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How a Load Gets Rigged, From Weight to Release
In Short
Rigging starts with the weight and where the load balances. Then the pick points, the hardware and a short test lift. Nothing flies until it hangs right.
2 min readUpdated July 2026
Rigging is everything between the hook and the load. The process runs in order: confirm the weight, find the center of gravity and the pick points, choose slings and hardware to suit, inspect it, make a short test lift, then fly the load with tag lines and land it on dunnage before the rigging comes off.
It Starts on the Phone, Not on the Hook
The rigging for a job gets decided long before the truck is on site. The weight of the load decides which machine comes out, and the shape of the load decides what hardware comes with it. A compact machine with lifting eyes needs very little. A long bundle of steel, an empty container or a spa shell each need something different.
That is why the first call asks the questions it does. What is it, what does it weigh, does it have lifting points, and what does it look like. Photos of the load itself, not just the site, answer half of that.
The person asking those questions is the person who rigs the load on the day. Nothing gets lost between a dispatcher and a crew who never saw the photos.
Pick Points, Balance and Sling Angle
Every load has a center of gravity, and it is rarely where it looks like it should be. Machinery carries its weight in the base and the motor. A tank or a spa can be heavier at one end. A load picked away from its center of gravity tilts the moment it leaves the ground.
Where there are lifting points, we use them. Where there are none, the load gets picked from its structure: base rails, frame members, or slings choked or basketed around a section that can take it. Painted sheet metal and thin shells are not structure.
Sling angle matters as much as sling strength. The flatter the angle between the sling and the load, the more tension each leg carries, and the more it squeezes the load inward. Longer legs or a spreader bar keep the pull closer to vertical. That is the reason a spreader shows up on long, light loads that seem like they would not need one.
- Synthetic round slings and web slings for finished or easily marked surfaces
- Wire rope and chain where the load is rough, hot or has sharp edges
- Shackles and hooks sized to the pick points and the sling
- Spreader bars to keep legs vertical on long or fragile loads
- Softeners and edge protection wherever a sling bends around a corner
- Tag lines to guide the load without anyone standing under it
Flying It, Landing It and Letting Go
Once the load is rigged, it gets lifted a few inches and held. That short test lift shows whether the load hangs level, whether any rigging has shifted, and whether the load is what everyone thought it weighed. If it hangs wrong, it goes back down and the rigging moves. Nobody fixes a bad hang in the air.
In the air, tag lines guide the load and keep it from spinning. They are for steering, not for holding it against the wind. On a gusty day the right answer is to set the load down and wait, and around here that is often an afternoon in monsoon season.
Landing is where most of the care goes. The load comes down slowly onto dunnage, a pad, a curb or its anchors, and the slings go slack before anyone unhooks them. If the rigging has to come back out from underneath, the dunnage leaves the gap for it. The last step is checking the rigging for damage before it goes back on the truck.
How the job runs
Our Process
Step 1: Confirm the Weight and Shape
The weight comes from the manufacturer, the shipper or a data plate. The shape comes from photos. Together they decide the machine and the hardware that comes with it.
Step 2: Choose Pick Points and Hardware
Lifting points are used where they exist. Where they do not, the load is picked from its structure, with slings, shackles and a spreader chosen for the shape and the finish.
Step 3: Inspect and Test Lift
Every sling and shackle is checked before it goes on the hook. The load is lifted a few inches and held to see how it hangs before it goes anywhere.
Step 4: Fly, Land and Release
Tag lines guide the load to its landing point. It comes down onto dunnage, a pad or its anchors, and the slings go slack before anyone unhooks them.
Scope
What Is Included
- Rigging brought and sized to the load you described
- Pick points chosen from the load's actual structure
- Inspection of slings and hardware before every job
- A short test lift before the load leaves the ground
- Tag lines and a controlled landing on every pick
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to supply the rigging?
No. The rigging comes with the crane and is chosen for the load you describe on the first call. If the load has its own spreader or lifting frame from the manufacturer, tell us and it gets used.
What if my equipment has no lifting points?
Then it gets picked from its structure: base rails, frame members, or slings around a section that can carry the load. Photos of the underside and the frame tell us where that is.
Why do you lift it a few inches and stop?
That test lift shows whether the load hangs level and whether the rigging is sitting right. If it tilts, it goes back down and the rigging moves. It takes a minute and it is the most useful minute of the pick.
Will the slings mark a finished surface?
Synthetic slings and softeners are used on finished or painted surfaces for exactly that reason. Tell us if the load has a surface that matters and we plan around it.
Who guides the load on the tag lines?
Usually your people, after a quick briefing on where to stand and what to do. Nobody stands under the load, and the tag lines are for steering, not for holding it.
More Guides
- Rigging FundamentalsHow slings, shackles and spreader bars attach a load to the hook. Sling angle, center of gravity, gear inspection, and who supplies the rigging.
- Signal Person RoleWhen the operator cannot see the load, one person gives signals. Standard hand signals, radio backup, and why a homeowner is rarely the right pick.
- Machinery PlacementSetting lathes, presses, compressors, tanks and pumps: finding lift points, protecting panels, measuring doorways and moving gear inside a yard.
- Rigging and Construction LiftsCrane picks for material, machines, containers, signs, and landscape, rigged and run by the owner.
- Equipment Setting PackageMachinery, tanks, containers and modular sections set square to the anchors already in your slab, rigged from the frame when there are no lifting eyes.
- How Mobile Crane Service WorksA mobile crane brings the machine and the operator to your site. Here is what happens from the first phone call through setup, the pick and pack up.
- Capacity and Reach ExplainedA 40-ton crane will not lift 40 tons at full boom. Here is what capacity ratings, load radius and 142 feet of reach actually mean for your job.
- Site Preparation ChecklistWhat to clear, move, unlock and check before a crane arrives. A prepared site keeps the visit short and stops problems being found at the worst moment.
- What to Expect on Lift DayA walkthrough of lift day from arrival to departure, including how long each stage takes, what you can do, and why setup takes longer than the pick.
- HVAC Unit Crane Placement GuideHow rooftop package units and condensers get craned on and off, how the work is sequenced with your HVAC contractor, and what a curb mismatch means.
- Truss Lifting Process and SafetyHow roof trusses get set with a boom truck: staging bundles, spreader bars, bracing, wind limits and keeping the crane in one position along the wall line.
Ready to schedule your lift?
Tell us the load, the site and the timing. We will confirm capacity, access and a window.