Almost dropped a 400 lb bundle because I eyeballed the tagline angle, now I use a laser every single time

Evan Roberts · 2026-09-23T12:20:04.305275+00:00

Three weeks ago I was setting a steel bundle on a 6 story job in Columbus and I did the tagline the way I always have, just waving the guy over and feeling it out. Bundle started spinning on me around 80 feet up and I had maybe two seconds to stop the swing before it clipped the edge of the deck. Scared me bad enough that I went out and got a green beam laser for $60 and I now clamp it to the headache ball so the rigger can see the exact plumb line. First week I felt dumb messing with batteries and a mount, but my tagline guy holds the load dead still now, no guesswork, no yelling. The old way worked for 12 years until it didn't, and that one near miss would have cost way more than 60 bucks and a little setup time. The laser also helped on a blind pick last Tuesday where the rigger couldn't see me at all, he just chased the dot. Has anyone else switched to a laser for tagline control or am I late to this party?

Vivisector

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Almost dropped a 400 lb bundle because I eyeballed the tagline angle, now I use a laser every single time | Crane Operators - Vivisector