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My uncle the retired ironworker told me to always tie a backup knot on the rigging
He said he saw a load slip once because someone skipped it. Last month I was lifting a 2 ton steel beam and the main knot started to unravel mid-lift. That backup knot held everything until I set it down. Anyone else have a simple habit like that from an old timer?
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ericjackson9d agoMost Upvoted
Whoa wait - your main knot unraveled during a lift? That's wild. In my experience, that's not something you see often with proper rigging. But your mileage may vary, I guess.
Honestly, I gotta say your margaret_lane comment raises a fair point though. If a knot starts coming apart under load, something was off with the tie or the rope type for that job. Still, better to have that backup than not, right?
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margaret_lane9d ago
My father was a rigger for 35 years and he always said a properly tied knot shouldn't need a backup because you should inspect it before every lift. If your main knot is unraveling that tells me it wasn't dressed right or the wrong knot was used for the job.
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