BELOW THE HOOK


produced in accordance with LOLER requirements and aligns with BS EN 13155:2020 standards for non- fixed load lifting attachments. Full certification, test documentation and a Declaration of Conformity were supplied with the finished equipment, ensuring full traceability and compliance for the end user. Bradley Lifting of York, Pennsylvania is another designer and manufacturer of below-the-hook lifting equipment; they also offer field inspection, service and repair of existing devices. A recent project involved coils of surface-critical aluminium sheet that required inspection after cold rolling. Coils were transported from the rolling mill to a


dedicated surface inspection area where a separate unwind/rewind device exposed sections of sheet. When finished, the coils were rewound, unloaded and moved to the next processing area. Handling the coils was time consuming, leading to delays at the inspection area. There were also material losses from damage during the loading and unloading process To ease the bottleneck, Bradley Lifting engineers designed a rack and pinion style coil lifter with motorised rotation in the lifting legs. When a coil is selected for inspection, it is now taken directly from the rolling mill to the inspection area where the sheet can be unwound while still on the coil grab. The step of unloading them there and reloading after inspection was, therefore, bypassed. After inspection, the coil is rewound while still on the grab and is moved back into production. Elimination of the bottleneck, and of the damage associated with loading and unloading the coils at the inspection area, has resulted in annual savings of over $50,000. Hunter Lift based in Ohio specialise in quality engineered and manufactured products for below the hook lifting devices, tongs, grabs and material handling solutions for all types of industries. All their new lifting devices are custom design and build projects. Lifters, J-hooks, tongs, spreader beams, C-hooks and mobile lifters with power units are all part of their expertise. Designs comply with ASME BTH-1 and ASME B30.20 standards for below the hook lifting devices; welds are in accordance with ANSI/AWSD14.1. The company also performs complete below-the- hook inspection programmes on tongs, grabs and all lifting equipment, with on-site analysis as needed. Among their products are motorised ring lifters


to carry large new-forged rings of various sizes and thickness. The diameter of rings ranges between 4–30ft. The lifting units normally have electric motor drives powered from the overhead crane source. These are high-temperature applications: typical ring temperature ranges from 100°F (37°C) to 2,000°F (over 1,000°C). A recent project was for a New York-based forging company that required a BTH device to lift hot forged rings from a furnace run-out table and stack them on a cooling table. The lifter had to grip and transport the rings in a way that the integrity of the shape was maintained free of any possible distortion with the


load sufficiently supported at all times. Ring diameters varied from 1.7m to 12.0m; thicknesses were from 0.2m to 0.8m. The customer required that the user be able to operate the lifting device with a wireless pendant to maintain a safe working distance. Hunter Lift’s engineers calculated that three independent lifting tongs were sufficient to support the ring and maintain its integrity. Each tong has a gravity assist grip and open/close positions provided by a 5t electric cylinder. Each tong is mounted on an arm that swings open and closed simultaneously in relation to the ring diameter. The arms are attached to a motor-driven acme screw which was sized to take the load generated from lifting the ring, which is up to 30,000lbs (13t). Indicators for proper alignment and grip are provided to ensure a ring is lifted when the tong points are in contact with the sides of the ring.


Sling your hook


Caldwell have long specialised in BTH devices. Their product range is a wide one, with many different types and capacities totalling some hundreds of different items. Caldwell specialised lifters, Renfroe clamps, RUD slings and lifting points are among them. Very many of these items are available off-the-shelf, which means they can ship generally within one business day of ordering. Others, however, are produced to order, necessarily introducing a time delay. Among these are lifting beams and spreader beams, which are among the most widely used below-the- hook devices, both in construction and in plant and factory settings. The two types look very similar, and simple, but in engineering terms function very differently. A spreader beam incorporates top rigging – wires running from each end of the beam to the hook forming a V-shape – and is designed to work primarily in compression. This can be an efficient lifting solution, but the additional rigging does require vertical space above the beam.


A lifting beam has no such top-rigged wires: the hook connects directly into a single shackle on the beam. The beam, therefore, has to withstand bending moments rather than compression. This arrangement generally requires less headroom, making it a practical choice where overhead clearance is limited – as may be the case with bridge cranes in a manufacturing plant. Headroom is often the deciding factor when choosing between a lifting beam and a spreader beam. Some beams can be rigged in both arrangements. These are large items and are generally made


to order. In July, however, Caldwell expanded its In-Stock range to include spreader and lifting beams – specifically the Model 16 Adjustable Spreader/Lifting Beams and Model 20 Low-Headroom Multiple-Spread Lifting Beams. These allow crane operators and riggers options for dozens of load scenarios and are two of the most in-demand product families in the company’s catalogue. The Model 16 beams now available from stock offer capacities from 2–5t and various minimum-


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A combined coil lifter and coil roller from Bradley Lifting of Pennsylvania.


Ring tong lifter from Ontario specialists Hunter Lift.


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