Wire Rope Hoists

     The standard hoisting unit used in most higher capacity applications such as bridge crane applications is a wire rope hoist.  The wire rope hoist is often a good choice for higher capacity bridge crane applications because the cost of an electric chain hoist above 3-ton begins to exceed the cost of a wire rope hoist.  Also with chain hoists, particularly those with lifts of 20-feet and above, the chain container can present headroom problems.  A few things to keep in mind when considering a wire rope hoist are as follows.  Select an electric chain hoist with a rated capacity no greater than that of the structure on which it will be placed.  Of course always use a hoist with a rated capacity greater than the maximum load to be lifted.  (Never exceed rated capacity)  Make sure the duty cycle rating is sufficient to handle the job required.  Use one with specifications to handle the job requirement. Some of the items to be considered are lift required, lifting speed, operating voltage, reeving and headroom. Use one with a motor driven trolley in most instances.  One with a mechanical load brake when redundant braking is required or when a standard variable frequency drive is to be used.  Use one with a rope guide if the hook block is ever allowed to rest on the floor or some other object causing slack in the cable that might cause the wire rope to jump out of the drum grooves.  Use one with true vertical lift (double reeved) when the slight hook drift of single reeving causes an application problem such as lowering a load down into an opening.  Use one with a two-speed or a variable frequency drive with higher capacities and speeds.