How Does a 4 Leg Lifting Chain Sling Compare to Other Sling Types?

One of the most important decisions a professional in the heavy lift industry will make in any day of work is the decision of which type of lifting sling to utilize to get the job done safely and efficiently. The understanding of different slings, both in their layout and in material used, is vital to being able to determine working load limits, how well the sling will work with certain objects and the necessary angles of lift. With this in mind, today we will focus on understanding how a 4 Leg Lifting Chain Sling compares to other sling types.

First off, however, it is important to understand what, exactly, determines whether a setup is a 4 leg lifting chain sling rigging. As the name indicates, this type of sling contains 4 individual legs of chain, but what is also important to understand is that the angles the chains make to the objects needing lifting are very important. Because all four legs converge on the same point, the shape of the object to be lifted can have a large impact on how the chains are connected.

As a general rule, the smaller the angle between the lifted object and any chain, the less lift that chain will be able to provide. The more centered the convergence point of the chains is, the more the load will be evenly distributed, and the less acute the angles will be between the object and the legs of chain.

Note: The basis of all analysis in this piece comes from the Crosby Group’s official rigging documentation, which is the product of extensive research on rigging, working load limits, and lift angles. Further Information available at this link. All information assumes grade 80 and 100 chains are in use.

4 Leg lifting chain sling setups compare favorably to other chain sling setups, offering almost twice the lift capacity of 2 leg slings, and over twice the lift capacity of single leg chain slings. Additionally, a 4 leg setup well outperforms a choker setup in regard to capacity. This general rule applies across all chain sizes.

4 leg chain sling setups also compare very favorably to web and roundsling setups of all types, with chain 3 and 4 leg setups almost tripling the capacity of 3 and 4 leg web and round slings. While webbing slings may be ideal in some cases for the lifting of fragile materials sensitive to scuffs, chain slings clearly outperform webbing slings in capacity.

4 leg lifting slings utilizing chains also allow for more capacity than similar setups using wire rope, though the margin between the two is not as wide as that between webbing and chains. Again, there are certain situations in which wire rope is more appropriate, especially when there may be rotation in the load that chains are less prepared to deal with.

Looking back on these comparisons, 4 leg lifting chain sling setups are clearly quite strong in regard to capacity. While there are many reasons to utilize other materials, in pure capacity measurements, 4 leg chain slings are one of the strongest possible sling setups, meaning that they are likely to be very useful to many professionals in a multitude of situations.

If you’d like to incorporate a 4 leg chain sling set up on your job site, contact us today through our website www.empirerigging.com. Our professional staff can help you determine what the best type of chain rigging for your job will be and can help you choose from our incredible inventory of American-made products. We’re professionals working for professionals, and we want to help you today!

For more information about Crosby Turnbuckle and Hoist Rings Heavy Duty Please visit : Empirerigging.

This article is written by a professional author