Equipment Center West

Chain slings are a piece of equipment to give you assistance when it comes to heavy lifting. You can see them being used most commonly on construction sites or within large warehouses where moving heavy goods is a daily occurrence. But, what you may not know is there are many different types of chain slings available for you to purchase. So, what are the different types of chain slings, and what are the benefits and disadvantages of each?

Single Leg Chain Slings

We are going to begin with one of the smaller chain slings, a single leg chain sling. This type of lifting sling is attached to a further lifting machine like a crane. This provides one lifting anchor point that can be attached to crates and boxes to move them from one area to another. The main benefit of choosing this type of lifting sling is that it is easier to store than alternatives. It is smaller with its single leg chain and hook, making it easier for you to store hooked on a wall or in storage solutions. You should note that this style of sling is not capable of lifting extreme weight limits. It does have a lower weight limit due to not having as much support as other alternatives on the market.

Double Leg Chain Sling

Another option you could consider is a double leg chain sling. As the name suggests, this is a lifting sling what comes with two chains coming off of it. The main benefit of this style you are going to find is the extra support. Due to it connecting on two anchor points it feels safer when you are lifting. This also allows you to have higher weight limits when lifting as you have double the amount of strength and the weight is distrubuited over these two points. This type of lifting sling is still going to be easy to store, but not as easy as a single leg chain sling. It is also going to have a higher price tag so this is something else to consider.

4 Leg Chain Sling

Finally, we want to share with you some facts about 4 leg chain slings. We are sure you can see where this is going, a 4 leg chain sling is a piece of lifting equipment that has 4 chain legs coming off of a single chain hoist. This allows the hoist to be securely connected to four points of a crate that needs lifting. This tends to be the four corners of the crate, allowing the weight to be evenly distributed through them all. You will find that these allow you to have higher lifting weight limits, making them more useful when wanting to lift extremely heavy items. This type of lifting sling does tend to be more difficult to store due to the number of legs it has and how bulky all of the chains become. It is also more common for it to become tangled within itself if not stored properly.