MANUAL CHAIN HOIST


block and ratchet forms. Harrington Hoists have their aluminium-bodied LX mini lever hoist, and Tiger and Columbus McKinnon, for example, both have them, in 250kg and 500kg versions. Tiger’s models come with 1.5m lifts as standard but can be chained with longer lifts as required; Columbus Mckinnon’s 602 and 603 mini models have standard lifts of five and 10 feet (1.5m and 3m). The smaller of the CM machines weighs 96oz (2.7kg). Such hoists can be carried in a carry bag and shoulder strap, also available from the manufacturers; so an operative, say an overhead line worker or an underground mine engineer, can easily transport the tool to a distant jobsite even on foot. The second advantage is directional: a chain block is designed for vertical lifts. The chain also needs to be to pulled down vertically. In some confined situations this may not be easy. There are exceptions – or an exception


– to this: the Yale 360 has a unique 360° rotating hand chain guide that allows the operator to work from virtually any position, pulling from the side or even from above the load. Capacities up to 10t are available.


CHAIN HOIST SLUICE


A fleeting moment One application of directional lifting is in fleeting – that is, lifting a load at an angle to the vertical. It is possible with some chain blocks, and indeed is a common maritime application on board ships where, for instance, a component needs to be transported across a low- ceilinged engine room: two or more hoists are used and the load is basically swung across the room being transferred to and supported by each of them in turn in the manner of Tarzan swinging through the jungle. This is, however, not a prime function of a chain block, and most need to be deregulated (such as limited to reduced loads) for such applications. The ratchet hoist, on the other hand, is designed to handle lifts that are angled, or even to pull horizontally – in which application they might be more properly described as working as a winch rather than a hoist; but the difference is perhaps in semantics. Indeed, a study by Columbus Mckinnon in conjunction with the Institute for Product Innovation at the University of Wuppertal, Germany, that included more than 200 voice-of-customer interviews across 10 countries found that in real-life applications lever hoists are more often used for pulling and securing than they are for lifting. For such applications, therefore, the ratchet hoist


For a recent utilities project for Thames Water, Bramley Engineering used a William Hackett manual chain block as part of a fixed gantry lifting solution. The gantry is to support penstock (sluice) operation and recovery at a sewage


treatment works. The aim was to ensure the penstock could still be lifted safely in the event of an actuator failure; a permanent, on-site solution was required. Bramley chose a William Hackett WH SS C4 QP Corrosion Protected Combined Chain Hoist and Trolley to form the manual lifting element of the system. Supplied as a complete assembled unit, the top hook is replaced by a bespoke hanging plate that allows the bars on the trolley to suspend the hoist, so reducing headroom. The hoist provides a dependable and straightforward method of lifting that can be used immediately if the hydraulic actuator goes out of service. Hoist and trolley are corrosion protected to provide longer life performance in exposed and corrosive applications, with a marine paint surface coating in accordance with ISO 12944; the trolley wheels, bars, spacers and nuts are standardised to ISO 17668:2016. Because Willliam Hackett were involved early in the process, they were able to support equipment selection and suitability, ensuring the chain hoist specification matched the operational requirement and integrated cleanly with the gantry design. The end result is a dependable method to lift the penstock during actuator failure, reduced reliance on mobile crane call-outs and temporary lifting arrangements and a practical, compliant lifting arrangement that site teams can rely on when it matters.


is more suitable. Again, though, confined spaces may present problems. There may be no room for the operator to stand (or sit, or, in a very-low-headroom situation, even lie) in a position that is ergonomically sound for pulling on the lever without undue muscle contortions and stress. CM, under their brand Yale, have remedied that by designing a rachet lever hoist called the Yale Ergo 360. The lever has a patent pending on it; it has a hinged piece at the end that folds out to become a crank handle. The lever thus transforms into a crank, so instead of repeated up-and-down arm movements the operator can simply wind continuously; it is ergonomic as well as safe, and Columbus McKinnon say that it lets the operator work up to 12 times faster and with as much as 30% less pull force than with conventional ratchet lever tools. The Ergo 360 is available in capacities from 750kg to 9,000kg. That last capacity, of 9t, is not exactly small. Even so, lever hoists, unlike chain hoists, are not designed for extremely heavy loads. Their strength is in precision and versatility rather than sheer brute lifting power. Tractel make both species: their manual ones, called Tralift, come in capacities from 0.25t to 20t; their Bravo lever hoists from 0.25t to 9t. “It is worth pointing out,” they say, “that chain hoists are workhorses but not exactly travel-friendly. They’re built for strength, not for portability, and are better suited to fixed or semi-permanent lifting stations – so for portability, go for lever hoist.” “Manual hoists don’t stay relevant because they are


glamorous,” says Tractel. “They stay relevant because they are cheap, they are portable – and they don’t need an electric plug.”


26 | May/June 2026 | www.hoistmagazine.com


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