SLINGS AND RIGGING GEAR KITS

The NCF has slings and rigging gear in the battalion Table of Allowance to support the rigging operations and the lifting of CESE. The kits 80104, 84003, and 84004 must remain in the custody of the supply officer in the central toolroom (CTR). The designated embarkation staff and the crane test director monitor the condition of the rigging gear. The rigging kits must be stored undercover.

WIRE ROPE SLINGS

Wire rope slings offer advantages of both strength and flexibility. These qualities make wire rope adequate to meet the requirements of most crane hoisting jobs; therefore, you will use wire rope slings more frequently than fiber line or chain slings.

FIBER LINE SLINGS

Fiber line slings are flexible and protect the finished material more than wire rope slings; however, fiber line slings are not as strong as wire rope or chain slings. Also, fiber line is more likely to be damaged by sharp edges on the material being hoisted than wire rope or chain slings.

CHAIN SLINGS

Chain slings are frequently used for hoisting heavy steel items, such as rails, pipes, beams, and angles. They are also handy for slinging hot loads and handling loads with sharp edges that might cut the wire rope.

Chain sizes, inspection, safe working load, and handling and care will be discussed after wire rope and fiber line, as their characteristics have been discussed in previous chapters.

USING WIRE ROPE AND FIBER LINE SLINGS

Three types of fiber line and wire rope slings commonly used for lifting a load are the ENDLESS, the SINGLE LEG, and the BRIDLE slings.

An ENDLESS SLING, usually referred to by the term sling, can be made by splicing the ends of a piece of fiber line or wire rope to form an endless loop. An endless sling is easy to handle and can be used as a CHOKER HITCH (fig. 6-14).

Figure 6-14. - Endless sling rigged as a choker hitch.

A SINGLE-LEG SLING, commonly referred to as a strap, can be made by forming a spliced eye in each end of a piece of fiber line or wire rope. Sometimes the ends of a piece of wire rope are spliced into eyes around thimbles, and one eye is fastened to a hook with a shackle. With this arrangement, the shackle and hook are removable.

The single-leg sling maybe used as a choker hitch (fig. 6-15, view A) in hoisting by passing one eye through the other eye and over the hoisting hook. The single-leg sling is also useful as a double-anchor hitch (fig. 6-15, view B). The double-anchor hitch works

Figure 6-15. - Methods of using single-leg slings.