evac72•3mo ago

Question about using a shackle as a counterweight on a city job

Overheard a guy at the union hall say he uses a spare shackle to balance his picks on tight jobsites downtown, but my old boss told me that's a huge no-no with OSHA. Which side is right for a 3-ton tower crane in a tight spot, or is there a better trick I'm missing?

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2 Comments

mary_schmidt3mo ago

Your old boss wasn't wrong, skipping the counterweight rigging is asking for trouble.

6

ben8273mo ago

Wait have you actually tried rigging without the counterweight setup on a bigger stage? I've seen crews skip it for small events where the load was way under capacity, and it worked fine as long as they used proper bridles and kept the angles tight. The problem is when people treat it like a shortcut for every job and dont check the actual math first. If you're under 500 pounds and the trim height is low, skipping it can be safe, but you better be real sure about your gear ratings.

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