At The Rope Guru LLC we make a lot of synthetic rope slings for many types of applications. Arborist rigging, Cranes and lifting, vehicle recovery, and transmission power line work to name just a few. Let’s discuss a couple of the differences.
The most common slings used in arboricultural rigging is tied at the base of a tree or used on a limb as an anchor point to control the rigging rope. Since the slings are tied around an abrasive surface (the bark) its best to use a double braided construction urethane coated polyester rope to handle that abrasion. These ropes are offered with and without an urethane coating with varying costs. One may want to think carefully if the price differences outweighs the longevity factor. 12 strand slings (hollow braid) are more versatile due to their splicability. These slings are usually knotted and special attention to knotted strengths should be considered.
If its not wire rope, its most likely a sewn nylon, polyester web sling or some sort of “endless loop” / “grommet” round sling. Sewn flat web slings (yes, probably those yellow flat ones) are a consumable item, price point based and very common in a cranes everyday rigging for WLL under 10K pounds. At The Rope Guru, we recommend an engineered sling with some extra chafe protection or a matched set of slings for WLL exceeding 10K pounds. This is where lightweight Yale LOUPS or the beefy Samson Taurus lifting slings (coming soon) work well in these heavy lift applications. Engineered rope slings are rapidly replacing polyester round slings that have cover bunching issues, tearing easily, and need to be replaced more often.
This is a sling with a specific purpose, recovering stuck vehicles. And, there’s only 2 ways to do it. Use kinetic energy by introducing a moving force to get the stuck object free. This is achieved with a nylon rope that has high elongation and great energy absorbing properties. This is the sling type where we ask the customer “what happens when you don’t get free on the first attempt?” – the answer is always “back up and try it again, but this time use more force” . The other sling type would be for static recovery like a large tow truck recovery or heavy equipment recovery is being winched in under load slowly and always under constant tension. These high strength / low stretch recovery slings are typically Dyneema / HMPE fiber that does not handle shock loading well. Shock loading may cause damage to the sling and or the equipment.
Not only are we a leader in making the safest double ended adjustable transformer lifting slings, but utility contractors depend on us for high strength rope slings. Let’s just say it- Wire rope is extremely heavy and conductive making it a risky choice when working at height around energized transmission towers. No rope is considered entirely non conductive, but this is where the highest strength, lowest stretch and lightest weight rope will be the best choice. Its even better as this choice does not absorb water and will not freeze by trait. At the Rope Guru, we are providing HMPE rope slings for many working load limit requirements from 4,000 – 24,000 lbs in lengths from 4 feet to 200 feet with chafe sleeve protected eyes.
No matter what your sling needs are, if its for lifting, pulling, or lowering or if you have questions please Contact us. We offer customized quotes specific to your application, working loads, and length requirements that will fit your needs. Please remember its not always the strongest rope that will be your best solution.
