Top 10 Lifting & Rigging Videos of 2024

Intro

What were this year’s top 10 lifting and rigging videos?

Today, we’re counting down the top 10 Lifting & Rigging Channel videos of 2024. These are a mix of our most viewed and most liked videos, as well as a few of my personal favorites. Don’t forget to subscribe, and let me know which of this year’s videos was your favorite in the comments.

Number 10

Number 10! If you’re working at height, do you have a rescue plan? An often overlooked part of working at height is the rescue plan. Wearing a harness is great, but you need to have a plan for a rescue if you fall. This is an OSHA requirement. And, by the way, calling 911 and waiting for the firetruck to bring a ladder doesn’t cut it.

That is why we created this video, giving you five must-know tips to help you develop a working-at-height rescue plan. If you don’t have one, watch this video.

Number 9

Number 9! I know we just released this video, but this is a really cool product. Slingmax® recently released a new sling that offers the same lightweight and strength you associate with Slingmax® Twin-Path® slings but in a much smaller profile. Introducing the Helix™! Learn more about how this sling can help improve your lifting operations by watching this video.

Number 8!

Number 8! Anytime I can get Specialty Ropes Service Manager, Tracy Evans on camera, he’s great. Tracy walks us through a button install on a mobile crane. How it can help extend the service life of your crane rope and how our infield service technicians can get your crane back in service quickly when a rope is damaged and your crane is down. Watch this video to learn more about infield socketing.

Number 7

Number 7! We recently worked with Columbus McKinnon to learn more about their first, and the first American made battery-powered chain hoist. Powered by an M18 red lithium battery from Milwaukee Tool, the BatteryStar gives workers a convenient portable tool to speed up work and reduce manual labor.

Convenient for shops, construction sites, utility work, entertainment rigging, and more. Watch this video to find out how a battery-powered hoist can improve your operations.

Number 6

Number 6! On our podcast Safety Factor this year, we sat down with Tony Mazzella, CEO of Mazzella Companies, to learn more about the company’s 70-year history and dive into the former years of the lifting and rigging industry. Over two episodes, we learned how this industry and the company evolved.

We spoke with Tony and his brother Jim to learn more about their father and founder, Jim Mazzella Sr., and later sat down with Tony and his sons, Presidents of Mazzella Companies, Matt and Adam Mazzella, to dive into more recent history and investigate what the future holds. Filled with old photos, stories, and videos from our vault, this is a must-watch for people interested in rigging and lifting history.

Number 5

Number 5! I spent a few days in Tampa, Florida, at a waste-to-energy facility in McKay Bay to learn about the engineering feat it takes to install new cranes in an old tired facility over a gigantic pit of garbage. A look into a world not often seen, how trash is burnt to generate power and the immensely important role cranes play in this process. How do you install cranes over a 30-foot garbage pit? Watch this video to find out.

Number 4

Number 4! Our second most viewed video of the year. What is the difference between a Flemish eye sling, a Turnback eye sling, and a hand-spliced sling? Which style of eye is best for your lift?

AWRF board member Terry Driscoll breaks down the differences and gives you some important inspection tips when using Turnback eyes. Watch this video to help get a better understanding of wire rope slings.

Number 3

Number 3! The people have spoken. Apparently, you want more videos where we sit down with some tenured industry veterans and debunk some common rigging myths that get passed around on job sites.

Recently released, and already, our third most viewed video of the year. This video challenges what you think you might know about screw pins, hoists, hooks, and slings. Expect more of these videos in 2025. This video is a must-watch for riggers, trainers, and anyone responsible for lifting and rigging safety.

Number 2

Number 2! Terry Driscoll is back, and this time we are breaking slings in the test bed. We modified a test bed to include a 90-degree edge. Then, we pulled a few web slings against it to failure with and without the CornerMax® Sleeve cut protection.

This video shows you how important cut protection is for the safety of your workforce, safety of your load, as well as the longevity of your slings when you’re lifting anything that has a 90-degree edge. Sharp or not, an edge can cut your sling even under normal use. This video proves it. Looking to learn more about making safer lifts? Watch this video.

Number 1

Number 1! “How a Crosby Shackle Is Made.” This has been our most viewed and most liked video that we have ever released on the channel. Crosby opened their doors to us, as well as their entire shackle manufacturing process, inviting us to their Longview, Texas facility to show us how a Crosby shackle is made. From the initial engineering all the way to shipping.

If you use Crosby shackles, if you like “how it’s made” videos, if you’re interested in American manufacturing, or if you want to learn more about the processes that keep you and your riggers safe on a job site, this is the video for you. Take a look behind the curtain at the process of making a key piece of hardware on any lifting or rigging job.

What’s the future of the Lifting & Rigging Channel?

So what was your favorite lifting and rigging video of 2024? Leave your favorite in the comments. In 2025, you can look forward to more hands-on content, expert advice and demonstrations, breakthrough product demos, “how-tos,” and “how it’s made” videos as we strive to make this channel your best source for lifting and rigging educational content.

If you’re not subscribed, why not subscribe now so you’re all set for a year of great lifting and rigging videos? Also, thank you to the team behind the scenes at the Lifting & Rigging Channel. We have a spectacular team to help bring you new content every week. What videos would you like to see in 2025, what questions do you have? Let us know, drop your suggestions in the comments below. We’ll be back next year.

Remember, safe rigging is smart rigging. My name is Ben, stay safe out there.