8 Tips on Selection of Electric Chain Hoist & Powered Chain Hoist
How to select right powered chain hoist & electric powered chain hoist? 8 tips on electric chain block selection for your powered chain hoist crane.
Electric chain hoists are used for lifting or lowering material. An electric motor and controller are utilized to lift, lower and accelerate or decelerate the speed of the hoist. Electric hoists are ideal for use in industrial production lines and small machine shops where more frequent and faster lifting is required.
All chain hoists provide true vertical lift, meaning the load does not vary from the hoist centerline during hoisting or lowering.
Tip1: What is the application?
What are you going to be lifting with the powered chain hoist? Are you using it to assemble a product and precision is required? Are you using below the hook devices for this application? These questions allows you to decide if an powered chain hoist is the right tool for the job. Depending on the application, different duty cycles, and capacities may be required.
Tip2:What is the environment the powered chain hoist will be used in? (Hot, cold, caustic, outside, inside)
- The environment an powered chain hoist is being used in is detrimental to the life of the powered chain hoist. Electric chain hoist have a duty cycle within certain temperature parameters.
- High heat areas can cause the powered chain hoist to malfunction, and in many cases cause gearbox leakage.
- Extreme cold temperature can cause casing cracks, and seized components.
- Extreme changing temperatures can cause condensation in the electrical panel if the wrong powered chain hoist is used causing components to short out.
- Is the powered chain hoist going to be inside or outside? If the powered chain hoist is exposed to the elements of the weather then this will greatly affect the life of the powered chain hoist if you don't have the right powered chain hoist.
Tip3:What is the duty cycle required?
- How often will the powered chain hoist be running per day?
- How long does one cycle of the powered chain hoist last during its use?
- Many Electric chain powered chain hoists cannot dissipate the heat from the motors so the duty cycle is very important to consider prior to purchase.
Tip4:What is the weight of powered chain hoist?
- The weight of what you are lifting is vital to the decision of what type of powered chain hoist you invest in.
- Don't forget to include the weight of any below the hook device that you will be using for this application.
- Pick a powered chain hoist with a greater capacity than what you are picking up. Just because you are lifting 500 lbs does not mean you need a 500 lb capacity powered chain hoist. The duty cycle will also play an important part in this decision. If you are picking up 500 lbs every pick the powered chain hoist will do during its cycle then you should consider getting a larger capacity powered chain hoist to reduce wear and tear on your equipment.
Most Electric chain powered chain hoist can only go up to 5 ton capacity.Over five tons you should consider a wire rope powered chain hoist. Some manufacturers will design a double powered chain hoist unit that combines two powered chain hoists together and the capacity can be increased to 10 ton, but should only be used in certain applications.
Tip5:On lifting height of powered chain hoist: How high do you need to go?
- Remember unlike a wire rope that spools the excess wire rope not being used, the Electric chain powered chain hoist has a chain container to catch the excess chain. The greater the height then the bigger the chain container will be. If it is too big it may be an obstruction of what you are lifting if it is required to go close to the powered chain hoist.If it is over 30 feet of chain that will be needed then you will also need to think about the duty cycle and speed of the powered chain hoist. There are Windmill Electric chain hoist on the market that allows for low capacity, high lifting speeds, with high allowable height of lift.
- The distance from the top hook to the bottom hook when the bottom hook is at it's up-most point needs to be taken into account as well. You will need to ensure you have enough height for your application using that dimension.
Tip6:What is the voltage available for the powered chain hoist?
Higher duty cycle powered chain hoist will not run off of single phase voltage. You will need to purchase a three phase powered chain hoist so make sure you have enough power in the building for your powered chain hoist.
If you are considering purchasing a single phase powered chain hoist, make sure it is for a low duty cycle application.
Tip7:What safety features do I need to be aware of?
- There are many safety features that you should think about having for your powered chain hoist. Again the application will be dependent upon what type of safety features you should have for your powered chain hoist.
- All Electric chain powered chain hoist should be purchased with a load limiter or internal clutch that does not allow for severe overloading. This will be safer for your operators that will help prevent overloading causing severe wear, or even worse someone getting hurt.
- Overloading is easily preventable.
- Ensure that you have upper and lower limit switches. This prevents the chain from falling out of the powered chain hoist or the powered chain hoist two-blocking and getting the load stuck or in the air.
- If you have a motorized trolley on the powered chain hoist you should think about travel limits. Travel limits will prevent the powered chain hoist from slamming into your end stops increasing the life of your powered chain hoist.
- Self Adjusting brakes is a great safety feature that also lowers your cost of maintenance
- Motor Thermal Overload features prevents the powered chain hoist from overheating
Tip8:What is the warranty and what does it cover?
- Purchasing an powered chain hoist out of a catalog because it is economical is not always your best deal. Warranty needs to be considered because it can help you down the road immensely. Don't just look for a warranty length either. Read the fine print. There are Electric chain powered chain hoist manufacturers that will provide you with a lifetime warranty on their equipment. But if you read that fine print, that lifetime warranty only applies to certain components of the powered chain hoist, and typically does not include labor to repair it. Find a dealer who is nearby that can easily service the powered chain hoist, and pick a powered chain hoist that has a solid warranty with labor included. Labor typically will cost you more than the parts so it is very important you look for this.
- Once you have answered all these questions you should be able to pick out the powered chain hoist that is right for you and will provide the best return on investment. It is a good idea to include youroverhead craneservice provider to help you with making the right choice in your investment. Don't go it alone, find a provider who is willing to partner with you and provide free consultations on projects no matter how small.
Article by Bella ，who has been in the hoist and crane field since 2016. Bella provides overhead crane & gantry crane consultation services for clients who need a customized overhead travelling crane solution.Contact her to get free consultation.
