Sling assembly for hoisting traction motor/wheel units and method

In a sling assembly for hoisting railroad locomotive traction motor/wheel units, each unit having a pair of wheels and a traction motor housing mounted between the wheels on a common axle, the axle-extending beyond each of the wheels and terminating at each end in a bearing journal box, the combination comprising:

• a master link;
• a first pair of loop slings secured at one end to the master link, the other end of each loop sling being adapted to extend around a respective end of the axle between the journal box and the wheel;
• a second pair of loop slings secured at one end to the master link;
• a hook individually secured to the other end of each of the second pair of loop slings;
• each hook being adapted to engage an eye on the motor housing to prevent rotation of the housing while the unit is being hoisted;
• each of the loop slings comprising a core bundle of high performance endless parallel fibers enclosed in a tubular abrasion resistant covering, each of the first pair of loop slings further including a cut and abrasion resistant sleeve surrounding the loop sling at least over the length thereof which is adapted to engage the axle and the wheel, the cut resistant sleeve comprising a sheet of high performance fibers woven at right angles and sewn between inner and outer sheets of abrasion resistant material, the high performance fibers of each of the first and second loop slings and the cut resistant sleeve having a strength-to-weight ratio within the range of about 20 to 30 GPD.