Heavy Equipment Hauling and Rigging – Purposes of Rigging

Rigging equipment includes a wide selection of tools used for different needs. The basic definition of rigging equipment is equipment used to hoist, lift, push, pull another object.  This spans from small tasks to lifting objects which are extremely heavy. The equipment can also change from very simple to highly complex.One use of rigging equipment is to lift an object directly from the ground. A usual type of tool for this is the jack. Jacks may come in many different styles and types. A toe jack is operated by placing the toe which is a flat piece of metal at the bottom of the jack, underneath the object which needs to be lifter. To raise the toe a hydraulic or mechanical pressure is used. It is differs from the toe jack in that the head rise up and creates the lifting action.

Some use to pumped air in inflatable jacks to lift objects.  When a screw is turned on the journal or screw jacks have gears to make the lifting action. Another method for moving an object from one space to another is pushing. The two main types of rigging equipment used for this task are dollies and skates. A dolly is best defined as a platform with wheels which can transport another object. Load roller dollies are helpful for transporting heavy objects without causing damage to floors. This is due to the wide roller system in place as opposed to individual wheels. Skates are like dollies in that they use rollers. Although skates are less complicated as they are merely placed underneath an object and then the object is rolled. The dolly holds the object and can be steered. Object which are too big and heavy for an individual dolly used skates instead. Pulling object is another use or purpose for rigging equipment. The object being pulled may be on wheels or rollers or need towing without this assistance.

The basic equipment used for this feat are chains, hooks, and tie downs. Usually, a chain and hook will be attached between the object needing pulling and the vehicle doing the towing. Other equipment might be needed are shackles and couplings, to connect the hook and chain to the vehicle and towed the object. Tie downs are employed for securing objects being towed. Similar to lifting is hoisting but this is done from above instead of from below such as using a jack. The popular type of hoist is a chain hoist. Chain hoist operates on a pulley method in hoisting. The operator pulls down on the opposite hanging chain to make the hoisting action.

This style does not usually hoist much weight. Lever hoists are like lever puller hoists but they are able to hoist greater weight like heavy equipment due to the pulley system in place. Sometime rigging needs entail far more than hand-operated machinery. Forklifts are used to lift and transport objects where a jack and dolly prove to be too hard and time consuming. Twin lifts are like forklifts and can also lift and transport large weights. Cranes can hoist much more weight from heights than a hand-operated hoist can accomplish undertake. Risers are very large bottle jacks used in lifting up extremely big objects to greater heights.

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