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Snapped a hoist cable on a routine lift in Baltimore last Thursday
I was just moving a 2 ton AC unit for a rooftop job and the cable gave way with a bang that echoed across the whole block. Had to shut down the site for 3 hours while we swapped it out, anyone else had a cable snap out of nowhere like that?
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jennysullivan1mo ago
3 years of hoist work and I still jump whenever I hear a loud bang on site, but that echo across the whole block is a whole other level of nightmare fuel. @danielhenderson's trick about running your thumb over every inch is solid, especially since that fray can hide inside the drum like a sneaky little gremlin. Honestly though, I bet the real scare was that moment of silence before the unit hit the ground - that's the part that gets me. Did the AC unit survive or did you have to call it a total loss? Either way, at least nobody got hurt, which is the only silver lining when stuff like this decides to crap out on you.
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danielhenderson2mo ago
yeah that happened to me a couple years back on a job in Philly. we were hoisting a condenser up three floors and the cable just snapped mid lift with no warning. turned out the hoist had a fray we missed during the morning check cause it was inside the drum. now I run a thumb over every inch of cable before any lift no matter how small. also check your load rating vs the cable age cause older steel gets brittle even if it looks fine. bet it scared the hell outta you man, that bang is something you don't forget.
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