When handling a steel wire rope, the first trouble often occurs immediately upon receiving it: the fork of the fork lift truck is either placed under the reel or inside the coil, In both cases it might damage the surface of the rope. The damage may not be discovered until much later and it could happen that the,manufacturer of the wire rope is held responsible. If possible, the rope, when received on coils or reels, should not have any con- tact with a metal hook or the fork of a fork lift truck. Instead, it should be lifted by means of a wide textile webbing sling, It is advisable to lift a reel by means of a shaft which is put through its axis bore, If the fork of the force lift truck is longer than the width of the reel, the reel can also be lifted at the flanges.