A 3/8″ steel wire rope sling with swaged eyes at both ends, available in 2, 5, 7.5, 10, 20, and 30-foot lengths. The workhorse of production rigging. Standard WLL ratings per ASME B30.9 at a 5:1 design factor are as follows:
- Vertical hitch: 1.55 tons
- Choker hitch: 1.2 tons (at 120° or greater angle of choke)
- Basket hitch: 3.1 tons (vertical legs, D/d ratio of 25:1)
Choker capacity reduces to as low as 49% of vertical WLL as the choke angle decreases below 30 degrees, so rig accordingly. Inspect before every use. Replace if kinked, crushed, broken wires, or corrosion is present. You know the rules.