Below the hook lifting equipment is the tackle that attaches between the crane hook and the load, as distinct from the crane itself. Toco Lifting supplies lifting magnets, vertical and horizontal plate grabs and clamps, drum grabs, hooks, sheave wheels, snatch blocks, beam clamps and trolleys, chain slings, steel wire rope slings and webbing slings. Toco does not supply cranes. Tackle in the five categories approved under LME 008 is examined, performance tested and certified in house at Germiston and Cape Town.
Quick facts
What this covers: the tackle between the crane hook and the load
What it does not cover: cranes, hoisting machinery and gantries, which Toco does not supply
Branches: Germiston, Gauteng and Milnerton, Cape Town
Certification: chain blocks, steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings and flat webbings are examined and performance tested in house under LME 008
Catalogue: enquiry only, prices not published
Toco supplies what hangs below the hook. The crane is somebody else's business.
Lifting magnets
Permanent and electro lifting magnets for handling steel plate, sheet and offcuts in workshops, fabrication shops and steel yards.
Rated capacity on a lifting magnet is stated for a specific reference condition. Thin plate, curved surfaces, rough or scaled surfaces, coatings and air gaps all reduce the force available. Rate the magnet against the thinnest, roughest section you will actually lift, not against the reference condition.
See lifting magnets.
Plate grabs and lifting clamps
Vertical plate grabs for lifting and turning plate, and horizontal clamps for handling plate flat. Selection is by jaw opening against plate thickness, and by working load limit against the plate weight, with the grab's own geometry taken into account.
See vertical plate grabs and plate grabs.
Drum grabs and drum handling
Grabs for lifting and tipping steel drums, for crane and forklift use.
See drum grabs.
Hooks, blocks and sheaves
Snatch blocks for changing the direction of a wire rope pull, sheave wheels, pulley blocks and manilla blocks. These carry the rope and the reeving between the machine and the load.
See blocks and pulleys, snatch blocks and sheave wheels.
Beam clamps and trolleys
Beam clamps and geared crawls for suspending a chain block or lever hoist from a structural beam, and for traversing a load along it. Selection is by beam flange width and by working load limit.
See beam clamps, geared crawls and crawls and clamps.
Slings, shackles and rigging hardware
The connection between the hook and the load. Chain slings, steel wire rope slings and webbing slings, made up to the configuration required, with the shackles, eyebolts, master links and hooks to connect them.
See chain slings and components, steel wire rope slings, nylon slings and rigging hardware. For the supply picture across both branches, see rigging equipment suppliers.
Certification on below the hook tackle
Toco is an approved Lifting Machinery Entity, LME No. 008, under Driven Machinery Regulation 18(5) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993. The approval covers examining and performance testing of lifting tackles in five categories: chain blocks, steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings and flat webbings.
Slings, chain blocks and wire rope are inside that scope and are tested and certified in house. Magnets, grabs, clamps and beam clamps sit outside the five categories. Contact Toco to be advised rather than assume either way.
Full detail on testing and certification.
Where to get it
Germiston, head office: 19 Harriet Avenue, Driehoek, Germiston, Gauteng, 1400, telephone 011 345 8800
Cape Town branch: Unit 3, The Square, Prime Park, Printers Way, Milnerton, 7441, telephone 021 529 1340
Monday to Thursday 07:45 to 16:30, Friday 07:45 to 15:15.
Frequently asked questions
What does below the hook lifting equipment mean?
It is the equipment that attaches between the crane hook and the load, rather than the crane. Lifting magnets, plate grabs and clamps, drum grabs, slings, shackles, blocks, beam clamps and spreader arrangements are all below the hook. The distinction matters because lifting machinery and lifting tackle are treated differently under South African regulation.
Does Toco Lifting supply cranes?
No. Toco supplies the tackle that hangs below the crane hook, and the tackle used with hoists, forklifts and gantries. For the machine itself, speak to a crane supplier. Toco can examine, test and certify the tackle you use with your crane, within the five categories approved under LME 008.
Which below the hook items can Toco certify?
LME 008 approves Toco for examining and performance testing of lifting tackles in five categories: chain blocks, steel wire ropes, chain slings, steel wire slings and flat webbings. Magnets, plate grabs and beam clamps sit outside those five categories, so contact Toco to be advised on the correct route for those items.
What is the difference between a plate grab and a lifting magnet?
A plate grab is a mechanical clamp that grips the plate, and it holds by cam or wedge action as the load comes on. A lifting magnet holds by magnetic force. Grabs are indifferent to surface finish and coating and need the correct jaw opening for the plate thickness. Magnets need a clean flat ferrous surface and their rated capacity falls away on thin, curved, rough or coated plate.
Can Toco make up a sling to our dimensions?
Yes. Chain slings, steel wire rope slings and webbing slings are made up to the length, configuration and termination required, tested and documented before they leave.