Snapped a hoist cable mid-lift on a job in Houston last Thursday

Tbh I've been running cranes for about 8 years and never had a cable just let go like that. This old Lattice boom was lifting a 3 ton HVAC unit for a roof job and BAM the main hoist cable snapped right at the drum. I set the load down hard and the whole crew just stared at me like I grew a second head. Anyone else ever had a cable snap with no warning signs beforehand?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_oscar15d ago

That part about changing every season "cheap insurance compared to what could have happened" really hit home. Before this happened I was one of those guys who thought if the cable looked fine and passed the yearly inspection, you were good to go for another year or two. Now I'm rethinking that whole approach. I had a 3/8 line on my service truck crane that I'd been running for three seasons with no issues, no fraying, no nothing. After seeing that main hoist cable on the lattice boom let go with absolutely zero warning, I pulled that line off and replaced it the next week. Cost me about 400 bucks but that's nothing compared to what a dropped unit or worse, a hurt guy, would have cost me.

derek_schmidt615d ago

Was there any fraying or birdcaging at the drum before it happened?

the_thomas15d ago

Noticed zero signs before mine let go. Was running 250 feet of 5/16 line on a crab setup, pulling pots every morning before sunrise. Didn't see a single broken strand or any weird bulge near the drum. The line just snapped mid-pull with no warning at all. Scared the hell out of me, sent the pot flying back toward the boat. After that I started replacing every season religiously, cheap insurance compared to what could have happened.