below-the-hook Archives | Equipment & Contracting

Yellow A-Lift spreader beam suspended on blue slings over wet concrete yard with workers

How to Brief a Mobile Crane and Rigging Crew So the Lift Plan Survives the First Pick

September 9, 2026 Jackson Palmer Comments Off

Ground conditions, radius reality, tag lines, and communication that keep the first pick inside the written lift plan—not a stop-work surprise. […]

Orange multi-magnet lifting beam with selective control panels and grid of magnets against black background

When Lifting Magnets Beat Chains and Slings for Steel Plate and Fabrication Moves

September 9, 2026 Jackson Palmer Comments Off

Moving steel plate with chains and slings works—until the clock, the finish, and the crew size say otherwise. Every choke, shackle, and tag line adds setup time. Softeners protect edges but still leave marks. Thin […]

Excavator with vacuum lifter unloading large-diameter coated pipe from a flatbed trailer on a pipeline right-of-way

How Vacuum Lifting Speeds Pipe, Plate, and Precast Moves Without Slings Through the Load

September 9, 2026 Jackson Palmer Comments Off

Every time a crew threads a sling under a coated pipe joint, pries chokers under a plate, or waits on a rigger to land hardware through a precast insert, the clock is running. Vacuum lifting […]