LIGHT CRANES | PRODUCT REPORT WORK OF IT LIGHT
The word of light lifting is a varied one. Julian Champkin finds choices galore from several big names.
hoists can be manual or electric hoists, mounted statically or on monorails, which in turn can be of steel or of aluminium. Or users can turn to vacuum lifters and manipulators, or to air balancers, davit cranes or jib cranes – and even then the list is not exhausted. The options for light lifting are many and varied. We shall in this article call ‘light lifting’
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anything up to around 5.0t, although that is fairly arbitrary, and we have some exceptions. It is certainly a load that requires lifting apparatus: in the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says that a man should not lift anything heavier than 25kg, while the safe lifting weight for a woman is no heavier than 16kg. In the US, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) has developed a mathematical model that helps predict the risk of injury based not only on the weight being lifted but also on criteria such as how high it is being lifted, at what distance from the body, how often such lifts are performed, and whether the lifter is having to rotate or twist their back. The maximum load under these guidelines is 51lbs (23kg), which is reduced as the different factors come into play.
PLENTY OF OPTIONS Konecranes covers a fair number of light lifting options. Its KL manual lever- pull chain hoist has a capacity of up to 3,000kg, while the KM2 hand chain block and manual trolley can manage up to 20,000kg. Both have dual-pawl Weston- style brakes with two friction discs. They
eople who need light objects lifted can use chain hoists, wire rope hoists and, now, even webbing hoists. The
The Konecranes C-series electric chain hoist.
come hook suspended, or with an I-beam trolley, which is propelled by manual push (up to 10 tons) or hand-geared chain (up to 20 tons). Turning to electric power, the company’s
model C-series electric chain hoists can lift up to 5.0t. They have inverters, and self- adjusting brakes, and a redesigned chain and sprocket interaction that Konecranes describe as “flawless” and that prolongs the chain life. Any of these hoists – or Konecranes’ pneumatic lifters – can be mounted on
trolleys on overhead rails; for example on the company’s steel workstation cranes, or its aluminium versions. The advantage of aluminium is, of course, its weight, or rather its lack of weight. Aluminium also gives less rolling resistance, so trolleys can be pushed by hand with minimal effort. (Of course, motorised trolleys can also be fitted – generally, any load over 1,000kg or a girder length over 6m needs a travel drive, says Konecranes.) These are modular systems. Track sections bolt together, with no welding,
www.hoistmagazine.com | November 2023 | 41
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