Selecting The Right Chain Hoist for Your Jobs

 written and edited by Bernard Martin

A hoist is a machine that can be used for lifting and lowering heavy loads In most applications a hoist is usually suspended overhead by means of a hook or connected to a trolley. 

Hoists can be powered by hand, electricity, or air and can be supplied in various shapes and configurations.

A hand chain operated hoist, being a force multiplier, gives a person the ability to lift large / heavy loads with a small amount of force by using mechanical advantage. The lifting or lowering operation takes place by pulling on one side or the other of the hand chain which is endless.

Hand chain hoists are less expensive than powered hoists but they require the physical effort of pulling the hand chain to lift the load.

Chain hoists are great options to replace the manual lifting process in assembly lines and other material handling areas. Manual chain hoists typically operate with two chain loops, the hand chain and lifting chain. The hand chain wraps around a wheel that supports the lifting mechanism by pulling. The lifting chain is used to lift and lower the load by maneuvering the hand chain. This type of hoist system can be used in manufacturing facilities, construction sites, auto shops and warehouses. In industrial applications, hand chain hoists are most often used as an in-plant tool for periodic maintenance applications. A typical use might be for lifting pumps, generators, valves, pipe or other heavy equipment.

Lever Hoists vs Chain Hoists
Chain hoists are different from Lever Hoists.  Lever hoists are portable devices used to manually lift, lower or pull a load. A lever hoist can also be used for tensioning and lashing loads for transport. Lever hoists are able to lift in most positions, including horizontally and vertically, where chain hoists are typically only used vertically.

Hand Chain hoists require the use of both your hands to operate. As you pull one chain, a wheel turns a series of cogs, axles, gears, and sprockets and in turn rotates the second load chain to lift or pull your load. The lifting mechanism is designed to do most of the work for you.

To ensure your safety and the safety of the load, chain hoists have a ratchet wheel that prevents the load from slipping back. Unlike lever hoists, hand hoists are ideal for high vertical loads. You can continue to operate the pulling chain from the ground even when the hoist is positioned up high.

The main benefit of chain hoists is the capacity. If your application requires lifting or pulling a load greater than 1/2 ton, a chain hoist is most likely the best tool for the job.

Hand Chain Operated Hoist Components

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Chain Hoist Terms & How to Select the Best Chain Hoist for Your Needs

There are several things you should consider when selecting a manual chain hoist.  Manual hoists have the advantage of being compact and light when compared to electric hoists. Here's some things to think about when selecting the best chain hoist for your applications.

CAPACITY & WORKING LOAD LIMIT
The first question is how much do you normally lift.  It's expressed in tons. This is determined by the weight of the load to be lifted. A hoist’s rated capacity is the maximum load for which the hoist is designed to lift. If most of the things you are lifting are between 3-1/4 to 4-1/2 tons then select a 5 ton load limit. If you know that you sometimes need to lift up to 6 tons then you will need to move up to the 7-1/2 ton Tuffy Hoist.  Remember, that one ton is 2,000 pounds.

HEIGHT OF LIFT  "LIFT"
This is expressed in feet. This determined by the maximum length of travel required for raising and lowering the load. Standard lifts are 10ft, 15ft, and 20ft. Longer heights of lift are available on special order.

If you have not purchased a chain hoist before, "lift" may be a new term for you. In simple terms, lift is the amount of chain you are going to need to reach from where you have the chain hoist mounted on the ceiling to floor or table where you are going to be lifting materials from.

In simple terms, if you are mounting this on a ceiling beam that is 20' from the floor you will need 20' of lift.   If your floor is 20' from the ceiling but you have a loading dock and sometimes need to lift things from below the level of the loading dock, you will need more lift length.  In North America, the most common loading dock height is 55 inches (140 cm)

HAND CHAIN DROP
This is expressed in feet. Commonly this distance is two feet shorter than the height of lift. However, longer or shorter may be required for a specific application.

FALL OF CHAIN
This is the number of chains that attach to the lifting chain hook. Additional Falls of chain is It's what enables Tuffy to use a 10mm chain for up 50 tons of lift.  By standardizing on a chain size of 10mm it's easier to stock replacement parts and also to keep the overall costs down

SUSPENSION
The way you hang the manual chain hoist referred to as its suspension. The two most common types of suspension are the hook suspension and lug suspension. Most hoists allow for a lug suspension. It is particularly useful in situations where headroom for hoist operation is limited or insufficient.

HEADROOM
This describes one of the dimensions of a hoist. This dimension is the distance between the bearing surfaces of the upper and lower hook when the lower hook is raised to its highest point. (or the minimum distance between the hooks)  Headroom is depicted in the chart below by dimension "A"

OTHER FACTORS TO CONSIDER
Other factors include the height of the hook point: where the chain hoist will be mounted, and type of operator interfaces, such as hand chains. 

Do you have low headroom?   Will you be using this on an A-frame gantry?  Then dimension A in the below chart is going to be important to you.
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If you are mounting from the ceiling you will need to know if it is an I-Beam or H-beam and is it the beam flat or tapered?   Explosion proof environments or clean room environments each have some specialized requirements that we can help you with but, for now, keep in mind that each beam has different applications and is a topic unto itself.
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TUFFY CHAIN HOIST FEATURES:

• Overload clutch standard feature on chain hoists
• Modern small body, compact, stamped steel construction
• Fully machined steel load sheaves
• Cast steel hook latches instead of stamped steel
• Fully enclosed gear train and caged internal bearings
• All exposed parts plated or powder coated for corrosion protection
• Bottom hooks of chain hoists equipped with roller thrust bearings
• Double pawl Weston style load brake
• Conforms to ASME B30.16 - Chain Hoists and Standard B30.21 - Lever Hoists

NOTE: Please specify chain length required when ordering, by adding a -5, -10, -15, -20 to the end of model number. As shown above in the chart, the standard is a 10 ft. lift.

Dimension of Tuffy Chain Hoist 1/4 ton through 2 ton

Dimensions of Tuffy Chain Hoist 3 ton through 30 ton

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Below you can  get more information in the Tuffy Hoist Catalog and also information on our selection of beam clamps, plain beam trolleys, and geared beam trolleys to attach your chain hoist to a beam.