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Warning: I tried a new synthetic rope on my 80-ton lattice boom and it slipped on the drum.
I was setting up for a bridge beam lift in Toledo and decided to test a new brand of 1-inch synthetic rope they said was rated for our work. After the first pick, maybe 30 tons, I noticed the load was creeping down. The rope had flattened and wasn't spooling tight on the drum like steel cable does. My spotter saw it too and we set it down fast. I learned you can't just swap synthetics in without checking the drum grooves and maybe changing the wrap pattern. Has anyone else run into this with newer rope types on older gear?
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gavinlopez2mo ago
We had a similar scare with a new synthetic sling on a rough terrain crane. The supplier swore it was fine for the old hooks, but the surface finish just didn't grip the same.
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samjohnson2mo ago
That's a supplier problem, not a gear problem. They should know their product's limits with old hardware. Sounds like they were just trying to make a sale.
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sage_ramirez422mo ago
Damn right I've been there. Had almost the same thing happen on a 50-ton all-terrain back in '21 with a new brand of synthetic. What finally worked for me was actually going back to the supplier's engineering team, not the sales guy, and getting the exact recommended drum wrap pattern and tension specs in writing. Then I had to machine some custom grooves into my old drum because the synthetic flattens out way different than steel. It's a pain but once you dial it in, the synthetic is actually smoother for the load. Did you end up sending your rope back to the supplier for testing or just eat the cost on it?
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