Chain Hoist - Help Choosing Brand and Capacity

[reidry]

I am in the process of putting a loft in my workshop. The engineered beams are too heavy sand awkward to be placed by hand. I am thinking a chain hoist (aka a chain fall) attached to the roof truss structure (multiple wood trusses and some bracing) would be the ticket for these ~200 lb beams.

Future plans also include building a gantry crane, but that build is at least a year, maybe two years, down the road.

I’ve been on the lookout for a used Coffing, Yale, Harrington, or CM but nothing has popped up. The East coast of Florida isn’t exaxtly rich with used iron and rigging equipment and I need to get working on the build.

I see that the L-80 and L-90 hoists from Jet were made in Japan. Are these as good as their USA counterparts? Would these be capable of lifts at full rating in future projects?

I also see that Jet moved manufacturing of the L100 and S90 products to China. Are these any good? Reason for asking is a L100 3 ton popped up at a local shop. 3 ton is way over what I need for the immediate project but it is in good cosmetic condition and relatively low cost.

On capacity should I pay more for a nice condition USA mfg unit at 1/2 ton or buy a bit bigger import like the Jet?

Other than the shear weight of the higher capacity units, are there any reasons not to buy a little bigger than i need now?

Thanks,
Ryan

*UPDATE*

Thanks to Matt_I for pointing out the gear ratio and everyone else for all the good information.

Thanks to marinusdees for introducing me to OfferUp. I found one seller with two Coffing LHH hoists on OfferUp. Mid-2000s manufacture and both in excellent condition, the 1 Ton looks near new.

Hoist 1 - 1/2 Ton Coffing LHH, 10' lift
Hoist 2 - 1 Ton Coffing LHH, 10' lift in waterproof rolling carrying case!

Unfortunately they were about 2 hours away and the seller was not interested in shipping. I offered $140 for both hoists and the seller accepted so I made the drive.

When I build my gantry crane, I'll probably add a 3T lever chain hoist for the big machines, but for now I have other ways of moving my current inventory around .

Thanks again!

 

[Caboverbob]

Out west hanging iron and driving piles we use CM and Harrington. Both simple to use and several supplier options. I recently bought a bunch of Jet come-a-longs for a project on the Golden Gate Bridge, they seem to be working fine at 30% lower cost than the others.

 

[nadogail]

I have a Harbor Freight come along.

 

[OldNeons]

I bought a 1/2 ton CM lever hoist for a job many years ago and love it. It always works great and is just what one would expect from a long standing American company. I don't skimp on tools, especially lifting tools. I'd look for an old used US hoist that has been taken care for. Keep in mind the total amount of travel/lift you will require of the hoist. I'd look at 1 ton as a good general purpose. I keep the 1/2 ton in truck and have a CM 2 ton for the shop. Furnace jacks are nice for lifting beams, platforms and scaffolds can help too. Good luck on the project.

 

[matt_i]

Coffing Superoid (CB series) is the Caddy in chainfalls if you ask me.

I think JET will serve you well in a home shop.

There is another decision to be made. If you ever intend to use the hoist sideways or upside down or at any angle other than vertical, the chainfall style hoist is nearly useless because the endless chain and slack chain tangle and aren't free-running. At which time you want a lever hoist.

Coffing LSB series is the Caddy there.

Also don't forget about Harrington, good quality equipment.

One issue with overbuying capacity is the chain gets big and clunky by necessity and this makes it somewhat awkward to use for smaller stuff, you end up taking many precautions to protect your precision (______) from being lightly hammered by every link of the endless chain.

This was a ~600# I-beam I put in place as a header in my own shop. 1/2 ton hoist, worked quite well.

 

[bad_idea]

I would recommend a 1 ton fall. Will handle most anything you could need to lift at home, including half of your car. I have hung the front of a Nissan Frontier off of a dynamometer and it was only 1400 lbs of load (was using the truck as weight to weight test a beam I installed). I have used a variety of falls and the Jet units were just as good as others. I would not want a 3 ton fall as they get heavy and bulky.

200 lbs aint much of a load for the trusses. What is the span on your trusses? If 24" or 16", then lay a 2x4 across the top of the bottom of two trusses and you will be in there. If side loading at all then tack the 2x4 down to the trusses to keep it from shifting. Minimize side loading as the trusses are not braced to resist those kinds of loads. Wrap a sling around the 2x4 and hoist away.

Lifting beams is not a task for a come along, you would have to be on top of the load to work the come along. You want to be off to the side hoisting beams so you can get out of the way if needed. I do agree that a come along is a much needed rigging tool also. Down the road you may want to invest in one. I have a 1/4 ton, 3/4 ton, and a 1.5 ton come along. Mostly use the 1.5 ton and the 1/4 ton. The 1/4 ton has been invaluable.

 

[reidry]

Out west hanging iron and driving piles we use CM and Harrington. Both simple to use and several supplier options. I recently bought a bunch of Jet come-a-longs for a project on the Golden Gate Bridge, they seem to be working fine at 30% lower cost than the others.

The reviews on the Harbor Freight hoists seem to indicate that the load rating is overstated and recommend derating by 50%. Seems so strange as I thought that the load testing requirements were 2x the rating.

The quality of stuff coming from China varies widely. Solely based on the cost of the Jet hoists they should be able to operate at 80-90% rated load. For the Golden Gate Bridge application how did you spec the come-a-longs? 50%, 75? more?

Ryan

 

[reidry]

I bought a 1/2 ton CM lever hoist for a job many years ago and love it. It always works great and is just what one would expect from a long standing American company. I don't skimp on tools, especially lifting tools. I'd look for an old used US hoist that has been taken care for. Keep in mind the total amount of travel/lift you will require of the hoist. I'd look at 1 ton as a good general purpose. I keep the 1/2 ton in truck and have a CM 2 ton for the shop. Furnace jacks are nice for lifting beams, platforms and scaffolds can help too. Good luck on the project.

I probably should have mentioned a few other things in my original post.

I already have a 1 1/2 ton lever hoist, the lever hoists are just too slow to lift a beam 7 feet, let alone the 8 beams I need to lift. This is also just phase one of my loft, later I'll be adding mezzanines down the sides of the shop for storage. That will entail a number of additional beams.

My shop is both machine shop and fabrication shop, I have 3 machines that exceed 1 ton, with one of my lathes tipping in at nearly 2 tons (3500 lbs). I have plans in the future of adding a shaper that may be close to 3 tons. If I could find a 1 ton at a reasonable price, I'd grab it. All of the 1 ton units that come up locally are $200+, the Jet 3 ton I mentioned in my original post is $100.

Ryan

 

[reidry]

Coffing Superoid (CB series) is the Caddy in chainfalls if you ask me.

I think JET will serve you well in a home shop.

There is another decision to be made. If you ever intend to use the hoist sideways or upside down or at any angle other than vertical, the chainfall style hoist is nearly useless because the endless chain and slack chain tangle and aren't free-running. At which time you want a lever hoist.

Coffing LSB series is the Caddy there.

Also don't forget about Harrington, good quality equipment.

One issue with overbuying capacity is the chain gets big and clunky by necessity and this makes it somewhat awkward to use for smaller stuff, you end up taking many precautions to protect your precision (______) from being lightly hammered by every link of the endless chain.

I have a 1 1/2 ton lever hoist and a small come-a-long and my trailer has a winch. Just need something a bit quicker for vertical lifts, especially once I get a gantry crane built.

As to the free hanging chain, can't I suspend a bucket from the truss to catch the tail?

Ryan

 

[reidry]

I would recommend a 1 ton fall. Will handle most anything you could need to lift at home, including half of your car. I have hung the front of a Nissan Frontier off of a dynamometer and it was only 1400 lbs of load (was using the truck as weight to weight test a beam I installed). I have used a variety of falls and the Jet units were just as good as others. I would not want a 3 ton fall as they get heavy and bulky.

200 lbs aint much of a load for the trusses. What is the span on your trusses? If 24" or 16", then lay a 2x4 across the top of the bottom of two trusses and you will be in there. If side loading at all then tack the 2x4 down to the trusses to keep it from shifting. Minimize side loading as the trusses are not braced to resist those kinds of loads. Wrap a sling around the 2x4 and hoist away.

Lifting beams is not a task for a come along, you would have to be on top of the load to work the come along. You want to be off to the side hoisting beams so you can get out of the way if needed. I do agree that a come along is a much needed rigging tool also. Down the road you may want to invest in one. I have a 1/4 ton, 3/4 ton, and a 1.5 ton come along. Mostly use the 1.5 ton and the 1/4 ton. The 1/4 ton has been invaluable.

As noted above, I own some pretty heavy iron. Pretty common for me to drag something home that weighs more than 1 ton.

The trusses in my shop are 24', 24" on center. I've spread the load across several for other, heavier lifts in the past. The actual lifting span will only be 18' as I have an internal concrete wall that I can drop a brace onto.

Ryan

 

[pogrelis97]

I have no clue what brand mine is or the weight rating, but I would suggest getting a bigger one than you think you need. You never know when you'll end up needing one...

 

[A**holes Garage]

always had good luck with CM

 

[marinusdees]

always had good luck with CM

I think, but am not sure, that most American brands are owned by the parent company of CM.
I have a Yale I rebuilt from a basket case, 1 ton. A Coffing 3 phase, run on a rotary converter, 2 ton. A Wrightway 2 ton. A Budgit reclaimed from a basket case, 500 lbs., too fast. All mounted on two separate I beams and individual trolleys. I have a friend who has two CMs mounted on trolleys on the same I beam, but he is a motor winder-pump rebuilder who uses them commercially. I am a home hobbyist who uses mine occasionally. All of mine were courtesy of him.

If you have 3 phase power (which you must) this should make the search easier, even in Florida. I think the decision of what to buy has to be what's available. The heavier units are that much harder to hang. Older units have funky controls. Be careful, sometimes used units have had the load clutches stripped. Unless you can load test it before you buy it, it's indeterminate.
Haunt CL or OfferUp. Patience sometimes works.

 

[rburke65]

We always used CM at work and with liability issues as they are, there is probably a good reason the company bought that brand.

 

[reidry]

I've been hunting, found a CM 622 (also a 3 Ton) in a nearby town - then I checked the country of origin. Seems CM imports these, they are made overseas to their specifications. Well I hoped it would be Japan or European .. a little sleuthing on eBay and looking for the fine print on the back shows they are currently made in China.

I guess I'll keep looking.

Ryan

 

[matt_i]

I probably should have mentioned a few other things in my original post.

I already have a 1 1/2 ton lever hoist, the lever hoists are just too slow to lift a beam 7 feet, let alone the 8 beams I need to lift. This is also just phase one of my loft, later I'll be adding mezzanines down the sides of the shop for storage. That will entail a number of additional beams.

My shop is both machine shop and fabrication shop, I have 3 machines that exceed 1 ton, with one of my lathes tipping in at nearly 2 tons (3500 lbs). I have plans in the future of adding a shaper that may be close to 3 tons. If I could find a 1 ton at a reasonable price, I'd grab it. All of the 1 ton units that come up locally are $200+, the Jet 3 ton I mentioned in my original post is $100.

Ryan

Now that you've opened the door to heavier machinery then I can see the need for a heavier chainfall. However, you have to keep in mind there's a "gear ratio" built into the hoist that I think maxes out around 100 lbs of pull on the endless chain. So we can WAG around 20:1 for the 1T hoist and 60:1 for the 3T. Bottom line is using a 3T to lift wooden beams is like watching paint dry, its quite slow. The 1T as suggested will be much faster.

Really you need both of them. And a gantry that can handle your max weight. I have 1T and 2T hanging from my gantry and a 3T lever hoist if needed.

You may also be able to rent a heavier hoist for a day, say to unload a machine. If you are going to build an iron cave you need a forklift

 

[bad_idea]

If you have heavy equipment to justify the 3T then I would get that. Then I would buy a 1/2T for the beams. A good 1/2T is great for things like that due to the gear reduction matt_i mentioned. Lightweight and quick acting. For a 200lb load I would be comfortable with a HF 1/2T. Then get the 3T for real loads.

 

[wilb1976]

We only use the CM Hurricane because it allows for easier use of the pull chain when user is pulling from the side of the load. Not sure of COO though.

https://www.cmworks.com/hurricane360/

 

[reidry]

Now that you've opened the door to heavier machinery then I can see the need for a heavier chainfall. However, you have to keep in mind there's a "gear ratio" built into the hoist that I think maxes out around 100 lbs of pull on the endless chain. So we can WAG around 20:1 for the 1T hoist and 60:1 for the 3T. Bottom line is using a 3T to lift wooden beams is like watching paint dry, its quite slow. The 1T as suggested will be much faster.

Really you need both of them. And a gantry that can handle your max weight. I have 1T and 2T hanging from my gantry and a 3T lever hoist if needed.

You may also be able to rent a heavier hoist for a day, say to unload a machine. If you are going to build an iron cave you need a forklift

Thanks to Matt_I for pointing out the gear ratio and everyone else for all the good information.

Thanks to marinusdees for introducing me to OfferUp. I found one seller with two Coffing LHH hoists on OfferUp. Mid-2000s manufacture and both in excellent condition, the 1 Ton looks near new.

Hoist 1 - 1/2 Ton Coffing LHH, 10' lift
Hoist 2 - 1 Ton Coffing LHH, 10' lift in waterproof rolling carrying case!

Unfortunately they were about 2 hours away and the seller was not interested in shipping. Offered $140 for both hoists and the seller accepted so I made the drive.

When I build my gantry crane, I'll probably add a 3T lever chain hoist for the big machines, but for now I have other ways of moving my current inventory around .

Thanks again!

 

[Millwrong]

I'd prefer a CM myself, but I've put quite a few Jet chainfalls and c'alongs through some serious abuse and they've never let me down.