Fittings fittings are attached to the ends of wire rope so that the wire rope can be easily connected to other wire ropes, chains, pad eyes, or heavy equipment. Figure 1-8 shows some standard fittings. The type of fitting used depends on the job. For instance, to hoist a bundle of

conduit from ground level, use two wire rope slings made using a thimble in the wire rope and then attaching a shackle to the thimble. A thimble in an eye splice reduces abrasive wear on the wire rope (fig. 1-8, view 2). 

Hooks and Shackles Hooks and shackles (fig. 1-9) provide a useful means of hauling the lifting loads without tying directly to the object with a line, wire rope, or chain. They can be attached to wire rope, fiber line, blocks, or chains. Shackles should be used for loads too heavy for hooks to handle. When hooks fail because of overloading, they usually straighten out and lose or drop their load. When a hook has been bent by overloading, do NOT straighten it and put it back into service. Cut it in half with a cutting torch and discard it. Hooks should be given a visual inspection at the beginning of each workday and before lifting a full-rated load. If you are not sure whether a hook is strong enough to lift the load, use a shackle. You should use hooks that close and lock where there is danger of catching on an obstruction. This applies particularly to hoisting buckets, or cages, and especially in shaft work. Hooks and rings used with chain should have about the same strength as the chain. 

SLINGS Slings are widely used in the moving and hoisting of heavy loads. You can obtain some types of slings already made up, but frequently you may have to make

Figure 1-9.- Hooks and shackles.

your own. Slings may be constructed of fiber line, wire rope, or chain. 

Fiber-Line and Wire-Rope Slings FIBER-LINE slings offer the advantage of flexibility and protection of finished material. At the same time, fiber-line slings are not as strong as wire-rope or chain slings. In addition, fiber-line slings are more likely to be damaged in the event of sharp edges on the material being hoisted than are wire-rope or chain slings. Three types of fiber-line and wire-rope slings commonly used for lifting a load are the endless, single-leg, and bridle slings. An ENDLESS SLING, usually referred to as a SLING, can be made by splicing together the ends of a An endless sling is easy to handle, and you can use it in several different ways to lift loads. Frequently, it is used as a choker hitch (fig. 1-10). To form a choker hitch, cast the sling under the load to be lifted and insert one loop through the other and over the hoisting hook.

A SINGLE-LEG SLING, commonly referred to as a STRAP, can be constructed 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.

A single-leg sling may be used as a choker hitch (fig. 1-11) in hoisting by passing one eye through the piece of fiber line or wireropeto form an endlessloop. other eyeand over thehoistinghook.

Figure 1-10.- Choker hitch formed from an endless sling.

You can use single-leg slings to make various types of BRIDLES. Two types are shown in figure 1-12. You can use two or more single slings for a given combination. Also, if an individual sling is not long enough for the job at hand, you can combine two of the single slings to form a longer single sling.

It is advantageous to have matched sets of slings (that is, two or more of equal length) so that when it is necessary to use more than one to hoist a load, the strain will be equal and the load will come up evenly. You should mark slings that are of equal length for ease of identification. Painting the eyes of equal-length slings the same color is one way of doing this.

In lifting heavy loads, always make a special effort to ensure that the bottoms of the sling legs are fastened to the load in a manner that will prevent damage to the load. Many pieces of equipment have eyes fastened to them during the process of manufacture to aid in lifting. With some loads, though, fastening a hook to the eye on

Figure 1-11.- Choker hitch formed by a single-leg sling. one end of each sling leg provides an adequate means for securing the sling to the load. Chafing gear (protective pads) must be used when a sling is exposed to sharp edges at the comers of a load. Pieces of round wood, heavy bagging, or old rubber tires are excellent materials to use as padding.