Which hitch doubles the rated load of the sling as long as the legs of the sling remain within 5° of vertical?

• A. Basket
• B. Bridle
• C. Choker
• D. Vertical

Answer: (A)

The key idea is load sharing between two legs. A basket hitch cradles the load so both legs of the sling support it, distributing the weight evenly between them. When the legs are within about 5 degrees of vertical, each leg carries roughly half the load, so the total force the sling system can handle becomes about double what a single leg could bear. That’s why this hitch effectively doubles the rated load of the sling under this near-vertical condition. If the legs angle out more, the share changes and the advantage diminishes. Other hitches don’t distribute the load in the same cradle-style way, so they don’t provide the same doubling effect.