A device to monitor and quantify the tension and compression forces acting on a well logging instrument string during deployment. The housing has a truncated conical shape. In one embodiment, the load-carrying apparatus comprises a pallet formed in two halves as two pallet elements. Further, the moveable member may be designed to move toward the reference axis due to movement of the actuator from a first position to a second position and to move away from the reference axis due to movement of the actuator from the second position to the first position. The swivel fitting is fluidly coupled to the tab fitting.