Use of Choker and Basket Hitches
For large loads a 4-leg bridle sling can be made into a double basket sling by adding 2 single leg slings. These single leg slings can be made of larger diameter rope to better withstand load conditions. And they are less expensive to replace than the entire 4-leg sling. | |||||
Depending on the load a simple basket hitch may not provide the best load stability. Danger of the load slipping out of the sling. | |||||
Standard choker hitches provide better load control as long as the loads are short. When lifting longer bundled loads there is the danger that some of the bundle content may slide out of the sling. As can be seen, a standard choker hitch compresses the load from three sides only. | A better way to do the same lift: use a double wrap choker hitch and for long loads use 2 slings. The double wrap compresses the load on all 4 sides and provides far better load control. Observe the choker hitch reduction factors as outlined on page 8. |
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When using a basket hitch you must take the sling angle into account. Make sure the load is properly padded to prevent sling damage. | The same principle as above, but here we use a plain double wrap hitch. Both sling eyes are placed into the load hook. You do not have to consider choker hitch reduction factors, but when loads get wider you may have to reduce the sling capacity due to the angularity factor. |