That's exactly the one I inherited. Great piece of kit.
Do I Need a Chain Lever Hoist?
- Thread starter bulletpruf
- Start date
dr_clyde
Well-known member
Lever hoists are handy tools. I have a few and they’re pretty indispensable for rigging work.
That said, the type of hoist/puller you select is going to be governed by what you’re doing with it.
Lever chain hoists CAN do vertical overhead lifting, but that’s not where they excel. They’re extremely good at PULLING, not necessarily in the vertical axis. They’re most commonly used in pairs or in threes to align things like heavy pipe flanges or to rig heavy objects into tight places on ships or power plants. They can pull horizontally just as well as vertically, and they’re VERY controlled.
They are very slow, however and you’ll be frustrated if you try to use one as your primary lifting tool on a gantry crane. You’ll wear out your arm trying to move it a foot or two with a load on it. The other downside is you have to be right next to one to use it. So, you can’t get out of the way of a big load, as you need to pull the handle.
I commonly use mine to straighten weldments and pull stuck things loose. I also use it in conjunction with my overhead crane to flip or otherwise level unbalanced loads.
A chain fall is a MUCH better choice for pure overhead lifting. You can stand way off to the side, they move faster and they’re available in more capacity for less money.
Cable come-a-longs work as long as you keep them in good shape, but generally aren’t rated to lift overhead and they’re frustrating to use. They are much cheaper though. A good lever chain hoist will set you back several hundred bucks for a small one.
TL,DR Lever chain hoists are great rigging tools but not necessarily the best option or a replacement for a chain fall. Application is everything.
That said, the type of hoist/puller you select is going to be governed by what you’re doing with it.
Lever chain hoists CAN do vertical overhead lifting, but that’s not where they excel. They’re extremely good at PULLING, not necessarily in the vertical axis. They’re most commonly used in pairs or in threes to align things like heavy pipe flanges or to rig heavy objects into tight places on ships or power plants. They can pull horizontally just as well as vertically, and they’re VERY controlled.
They are very slow, however and you’ll be frustrated if you try to use one as your primary lifting tool on a gantry crane. You’ll wear out your arm trying to move it a foot or two with a load on it. The other downside is you have to be right next to one to use it. So, you can’t get out of the way of a big load, as you need to pull the handle.
I commonly use mine to straighten weldments and pull stuck things loose. I also use it in conjunction with my overhead crane to flip or otherwise level unbalanced loads.
A chain fall is a MUCH better choice for pure overhead lifting. You can stand way off to the side, they move faster and they’re available in more capacity for less money.
Cable come-a-longs work as long as you keep them in good shape, but generally aren’t rated to lift overhead and they’re frustrating to use. They are much cheaper though. A good lever chain hoist will set you back several hundred bucks for a small one.
TL,DR Lever chain hoists are great rigging tools but not necessarily the best option or a replacement for a chain fall. Application is everything.
American Power Pull - 1-1/2 Ton Chain Puller W/ 15 Chain (615-15FT) https://a.co/d/3Sgrz1w
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NC Fabricator25
Well-known member
- Joined
- May 28, 2010
- Messages
- 193
Dr Clyde said all that needs to be said ^. For pure vertical lifting chain hoists are a better option. For awkward lifting, lifting with a need to adjust the item in mid air, and all kinds of pulling the lever hoists are better in my opinion. I have several ranging from the small quarter ton models all the way up to the 6 ton. Although the 6 ton only comes out with nothing else will work because it’s just too darn heavy to move around much. I probably use the little 3/4T Coffing the most, pictured on the left. Coffing and CM are the best, no faults, no issues, they just work. Of course that comes with a price. Here’s a picture of some of mine. Not pictured are the Harrington‘s, they rarely get used and give more problems than they should. I had a Jet at one point, it did not last long.
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Kito ones which are nearly pocketable are cheap on Amazon JP.
There's also a chain hoist version.
There's also a chain hoist version.
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
We used them for large scale testing with the dept of ag when I was with them. Tons of control and easy to use. But kind of slow. I have one in the garage that gets used once in a very long time.
Harrington as a brand is owned by Kito. Those lightweight hoists are sold under both names, with Harrington appearing on them from Western sellers like Zoro.
jblnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have a half dozen chain "come-alongs" and would much rather use them than their cable version cousins. If the chain lever hoist will be used primarily for lifting you'll hate it but like others have said they are absolutely beasts at pulling things into or out of just about anywhere. I like the chain lever hoists better than the cable versions because the chain is way more abrasion resistant than the cables are. I bring one with when cutting wood and will use it to "winch" a tree over if needed. Very controlled devices and they take less force to move than a comparable cable come along.
If you buy one make sure you have room for a few of them. You'll get a 1/2 ton and then a 1-1/2 ton and finally a 10 ton just to make sure your bases are covered. My big one is a 5 ton and I haven't hooked it to something that it hasn't moved. When working on the dozer or other machinery with heavy parts I use them often to lower/remove things. I have a jib boom deal for my forklift that I hang them from and use it like a portable A-Frame. It's great.
Do you have a forklift yet ?
If you buy one make sure you have room for a few of them. You'll get a 1/2 ton and then a 1-1/2 ton and finally a 10 ton just to make sure your bases are covered. My big one is a 5 ton and I haven't hooked it to something that it hasn't moved. When working on the dozer or other machinery with heavy parts I use them often to lower/remove things. I have a jib boom deal for my forklift that I hang them from and use it like a portable A-Frame. It's great.
Do you have a forklift yet ?
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
No forklift yet. Sold my Cat 977, too, but hope to pick up a smallish dozer (D3?) and a skid steer in the not too distant future.
Crashlandy
Active member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2017
- Messages
- 27
Mine has saved me several times. Uprighted a rental mini-ex that I layed on it's side. Pulled my tractor out of sticky situations a couple times. I believe it's paid for itself now.
If cost is an issue,an old Yale roller chain lever hoist is usually free .........generally they have two falls and a block,however this can be removed and the hook attched directly to the chain..........which halves the capacity and doubles the speed......they are a lot easier to use with just one chain fall .
Tirfor. The French are weird.
Kscardsfan
Well-known member
No, but Christmas is coming.
Joemctag
Well-known member
There are very small, nice 500# lever hoists. 5’ of chain but you can extend with home-made chokers. Not expensve. Come in a small, fabric case. Useful for pulling when fabricating. Don’t know whether HF, Northern, Lowes.
not mentioned here ,but you can put the selector on the lever into neutral,and free pull the lift chain thru the hoist ,no need for a tedious wind up like a chain hoist.......... you can also free pull or wind the chain back in the other direction too......very quick.
This is a very important point!