Electric hoists are one of the most commonly used pieces of material handling equipment in a wide range of industries, including factories, shop floors, construction, cleaning industries, etc. Electric hoists are the automated version of chain pulley blocks, which are manual, and they’re extremely convenient to use, as they require no manual labor whatsoever. But not all electric hoists are made the same. In fact, there’s a wide range of models that have different specifications, and deciding on which one is ideal for your application will take some careful consideration.
First and foremost, as is the case with all materials handling equipment pieces, you need to decide the lifting capacity of the hoist. Typically, hoists can lift anywhere from 100kg to over 2T. That being said, you have to know the weight of the heaviest items you’ll be lifting with the hoist, and round it up to the nearest upper value. So if the heaviest item you’re lifting on a frequent basis is 400kg, get a 500kg hoist. On the other hand, if the heaviest item is 3T, you might be better off getting a 4T hoist just to be on the safe side.
Next, you have to determine the amount of lift you need. In order to do that, you need to consider where your hoist will hang, and the location of the load that’s going to be picked in relation to the hoist. In other words, consider how far is the hoist from the floor, then add a metre or two just to be safe. For instance, if the ceiling where the hoist is going to be mounted is 10 metres off the ground, get a hoist that has a 12-15 metre chain.
Furthermore, consider the hoist’s speed. This can be a tough decision to make if you haven’t dealt with materials handling equipment before, so it might be best to ask someone who’s more experienced to give you directions. Generally, hoist speeds range from a few metres per minute up to 15-20 metres per minute. The primary factor that should impact your decision is safety. Other factors include the type of items that need to be lifted and their level of fragility, the surrounding environment, the available space, etc.
And last but not least, you need to consider the available power sources that are going to power the hoist. If you’re going to use single phase power, you’ll need to determine whether the volt supply is 230V or 115V. However, chances are, the power supply is a three-phase power supply that’s either 400V or 380V.
