Unpopular opinion: cutting corners on rigging gear saved my butt, but almost cost me everything

Last month I was working a job on a bridge over the Ohio River and my main hoist chain snapped mid lift. I had this beat up sling I got from a yard sale that I figured would work fine for a small pipe section, no big deal. The chain gave out but that old sling caught the load before it dropped into the water. My buddy says I got lucky and should never cheap out again, but another guy told me sometimes old gear holds up better than the new stuff. What do you guys do when your gear fails, do you trust the old junk you've fixed up or toss it and buy new?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia3d ago

Honestly, that yard sale sling is a huge red flag. You really can't trust old nylon or wire rope that's been sitting around because UV damage and hidden corrosion are invisible until they let go. Chain failures happen sometimes, but that sling saved you once, it won't save you twice even if it looks fine.

paige5143d ago

Right, "it won't save you twice" is basically the equipment version of "fool me once." Like, if that sling is ALREADY telling you stories about surviving a previous failure, it's not a survivor, it's a ticking time bomb dressed up as a bargain. I'm picturing someone buying a used car that already rolled once and thinking "well at least it's broken in!" That old nylon is probably more UV-cooked than a beach towel left out all summer, and that wire rope's corrosion is probably holding hands inside the jacket. Yeah, it saved you once, but that just means it USED UP its miracle.