My main cable frayed on a job last month and I swore I'd never cheap out again

I was skeptical about spending extra on name brand wire rope when the off brands looked the same on paper. Had a 12 ton pick go sideways when the nylon core gave way mid lift on a site in Portland. Turns out the cheap stuff skimps on the internal lubrication and it wears out twice as fast. Cost me a full day of downtime and a $400 repair to the hoist. Anyone else had a brand prove itself the hard way?

3 comments

3 Comments

robert_anderson6927d ago

Bought the bargain brand once and watched a sling snap like a wet noodle on a light pick. Learned that lesson for $300 a pop.

patricialee27d ago

Oh man, that's brutal. I had almost the exact same thing happen with a set of budget slings I got off some random online store. First real climb with them, I was maybe 15 feet up and one of the loops just gave out like it was made of paper. Scared the hell out of me and I landed hard on my ankle. That ER bill was way more than the $300 I would've spent on decent gear in the first place. So yeah, I totally feel your pain on that one, it's a lesson you don't really forget.

jade_singh27d ago

Check the swage fittings too, cheap brands skip the final heat treat and they crack under load.