Constructing a building of any kind involves big equipment and big materials that often must be hoisted, pulled or lowered to their final place in the project. A useful component of these operations is the shackle. Shackles come in a variety of sizes, types and load ratings thus making them a small but important tool on any jobsite.

Often in the process of constructing a building, material and equipment must be moved from one place to another. One of the best ways to accomplish this is with the use of lifting straps.

Lifting straps or slings come in several types such as, endless, culvert pipe installation, triangle and reversed eye and eye, to name a few. Lifting straps are generally made from three types of materials: polyester, nylon and wire rope. With so many types and uses available it's easy to see why they are so versatile.In the construction industry there are generally three ways in which lifting straps are used. They are the basket hitch, the vertical hitch and the choker hitch.

The basket hitch is often used for lifting large bulky items. This type of hitch involves cradling the item by running the lifting straps underneath and attaching the eye or end to a lifting device such as a crane or forklift. The advantage here is a the ability spread the weight over a larger area thus increasing safety. The disadvantage is that this arrangement does not allow for side to side security if the item has the potential to shift or slide.

The vertical hitch is quite common and is used most often by attaching one loop to the crane and the other to the item itself. This setup is only used to lift in a straight vertical fashion. The vertical hitch is great for lifting compact or short item such as a cement mixer or air compressor.

A choker hitch is the method of choice when it is imperative for the lifting straps culvert pipe repair to stay in one place without shifting or sliding. This is accomplished by running one loop through the other loop thus creating a "choker". Lifting pipe or culverts is often where the choker hitch is used.

An experienced owner-operator, Scott Brunson helps members of the transportation industry each day as a product specialist for US Cargo Control, an online retailer of logistic straps and other cargo securement products. Find what you're looking for at US Cargo Control today.