A very generous company just gifted me about a dozen wire rope slings, 3/4, 1" and a couple a bit bigger sizes. Some of them are pretty long, like 16-20ft and I wonder how can I store them. Can I store them "coiled" in rings about 2ft diameter? Will they straighten out when uncoiled, or will they memorize this shape and want to stay coiled? The rope is something like 6x36 IWRC or at least looks really similar. i
I store mine in coils whatever diameter I can get without using a lot of force, seems like my big ones, 7/8, 1, 1 1/8 etc. usually go into about a 3' coil. I have no idea if this is correct or not, if OSHA started with me, I'm sure I'd be bankrupt before we got down to how I stored my slings.
You might find that you will struggle to get the coils down to 2ft in diameter but storing the slings coiled will be fine. Let's face it when wire rope is put on a drum by the manufacturer all they're doing is coiling it.
Coiling is fine, even by OSHA. We tend to store them hanging for ease of selection and inspection. If you look at the wire rope tables, there should be a "minimum sheave diameter" which is the smallest arc for bending without setting. Howard
Coiled is fine. We hang the shorter ones on a rack. OSHA requires a per use inspection on them. One issue we had with OSHA is how to document that they are examined. They wanted proof but no written documentation is required They can not site you if you did a visual on them before using them. OSHA does have an isssue with wire chokers and slings laying in the sand. They claim and are probably right, say that sand infiltrates and wears them when stretching under load. They want them off the ground. Nylon slings are a different story. If left out in the sun they are consided bad when all faded out. We kept a plywood box on the crane with a lid to throw them in. They should not be drug around in the sand either. One more thing. OSHA will have a cow if you use a kinked ckoker for anthing other that steel erection where the kink matches the steel you are setting. Insure no broken wires are in the kink.
With chocker cable slings I keep them coiled when stored on the crane . In the crane shed I hang them on the wall . Main thing is keep them in the dry & out of the dirt when not in use .