22 Rigging & Load Handling Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. On a two-leg bridle, the sling angle that governs the tension in each leg is measured between which two references, and what happens to leg tension as that angle becomes smaller?

   • A.Between the sling leg and the vertical hoist line; as the angle gets smaller, tension in each leg increases.
   • B.Between the sling leg and the horizontal; as the angle gets smaller, tension in each leg decreases.
   • C.Between the two sling legs at the hook; leg tension does not change as long as the weight of the load stays the same.
   • D.Between the sling leg and the horizontal; as the angle gets smaller, tension in each leg increases.✓ Answer

   Sling angle is always measured from the horizontal, never from the hoist line or the vertical. Each leg must supply the same upward component of force regardless of how it is angled, so as the leg lays over toward horizontal the force along the leg must grow to keep that vertical component, and tension rises steeply. Reading the angle from the vertical is the classic error that swaps the 30-degree and 60-degree answers.

   Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - sling angle measured from the horizontal and its effect on leg tensionReport a problem with this question

2. 2. A 4,000 lb load is lifted with a two-leg bridle, and each leg is at 30 degrees from horizontal. Approximately how much tension is in each sling leg?

   • A.2,828 lb
   • B.2,000 lb
   • C.8,000 lb
   • D.4,000 lb✓ Answer

   Each leg's share of the weight is 4,000 divided by 2, or 2,000 lb, and that share is then multiplied by the load angle factor for the sling angle. The factor at 30 degrees is 2.000, so each leg carries 2,000 times 2, or 4,000 lb - the entire weight of the load in every single leg. This is why sling angles below about 30 degrees are avoided.

   Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - load angle factor of 2.000 at a 30-degree sling angleReport a problem with this question

3. 3. A 6,000 lb load hangs on a two-leg bridle. Each sling leg measures 10 ft along the leg, and the vertical height from the hook down to the level of the attachment points is 8 ft. Using the sling-length-over-vertical-height method, what is the tension in each leg?

   • A.4,800 lb
   • B.3,750 lb✓ Answer
   • C.3,000 lb
   • D.6,000 lb

   Leg tension equals the leg's share of the weight multiplied by sling length divided by vertical height. The share is 6,000 divided by 2, or 3,000 lb, and 10 divided by 8 is 1.25, so tension is 3,000 times 1.25, which is 3,750 lb. The method needs no calculator and no trigonometry, and it shows directly that shortening the vertical height while keeping the same sling length drives the tension up.

   Source: OSHA 1926.251, Rigging equipment for material handling - relationship of sling length, vertical height and leg tensionReport a problem with this question

4. 4. A 6,000 lb load is rigged on a two-leg bridle, and each sling is rated 4,000 lb in a vertical hitch. Of the choices below, what is the flattest sling angle from horizontal that still keeps each leg within its rated load?

   • A.45 degrees from horizontal
   • B.30 degrees from horizontal
   • C.60 degrees from horizontal✓ Answer
   • D.Any angle is acceptable, because 6,000 lb is less than the two slings added together

   Each leg's share is 3,000 lb, which is then multiplied by the load angle factor: at 60 degrees, 3,000 times 1.155 is about 3,465 lb and the sling is within its 4,000 lb rating; at 45 degrees, 3,000 times 1.414 is about 4,243 lb and the sling is overloaded; at 30 degrees each leg carries the full 6,000 lb. Adding the two sling ratings together is exactly the reasoning that overloads rigging, because a flat angle can push a leg past its rating even on a load far lighter than the combined ratings.

   Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - rated load of a multiple-leg sling is reduced as the sling angle decreasesReport a problem with this question

5. 5. A wire rope sling rated 5,000 lb in a vertical hitch is used in a basket hitch with both legs hanging vertically, with an adequate D/d ratio and a balanced load. What is its rated capacity in that basket hitch?

   • A.4,000 lb, because a basket hitch is rated at 80 percent of the vertical hitch
   • B.10,000 lb, because two legs support the load✓ Answer
   • C.5,000 lb, because it is the same sling body carrying the load
   • D.7,500 lb

   In a basket hitch the sling body passes under the load and both legs return to the hook, so two legs share the weight and the rated capacity is twice the vertical rating, or 10,000 lb, provided the legs are vertical, the D/d ratio is adequate and the load is balanced. The widely circulated claim that a basket is 80 percent of vertical is wrong; that reduction belongs to the choker hitch.

   Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - basket hitch rated load relative to the vertical hitchReport a problem with this question

6. 6. Compared with the same sling's vertical (straight) hitch rating, how is a choker hitch rated?

   • A.It is rated at twice the vertical rating, because the sling wraps around the load.
   • B.It is rated at about 80 percent of vertical, but the full vertical rating is restored if the choker is hammered down tight against the load.
   • C.It is rated at roughly 75 to 80 percent of the vertical rating, and it drops further if the choke angle is less than about 120 degrees.✓ Answer
   • D.It is rated the same as the vertical hitch, because the same sling body carries the load.

   A choker bends the sling sharply where it passes through its own eye or fitting, and that bend plus the squeeze on the load reduces the sling's efficiency, so published choker ratings run about 75 to 80 percent of the vertical rating and fall further as the choke angle closes below roughly 120 degrees. A choker must never be hammered or forced down to tighten it, since that damages the sling and does not restore any capacity.

   Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - choker hitch rated load and the effect of choke angleReport a problem with this question

7. 7. A sling rated 5,000 lb in a vertical hitch is rigged as a basket, but the legs spread until each leg is only 30 degrees from horizontal. The capacity of that basket hitch is now closest to which value?

   • A.5,000 lb, no more than a single vertical leg✓ Answer
   • B.10,000 lb, because a basket hitch always doubles the vertical rating
   • C.7,200 lb
   • D.8,800 lb

   A basket hitch only doubles the vertical rating while both legs hang vertically; as the legs spread, capacity falls with the sine of the sling angle measured from horizontal. At 60 degrees the basket is worth about 1.73 times vertical and at 45 degrees about 1.41 times, but at 30 degrees the factor is 1.0, so the spread basket is worth no more than one vertical leg. The whole advantage of the basket has been given away by the angle.

   Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - basket hitch capacity varies with sling angleReport a problem with this question

8. 8. Before a pick, how should the weight of the load be established?

   • A.Establish it from shipping papers, stamped or stenciled markings, engineering drawings, or a calculation from measured dimensions and material weight, and confirm it before the pick; if it cannot be confirmed, the lift does not proceed.✓ Answer
   • B.Break the load free a few inches and judge the weight from how the machine sounds and reacts.
   • C.Assume it equals the chart capacity for the configuration; if the crane picks it, it was within capacity.
   • D.Estimate it from experience and the load's appearance; an experienced operator's judgment is accepted practice.

   Everything downstream - sling selection, hitch, angle, hardware and the crane's own capacity check - depends on a known weight, so the weight is verified from documentation, markings, drawings or calculation rather than estimated by eye. Judging by how the machine behaves is not verification, because by then the load is already on the rigging and the boom; if the weight cannot be confirmed, the correct action is to stop and get it confirmed.

   Source: NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Core exam outline - obtaining the dimensions, weight and center of gravity of the loadReport a problem with this question

9. 9. A solid reinforced concrete block measures 6 ft by 4 ft by 2 ft. Using an approximate weight of 150 lb per cubic foot for reinforced concrete, what does the block weigh?

   • A.7,200 lb✓ Answer
   • B.4,800 lb
   • C.14,400 lb
   • D.9,600 lb

   Weight is volume multiplied by the material's weight per unit volume: 6 times 4 times 2 gives 48 cubic feet, and 48 times 150 lb is 7,200 lb. Working the weight out from measured dimensions and a known material weight is the accepted fallback when no shipping paper or marking is available, and it needs only simple multiplication.

   Source: NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Core exam outline - calculating load weight from dimensions and material weightReport a problem with this question

10. 10. Why must the hook and hoist line be directly over the load's center of gravity before the load is picked up?

    • A.Because a load hung off its center of gravity will swing, rotate or tip as it breaks free of the ground while it seeks a position with its center of gravity under the hook, placing an unplanned side load on the boom and uneven tension on the rigging.✓ Answer
    • B.Because the crane's rated capacity is increased when the hook is centered over the load.
    • C.Because it is only necessary for loads that are longer than they are wide.
    • D.Because centering the hook automatically equalizes the tension in every sling leg regardless of where the legs are attached.

    A suspended load always hangs with its center of gravity directly below the hook, so if the hook is not over the center of gravity when the load breaks free, the load swings or rolls until it gets there. That sudden movement side loads the boom, shock loads and unequally loads the slings, and can strike people or equipment, which is why the center of gravity is located and the hook centered over it before the pick.

    Source: NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Core exam outline - center of gravity of the loadReport a problem with this question

11. 11. A 12,000 lb beam is 24 ft long and is picked at its two ends with vertical sling legs. The beam's center of gravity is 8 ft from the left end. What load does the left sling carry?

    • A.4,000 lb
    • B.12,000 lb
    • C.8,000 lb✓ Answer
    • D.6,000 lb

    The share carried at one pick point equals the distance from the center of gravity to the opposite pick point divided by the total span, times the total weight: the left sling gets 16 divided by 24, or two thirds, of 12,000 lb, which is 8,000 lb, and the right sling gets 4,000 lb. The pick point nearer the center of gravity always carries the larger share, which is why an off-center center of gravity can overload the near sling even though the total weight is well within the pair's combined rating.

    Source: NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Core exam outline - center of gravity and distribution of load between pick pointsReport a problem with this question

12. 12. A rigid steel weldment is picked with a four-leg bridle. How should the distribution of the weight among the four legs be treated when sizing the slings?

    • A.On a rigid load, assume as few as two legs may carry essentially the entire weight and size each sling on that basis, unless the load is flexible or the leg lengths are individually adjusted.✓ Answer
    • B.The distribution does not matter as long as the four ratings added together exceed the weight of the load.
    • C.The two legs on the long side carry the load and the other two carry nothing, so two of the slings may be omitted.
    • D.Each of the four legs carries one quarter of the weight, so slings rated at one quarter of the load weight are adequate.

    A rigid load cannot deflect to even out small differences in leg length or attachment height, so two diagonally opposite legs commonly take nearly all the weight while the other two act mainly as stabilizers. Sizing on an assumed equal four-way split is a standard way to overload a sling, so each leg is rated as if two legs carried the load unless the load is flexible or the legs are individually adjustable.

    Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - load distribution in multiple-leg slings on rigid loadsReport a problem with this question

13. 13. Which statement best compares wire rope, alloy chain, and synthetic web or round slings as classes?

    • A.Wire rope is the only class that must be protected from sharp edges; chain and synthetics are unaffected by edges.
    • B.Alloy chain stands up best to rough handling and elevated temperature, wire rope resists abrasion but develops broken wires, kinks and birdcaging, and synthetic web and round slings are light and gentle on finished surfaces but are easily cut by edges and damaged by chemicals and heat.✓ Answer
    • C.Synthetic slings are the most cut-resistant of the three, which is why they are chosen for sharp structural steel.
    • D.All three classes have essentially the same vulnerabilities, so selection is only a matter of cost and availability.

    Each class fails in a characteristic way, and that is what drives selection and inspection: chain is the most tolerant of rough service and heat but is rejected for cracked or stretched links and gouges; wire rope tolerates abrasion but is rejected for broken wires, kinking, crushing, birdcaging, corrosion and heat damage; synthetics are the lightest and least likely to mar a finished surface but are rejected for cuts, snags, melting, charring, chemical burns and broken stitching. No sling class may be dragged over an unprotected sharp edge.

    Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - sling types and their operating characteristicsReport a problem with this question

14. 14. How does bending a wire rope sling around a small-diameter pin or a sharp corner, rather than around a large-diameter object, affect the sling?

    • A.It has no effect as long as the sling's rated load is not exceeded.
    • B.It affects only synthetic slings, because wire rope is not weakened by bending.
    • C.It lowers the D/d ratio, which reduces the sling's efficiency and strength at the bend; the smaller the bend diameter relative to the rope diameter, the greater the loss.✓ Answer
    • D.It raises the D/d ratio and increases the sling's strength at the bend.

    D/d is the ratio of the diameter of the object the sling bends around to the diameter of the rope itself, and sling efficiency drops sharply as that ratio approaches one to one, because the outer wires are stretched and the inner wires crushed at a tight bend. Published wire rope sling basket capacities assume a minimum D/d, so bending the sling over a pin or a corner smaller than that assumption means the tabulated capacity no longer applies and a larger radius or a softener is required.

    Source: ASME B30.9 (Slings) - D/d ratio and sling efficiencyReport a problem with this question

15. 15. A sling must pass over the square, unprotected corner of a fabricated steel frame. What is the correct action?

    • A.Only synthetic slings need protection; wire rope and chain may be pulled tight over a sharp corner without concern.
    • B.Reduce the sling angle so there is less pressure at the corner.
    • C.Double-wrap the sling at the corner so that the outer wrap takes the cut.
    • D.Fit a softener or corner protector between the sling and the corner, sized so the sling is neither cut nor crushed; every sling class benefits and synthetics must be protected.✓ Answer

    Federal rigging rules require slings to be padded or protected from the sharp edges of their loads, because the edge concentrates the entire leg tension on a tiny bearing area. A synthetic sling can be cut through in a single pick, and wire rope and chain are also damaged and lose efficiency at a tight bend, so a softener protects the sling, preserves the D/d at the corner and keeps the corner of the load from being crushed. Lowering the sling angle would raise leg tension and make matters worse.

    Source: OSHA 1926.251, Rigging equipment for material handling - slings shall be padded or protected from sharp edgesReport a problem with this question

16. 16. Which practice is correct when a shackle is used to connect multiple sling legs to a lifting lug?

    • A.A shackle may be loaded above its marked working load limit as long as the slings attached to it are rated higher.
    • B.Use the shackle's own pin, fully seated with the shoulder against the body, keep the applied load within the working load limit marked on the shackle, and let multiple sling legs bear in the bow rather than crowding them onto the pin.✓ Answer
    • C.If the proper pin is not on hand, a bolt of the same diameter with a nut may be substituted as long as it is tightened down.
    • D.Place multiple sling legs on the pin so the bow stays free to rotate, and accept side loading if the legs spread.

    A shackle is rated as an assembly of its own body and its own pin, so a substituted bolt has neither the strength nor the correct geometry and may not be used. The pin must be fully seated with its shoulder against the body, the load must stay within the marked working load limit, and multiple legs are taken in the bow because loading them onto the pin bends it and side loading the shackle reduces its rating.

    Source: ASME B30.26 (Rigging Hardware) - shacklesReport a problem with this question

17. 17. What is the correct way to load a crane hook, and when is a hook removed from service?

    • A.Center the load in the bowl (saddle) of the hook; tip, side or back loading sharply reduces hook capacity and can bend or open the throat, and a hook that is visibly bent or twisted, or whose throat has opened, is removed from service.✓ Answer
    • B.The latch is the hook's antifouling device and may be relied on to carry part of the load.
    • C.Loading the tip of the hook is acceptable, since the hook is forged from a single piece.
    • D.A hook is removed only after it fails a load test, so visible bending or twisting may be ignored between tests.

    A hook is designed to carry its rated load in the bowl, where the section is deepest, so tip loading, side loading or back loading applies bending the hook was never rated for and can open the throat or crack it. The latch is there to help retain slack slings and is not a load-carrying or antifouling part, and a hook showing a visible bend or twist, or a throat that has opened or worn, is removed from service and repaired only by qualified means rather than being straightened in the field.

    Source: ASME B30.10 (Hooks) - hook loading and removal from service criteriaReport a problem with this question

18. 18. A sling leg will pull at an angle on a threaded eyebolt installed in a machine housing. What is the correct practice?

    • A.A plain, shoulderless eyebolt is preferred for angular pulls because it can turn to follow the sling.
    • B.Stack washers under the shoulder so the eye can be turned to face the sling leg.
    • C.Any eyebolt may be loaded at any angle up to its full rated load as long as the threads are fully engaged.
    • D.Use a shoulder-type eyebolt seated flush and tight against the surface with the plane of the eye aligned with the direction of pull, and reduce the rated load according to the manufacturer's angular-loading values; a swivel hoist ring is the better choice because it holds its full rating in any direction.✓ Answer

    A plain eyebolt is designed only for a straight vertical pull; angular loading bends it at the thread root, and only a shoulder-type eyebolt bearing flush against the surface can resist that bending. Even then the rated load falls steeply as the pull moves away from vertical, so the manufacturer's angular values must be applied, and washers must never be stacked under the shoulder to aim the eye because that removes the shoulder's support. A swivel hoist ring aligns itself with the pull and keeps its full rating.

    Source: ASME B30.26 (Rigging Hardware) - eyebolts and swivel hoist ringsReport a problem with this question

19. 19. While inspecting a wire rope sling before use, a rigger finds a section where the strands have popped outward into a birdcage, with a permanent kink nearby. What is the correct action?

    • A.Remove the sling from service immediately; birdcaging, kinking, crushing and similar structural distortion are removal conditions and cannot be repaired in the field.✓ Answer
    • B.Work the kink out and use the sling only in a basket hitch, which does not stress the damaged area.
    • C.Continue to use the sling at half its rated load until a replacement arrives.
    • D.Keep using it for the rest of the shift and tag it for inspection at the end of the day.

    Birdcaging and kinking mean the rope's internal structure has been permanently disturbed, so the strands and wires no longer share load as designed and the sling's strength can no longer be predicted from its rating. Federal sling rules require a damaged sling to be removed from service immediately by the competent person inspecting it, and structural distortion of this kind cannot be straightened out or derated in the field.

    Source: OSHA 1910.184 (Slings) - removal from service for kinking, crushing, birdcaging and other structural damageReport a problem with this question

20. 20. A sling is found with its identification tag missing, and the markings that remain are unreadable. What may the sling be used for?

    • A.It may be used at half of its normal rated load until a new tag is fitted.
    • B.It may be used for light loads only, since identification matters only when working near the sling's capacity.
    • C.It must be removed from service and not used, because without legible identification the rated load for the hitch, the sling angle and the number of legs cannot be verified; federal rigging rules require slings to carry legible identification.✓ Answer
    • D.It may be used if a rigger measures its diameter and estimates the capacity from a published table.

    The tag is the only proof of what a sling is rated for, and rated load changes with the hitch, the number of legs and the sling angle the rating is based on, none of which can be recovered by looking at the sling. Federal rigging requirements say a sling without legible identification is removed from service, and a field estimate from diameter cannot account for grade, construction, termination type or previous service.

    Source: OSHA 1926.251 and 1910.184 - slings shall be marked with legible identification and removed from service when it is missingReport a problem with this question

21. 21. What is the correct use of a tagline on a suspended load?

    • A.The tagline is attached after the load is airborne, by reaching in and clipping it to the sling.
    • B.Steel cable makes the best tagline because it does not stretch, including near energized lines.
    • C.Attach the tagline before the lift and use it from outside the fall zone to control rotation and swing instead of placing hands on the load, and use nonconductive line when working near energized power lines.✓ Answer
    • D.The tagline is intended to be used to pull a hung-up load free.

    A tagline exists so a worker can steer a load from a safe distance instead of standing under it or holding it, which is why it is attached while the load is still on the ground and handled from outside the fall zone and away from pinch points. Near energized power lines the tagline must be nonconductive, since a conductive line would put the person holding it in the electrical path, and a tagline is never used to free a hung-up load, because that side loads the boom.

    Source: NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator Core exam outline - requirements for tag linesReport a problem with this question

22. 22. How does a spreader bar differ from a lifting beam, and what must be accounted for when either device is used?

    • A.A lifting beam is loaded in compression and a spreader bar in bending, and neither weight is counted because both hang below the hook.
    • B.A spreader bar only lengthens the reach below the hook and has no effect on sling angle or on the compression in the load.
    • C.Both devices increase the crane's rated capacity because they spread the load over two lift points.
    • D.A spreader bar takes two top slings and is loaded mainly in compression, spreading the lift points to widen the support and improve sling angles, while a lifting beam has a single top attachment and works mainly in bending; either device becomes part of the load, so its weight reduces the capacity available for the load itself.✓ Answer

    A spreader bar hangs from two slings and pushes the lift points apart, so it is a compression member that keeps the sling legs near vertical and takes crushing force off the load, while a lifting beam hangs from one central point and carries its load in bending. Both are below-the-hook lifting devices marked with their own rated load and weight, and because everything hanging below the hook is part of the load, the device weight and the rigging weight come out of the crane's available capacity before the weight of the load itself is considered.

    Source: ASME B30.20 (Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices) - lifting beams and spreader barsReport a problem with this question

Practice questions based on the published NCCCO mobile crane operator exam outlines and the consensus safety practices the trade runs on. CCO and NCCCO are marks of the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by NCCCO. Capacity always comes from the load chart for the machine and configuration in front of you, and wind, ground-bearing and permit limits are set by the manufacturer's manual and the authority having jurisdiction — never from a practice question. Confirm current exam requirements before testing. About CCO certification →