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Vent: My main hoist cable snapped yesterday while lifting a 5-ton concrete panel in Dallas.
Honestly, I was lowering the load about 20 feet up when I heard that sickening pop, so I just hit the emergency stop and radioed the crew to clear the zone while I secured the boom.
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piper_thompson311mo agoMost Upvoted
Glad you kept your head. First thing we always do is get a photo of the broken cable end before anyone touches it. The fracture pattern tells you if it was overload, fatigue, or a flaw. Then check your log for the last inspection date.
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sethb451mo agoTop Commenter
That photo tip is solid. My buddy had a crane cable snap last year and they just cleared the mess. Later, the boss blamed his crew for overloading it. If they'd taken a picture like you said, they could have shown the break was all jagged from metal fatigue, not a clean overload cut. He spent weeks fighting that write-up over something the cable was just tired from.
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