Are you looking to improve bundle lifting at your job site, but don’t know what option is right for you?
Whether you work in construction, a lumber yard, or a warehouse, bundles are everywhere, and you need solutions to help you safely and efficiently lift them.
“Do I need a more customized, automated solution? What type of lifting sling should I use? Can I use a forklift to lift bundles instead of an overhead crane?”
Our Below-The-Hook lifting experts get asked these questions constantly, and we want to help you stay informed during your research process. This article will cover all the options for lifting bundles. We will answer several key questions, including:
What Industries Lift Bundles?
As we discussed in our basket lifting beam article, bundles are a part of everyday operations for a variety of industries.
Construction workers constantly move plastic or metal piping on a site. Lumber yards need to move bundles of lumber onto a delivery truck. Steel mill workers need to safely move steel beams and rods onto a loading dock. Ports and shipyards have to move metal beams and heavy cargo (rods and rebars) on and off ships.
There’s no shortage of examples, and regardless of the industry, workers run into the same issues: They aren’t lifting bundles safely or fast enough.
What Lifting Sling Should You Use to Lift Bundles?
You can use many lifting slings to pick up bundles, with each having their benefits and drawbacks:
Synthetic Lifting Sling
The benefit of using a synthetic lifting sling is that it’s very lightweight and easy to fish through a bundle and get it in a choke configuration.
They are also great for any bundle with rounded options. But if you use synthetic slings, you start running the risk of cutting that sling on sharp corners or edges.
Wire Rope Lifting Slings
On the other hand, wire rope slings are a bit heavier than a synthetic sling, but they will offer you enhanced endurance. Plus, they’re much lighter and easier to move around compared to a chain.
And even though they’re more durable than a synthetic sling, you can still cut strands of the wire if you pick up a bundle with sharp edges.
Chain Lifting Slings
While you can use chain slings to lift bundles, they are very heavy and not easy to move around in your facility. Plus, it will be difficult to maneuver a chain sling underneath a bundle.
Keep in mind the environment you’re working in as well. While synthetic slings are versatile and affordable, they don’t do well in extreme heat environments, like a steel mill.
It’s also important to pair your lifting sling with a great below-the-hook lifting device. In some instances, you can use a below-the hook-device as an alternative.
What Below-The-Hook Lifting Devices Lift Bundles?
There is no shortage of below-the-hook devices to help you lift bundles.
There are bundle lifting beams, which have hooks or lifting lug points underneath it to run a sling in a basket configuration underneath a bundle or a load. With a basket lifting beam, you can hook the eyes of a lifting sling to create a basket configuration around the load.
They are often paired with synthetic or twin path slings, but they can be paired with any sling that you can put into a basket configuration. Basket beams also help create more stable loads, increasing employee safety and reducing damage to your load.
Lifting tongs are designed to lift heavy, bulky objects and are commonly found in steel mills, logging and timber sites, chemical plants, and manufacturing facilities. Lifting tongs come in a variety of designs to fit specific industry applications, too. For example, there are certain models designed to pick up bundles of marble or stone slabs.
Can You Use Magnets to Lift Bundles?
Recently, magnets have become a popular option for lifting professionals. Not only do they enhance safety, but they also have great durability. Magnetic lifting devices are commonplace in steel processing plants and warehouses—picking up steel coils. But are they good for lifting bundles?
While the magnet might grab the top of the bundle, it’s not going to secure the entire bundle together. If you’re just using magnets with no help from lifting slings in a basket or choke configuration, it’s probably not the best option.
Can You Custom Engineer a Bundle Lifting Device?
Sometimes, lifting slings or other standard lifting devices are not going to be the most efficient or safest option. Thankfully, there are custom lifting devices available.
One example is having motorized arms that come underneath a bundle. Another example is designing lifting tongs to carry square-shaped bundles.
Not all applications require a custom bundle lifting solution, but in those applications that require or could benefit from one, Mazzella is able to look at your application and figure out what we feel would be the best option to make your operations more efficient and safer.
Can You Lift Bundles with Forklifts?
While you can lift bundles with a forklift, extra caution needs to be taken.
Custom add-ons to your forklift, like a forklift boom, go on the mast and essentially turn your forklift into a mobile crane. They are incredibly popular in warehouses and smaller, confined manufacturing facilities where lifting bundles isn’t a part of daily operations. They are also very popular when loading conex boxes.
While great in certain applications, lifting bundles with a forklift isn’t ideal. They lack mobility, have a lower lifting capacity, and you increase the chance of the forklift turning over if too much weight is applied.
Always reach out to your forklift manufacturer to ensure your forklift is large enough to handle the added weight of a forklift boom and lifting heavy bundles.
With an overhead crane, you will have more control over the bundles.
What Common Mistakes are Made When Lifting Bundles?
The biggest mistake people make when lifting bundles is not considering the product they are lifting and how it will react once underload.
Many people have the mindset of “I got a bundle to pick. Let’s just choke it and start lifting it across the facility.” They don’t consider how the bundle will react once it goes up in the air.
Here are some questions to consider before lifting a bundle:
- Have I accounted for the weight of the bundle?
- Are there sharp edges or corners?
- Do I have a clear landing space?
- Is the load properly secured?
If the bundle is too long for the sling’s reach, you’ll experience some sag in your bundle. Depending on the way that choke is sagging (either in happy face or frowny face configuration), you run the risk of dropping the bundle, bending the material, or having your slings running in together and damaging your load.
Another common mistake we see is people using hooks to pick up a bundle on the banding of the bundle. Banding—whether it’s steel or plastic—isn’t rated for any type of holding capacity.
What Bundle Lifting Option is Best for You?
Deciding what the best bundle lifting device for your application takes into consideration a few things:
- How often are you lifting the bundles?
- What environment are you pulling the bundles from or out of?
- How much clearance do you have around the bundles?
- What’s the length of the bundle?
- What’s the diameter of the bundle going to be?
Additionally, will you need extra customizations to fit your work environment?
On a construction site, where you might be moving a bundle only one or two times a day, the simplest solution—like using slings to choke the bundle—may be the best option.
If you’re in a high production, intense environment, and you don’t want workers manually putting heavy loads in a basket or choke configuration (no touch environments in steel mills as a great example), you may want to explore more automated offerings.
Why Should You Invest in an Engineered Bundle Lifting Solution?
Going with an engineered lifting device for bundle lifting is a great idea. A lot of times, they’re able to not only improve the safety side of bundle lifting, but they’re also able to improve your organization’s efficiency rates.
For example, if you typically have to send somebody in to run a sling underneath a bundle, not only are you putting them in a potentially unsafe environment, but that takes up a lot of time.
Whereas if you had a custom engineered device that would automatically grab onto the bundle, you’re taking that person completely out of the equation—speeding up the time it takes for them to hook up bundles, as well as putting them out of harm’s way.
Want to Learn More About Lifting Bundles?
Investing in an engineered bundle lifting solution—whether it’s a basket beam, lifting tongs, or a custom engineered automated device—is a great way to improve employee safety and organizational productivity. But it’s also not easy to decide which option is right for you. We hope this article informed you about the different options out on the market.
Mazzella is here to help you with any type of bundle lifting application, from common lifting slings to an engineered lifting device. We’re here to make sure you’re lifting bundles safely and efficiently.
If you’re interested in a custom-engineered solution, download our Below-The-Hook-Lifting Devices Checklist and Design Sheet to learn more.
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