What is the first step in determining the weight each sling leg must carry?

What is the first step in determining the weight each sling leg must carry?

• A. Determine the sling angle
• B. Measure weight weight of load
• C. Identify the number of legs
• D. Check the surface material

Answer: (A)

In a multi-sling lift, the load each leg carries is determined by the geometry of how the legs hang—the sling angle. The angle between each leg and the vertical sets how much of the total weight each leg’s tension must provide. Once the sling angle is known, you can allocate load per leg using the relationship that the sum of the vertical components of all leg tensions must equal the total weight. If there are N legs and each leg makes an angle theta with vertical, the per-leg tension is roughly W divided by N cos(theta). So, knowing the sling angle first lets you compute the per-leg load accurately. The number of legs matters too, but you can’t determine per-leg load correctly without the angle. Weighing the load and checking the surface matter for other parts of planning, but they don’t determine how the weight splits among legs as directly as the sling angle does.

In a multi-sling lift, the load each leg carries is determined by the geometry of how the legs hang—the sling angle. The angle between each leg and the vertical sets how much of the total weight each leg’s tension must provide. Once the sling angle is known, you can allocate load per leg using the relationship that the sum of the vertical components of all leg tensions must equal the total weight. If there are N legs and each leg makes an angle theta with vertical, the per-leg tension is roughly W divided by N cos(theta). So, knowing the sling angle first lets you compute the per-leg load accurately. The number of legs matters too, but you can’t determine per-leg load correctly without the angle. Weighing the load and checking the surface matter for other parts of planning, but they don’t determine how the weight splits among legs as directly as the sling angle does.