Warning: that 'side pull' add-on I bought off a guy on Facebook was a complete dud

I got one of those fancy side pull attachments for my Grove RT540 off a guy in Houston last month. Looked legit in the photos, heavy duty steel and all. But on the third job, the pivot pin sheared right off on a 2,700 lb load. Nearly dropped the whole beam through a roof in downtown Austin. My foreman said it was a cheap knockoff welded from scrap pipe. Has anyone else run into fake rigging gear sold through private sellers?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kevin25d ago

Did you check if the welds had any kind of stamp or certification mark on them before you hung the load? Real rated gear usually has a tag or stamp from a testing lab, not just some paint slapped on. I heard of a guy in San Antonio who bought a set of used spreader bars off a classified ad and found out the hard way the steel was just schedule 40 pipe with no heat treatment. The whole thing folded like a taco on a 4,000 lb HVAC unit. If there is no paperwork chain from the original manufacturer, you are basically gambling with your life and everyone on site.

uma_baker8825d ago

Damn, that San Antonio story hits close to home. I once bought a used lifting beam off an auction site and the only marking was a sticker that said "rated" in marker. Turns out it was just a steel beam from Home Depot with some paint and a prayer. Folded up like a cheap lawn chair on a 2,000 pound AC unit, almost took out my foreman's truck. So yeah, I learned the hard way that if it doesn't have a stamp from a real testing lab, it's just a fancy paperweight waiting to kill someone. Now I treat every used tool like it's trying to trick me, which is a good habit in this business.