About Lifting Tongs
Lifting tongs are tools that are designed to be able to assist in lifting extremely heavy items, such as coils of sheet metal, structural beams, bales of cotton, paper and various other materials. In general, lifting tongs are manufactured to the needs of customer specifications. Some lifting tongs come with automatic latching devices, but that feature is usually optional. Does this Spark an idea?
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Features
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Some of the features on lifting tongs are a very wide gripping surface to create stability for heavy loads and a convenient automatic latching mechanism so that they can be operated by solely one person. They are designed to meet ASME B30.20 standards (lifting device safety standards system).
Types
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There are three different types of configurations for lifting tongs. These three configurations are gripping (to lift rolls, tubes and cylindrical items), pressure (to lift boxes, ingots, bales and straight-sided materials) and supporting (to lift crates, containers, boxes and square-shaped items).
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Considerations
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When considering purchasing a lifting tong, it's important to make sure the lifting tong is safe. Look for lifting tongs that exceed ASME B30.20 and ANSI standards. Lifting tongs that come with yellow test certificates and are OSHA capable are also very trustworthy.
Warning
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When using lifting tongs, make sure to not overload the tongs. Also, never use the lifting tongs to lift items above people, as you can imagine what would happen if the items fell on the people. Also, lifting tongs are never to be used to transport people or animals. Make sure to closely inspect your tongs before you use them.
Theories/Speculation
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There are a lot of great online vendors that sell diverse selections of lifting tongs. Some places include Gilmore Kramer, Caldwell Inc, Engineered Lifting Technologies, Bushman, Splendid Life, Southern Tool, Budget Casting Supply, Hi-Line Utility Supply, Ace Mart, Spider Lifts and many others.
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