best practices in sling protection.

Wear Pads for slings is terminology from the past, although many still refer to sling wear pads as such. Engineered sling protection has come of age and needs to be used correctly during load handling activities to prevent death, serious injury and/or property damage. There are two basic forms of sling damage that responsible riggers need to address, damage from cutting and damage from abrasion. While both cutting and abrasion can both cause sling damage, the steps taken to mitigate damage from cutting and/or abrasion are generally totally different. The Web Sling and Tie Down association defines abrasion as “The mechanical wearing or scuffing of a surface, resulting from frictional movement between two materials or surfaces. When sling tension and compressive force against a damaging edge join together a cutting force is created.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers has now issued the 2018 version of the B30.9 Sling Safety Consensus Standard. The 2018 revision of the previous 2014 version has some very notable additions and changes. In Chapter 9-0 which contains scope, definitions and personnel competence, new language regarding minimum requirements for riggers assigned to load handling activities have now been added in Section 9-0.4. Riggers involved in load handling activities must ensure the weight of the load and determine the center of gravity are cited in the newly added, Rigger Responsibility Section. Sling selection and inspection are also cited in the new section, and also lists several other ASME standards for compliance and proper usage, i.e., ASME B30.10, B30.2, B30.23 and B30.26. Section 9-0.4 also mentions that the effects of angles (sling tension) must also be taken into consideration to avoid overloading.

We have worked with many of you over the years to make a difference in the lives of those you are tasked with protecting. Most recently we worked with US DOE representatives to assist in developing some of the information contained in the recently released, “Engineered Sling Protection”, OE-3: 2018-03. The Operating Experience Level 3 issued by Mr. Josh Silverman, Director – Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security addresses many important considerations and certainly highlights the significance for raising the awareness of damage that may occur to slings during rigging operations.