Enough Said

Tony in SD

Well-known Member

Enough Said
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That's scary!

Reminds me of when I worked at a marina when I was just out of high school.

Had a customer that wanted the engine pulled out of his cruiser. My job was to disconnect everything, he would send his crew out with a gin pole truck to reach over the sea wall and lift it out.

I got the engine disconnected, docked by the seawall, here comes this ratty old truck, with an equally decrepit driver. He hooked up a very home made spreader bar with some rusty chains welded to it... With hooks made of bent rebar!

I politely tried to offer use of a better chain, he immediately got defensive. Started listing off all the heavy equipment diesel engines he's been handling since before I was born...

Well, marine engines are not light. The water cooled exhausts, gear reduction iron transmission, plus I remember this being a FE Ford Interceptor IIRC. Dropping one into a wood boat still in the water can ruin your day!

So we went ahead with the lift. He gets it lifted up, went to drive the truck forward, it got to bouncing. Just as he got over the land, one of the hooks failed! Ended up with the engine upside down in the parking lot!

I didn't say anything, but I sure wanted to! Just towed the boat back to it's slip...
 
I had a 5 ton chain fall fail on me Thursday..
I was lifting/raising the cab on a skidsteer.. had 1 foot on the machine getting ready to crawl into the belly of the beast to adjust the hyrdos..
Then BANG.. the INSPECTED & CERTIFIED hoist let go.!!!
That cab came down faster than you could take a breath..
and of course there wasn't any safety bars for the cab.. that's why it was being held by the hoist..
I went & changed my pants..took a DEEP BREATH & went & got a forklift & took it down & threw it in the metal barrel..
 
High test 3/8" chain. Simply pulled a stuck car out of mud. No jerking. Just a steady pull. The China hook just straightened like it was butter.
 
Those hooks are designed to bend upon overload, regardless of who made them.........ref: Gantry Crane operator's course. Safety item. You don't want it to snap like a casting would do. Gives you time to realize you overloaded it, and possibly get out of the way, before it fails.
 
My son is a welder/pipe fitter. Chinese rigging is not allowed at his shop. Anything with the words Made in China on them get cut up and put in the scrap bin.

OTJ
 
If max load information isn't cast on the side of the hook, is there a standard way to determine its safe working capacity---short of using it on increasing loads until it fails?

Stan
 
That hook is a 5/16 with no grade rating markings on it. A 5/16" grade 43 is only 3,900 lbs.rated and a 5/16" grade 70 is 4,700 lb. rated. On 3/8" grade 70 chain I use a 3/8" grade 70 hook rated at 6,600 lbs.and have yet to straighten one out.
 
Not of which I am aware. Since there is usually no history on an item it could be made by A-Z and the spec would be the same. I guess I'd just gut feel what looks like it will work and stay on the overdoing it side. Watch it for bending and stay safely out of the way.
 

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