Abstract: A cable pay-out drive is positioned between the winch drum and a clam shell supported by the cable. To lower the clam shell, the pay-out drive pulls cable from the drum under constant tension. To raise the clam shell, the winch drum retrieves cable, again with the cable under constant tension between the drum and pay-out drive. One sheave of the pay-out drive is mounted for movement in response to the load of the clam shell on the cable and that sheave is associated with a load cell which translates the cable load into a gauge reading so that the magnitude of the load being raised is continuously monitored from within the crane cab.