A crane operator is asked to lift a long, unbalanced load, approximately 6 metres in length, using a two-leg bridle hitch. The rigging supervisor advises against using an included angle greater than 60 degrees. If the load is 5,000 kg, and the slings are positioned with an included angle of 30 degrees (each sling 15 degrees from vertical), what is the tension on each sling leg?

Question: A crane operator is asked to lift a long, unbalanced load, approximately 6 metres in length, using a two-leg bridle hitch. The rigging supervisor advises against using an included angle greater than 60 degrees. If the load is 5,000 kg, and the slings are positioned with an included angle of 30 degrees (each sling 15 degrees from vertical), what is the tension on each sling leg?

Answer options:

• 2,500 kg ✅ 2,588 kg
• 2,887 kg
• 5,000 kg

Correct answer: 2,588 kg

Explanation: For a two-leg bridle hitch, the tension on each sling leg is calculated using (Load Weight / Number of Slings) / cos(angle from vertical). If the included angle is 30 degrees, each sling is 15 degrees from the vertical. So, (5,000 kg / 2) / cos(15°) = 2,500 kg / 0.9659 = 2,588 kg. Distractor A is incorrect as it neglects the sling angle entirely. Distractor C is incorrect because it uses cos(30 degrees) instead of cos(15 degrees).