Overheard a foreman say 'slack is your friend' on a 150 ton job in Houston last month

I was setting up a Terex lattice boom for a bridge project and this old timer walks by, sees me cranking the pendant lines tight, and goes 'easy there, kid, slack is your friend until it isn't'. Made me think about how I've been too careful about zero slack on every lift. He was talking about how a little give helps with wind sway on long picks, but I've also seen too much slack cause a load to swing into a guy. Has anyone else found a good middle ground for how much slack to leave on load lines for tall boom work?

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sarahpatel22d ago

On a 300 ton rig in Dallas I kept about six inches of slack and it rode real smooth through the wind.