The Importance of Choosing the Right Crane Lifting Attachment for Your Loads

29 May 2017

Tragically, an efficient hoist operation can fail even when all the hydraulic power and all the frame rigidity in the world is driving the lift. The operator is trained and well-versed in the crane’s capabilities. Likewise, the mechanical components are labouring well, meshing efficiently, and all is well. Unfortunately, there’s a question mark sitting on top of the crane lifting attachment. If everything else is optimally configured, is there a problem with that hoisting attachment?

The Right Attachment for the Right Load

Again, the best branded parts, all perfectly maintained, may have been selected, but the industrious loading team is missing the point. That’s right, it’s not just that the finest equipment should be attending the lift operation, it’s that the right lift attachment for a specific load should’ve been fitted. Remember, crane hook and crane capacity are known variables here, so the nominated crane has an inbuilt facility for accommodating many types of attachments. Like a universal coupler, that crane and its possible attachments are built to mate.

Pointing Out Compatibility Drawbacks

As with any work-permissible mechanical system, it can be hard to catch out the drawbacks. As you’ll now realise, hook coupling and crane lifting attachments are designed to couple readily. But wait, that simple system advantage can quickly become a major drawback. Imagine a fitting that conceivably gets the job done. This hypothetical hook attachment locks well enough, but it’s not meant to carry out the job assigned by the site coordinator. In summary, the attachment isn’t optimised to accommodate that load, so a seed of instability has been sown. Essentially, that load conveyor should always suit the weight, shape, and quantity of the selected cargo.

Assessing Attachment Features and Load Factors

Is the material distributed on the attachment properly? Is an eccentric load apportioned on the right lifting pads or cage attachment? There’s literally a hundred different factors to consider, and no inexperienced worker should ever be assigned to that duty, not when it puts other ground workers at risk. Training is the answer. Load training selects a cage carrier when numerous bricks are loaded. Likewise, hook attachments are selected properly, so attachment pairing is assured.

There’s a triangle of safety established when a mobile crane rolls up to its next job. The operator in the crane cabin represents one important point of that triangle, the crane condition and maintenance level is placed at the second point, and the trained hook attachment operator sits confidently (And competently) on the third intersection. Trained to ensure the right load is paired with the right crane attachment, that hoisting worker occupies the pointiest end of the safety triangle.