Tried a lighter rigging chain and it cost me a whole afternoon on a job in Austin

I figured I'd save some weight on a small pick and swapped out my usual 3/8 chain for some 5/16 I had lying around. Big mistake. The load shifted weird during the lift and I spent 3 hours re-rigging and re-setting because the chain couldn't handle the twist. Anyone else ever cheap out on rigging and instantly regret it?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna_sanchez1mo ago

Man it's like the universe punishes you for trying to save a buck upfront. Had a buddy use cheap bolts on a deck railing and we found the whole thing wobbling after one storm. It's that whole "pay once cry once" thing. You think you're being smart and then you spend more time fixing the shortcut than you would've just doing it right the first time. Always works out like that with the stuff you can't see failing.

james_ross1mo ago

Haha @luna_sanchez you're spot on with that... my buddy tried the same thing with some bargain bin brackets on a fence gate and it sagged within two months. Had to tear the whole thing apart and start over, definitely learned that lesson the hard way.

margarethill1mo ago

Y'all mean "cry once buy once," not "pay once cry once.