Ultimate Guide to Choose the best Electric Chain Hoists

In any factory setting, Electrical Chain Hoists are a must-have. Perfect for providing vertical lifts, electric chain hoists are simple and easy to operate. This makes them an attractive option for business owners.

However, what is not so easy is the task of choosing the right hoist for your needs. The market is currently flooded with a large number of products, many of which are subpar offerings. With all manufacturers claiming the top spot, it can become difficult to settle on the right one.

That's why, to make sure that you don't make a mistake, we've gone ahead and compiled this complete guide to choosing electric chain hoists for your use. Once you go through the guide below, you'll have no trouble understanding which product you need to purchase.

But let's start at the beginning and clear the air on what an Electric Chain Hoist is.

What is an Electric Chain Hoist?

Put simply, an electric chain hoist is a device that's used for vertically lifting and lowering any materials. The hoist consists of an electric motor with a brake, Gearbox, Load Chain wheel and a controller, which are used to control the motions of the system. The lifting element used is the Alloy Steel Chain.

These types of hoists are ideal in factories and machine shops, which require fast lifting and loading of items.

Factors to consider when choosing Electric Chain Hoists

Choosing the right chain hoist is one of the essential prerequisites for a safe and efficient workshop environment. The following are some of the key factors that must be kept in mind when choosing the right product.

1. The Weight of the load: This is the first and most important factor that you need to consider when choosing electric chain hoists. The load that you'll be lifting will determine the type of hoist that you need to buy. As a general rule of thumb, for less than ten tons of lifting capacity, a chain hoist is preferred. However, for lifting greater weights, an electrical wire hoist is suitable. But this doesn't hold with high lifting height. So, depending on your industry needs and requirements, the choice of hoists will vary.
2. Application Requirement: Once you've determined the load type, you need to figure out the application to which you'll be putting the hoist. Ask yourself this: Are you going to use it for product assembly? If that's the case, then extreme precision is a prerequisite. Also important is to know whether you're using any devices below the hook. Or what are your duty cycles?
3. Lifting Speed: The next factor to consider is the lifting speed, which must be carefully calibrated for the proper loading and unloading of the materials being lifted.
4. The Work Environment: Perhaps more important than lift speed is the environment where your hoist is going to be used. Factory environments can be abrasive for machinery, and it's essential to understand the impact that the workplace is going to have on your equipment. For example, if the hoist is used in extremely high-temperature environments, this might result in gearbox leakage and related hoist malfunctions. Similarly, shallow temperatures can cause cracks to develop or internal components to freeze. Setting where there are extreme temperature swings can also be detrimental to the operation of your hoist. Frequent temperature changes can result in electrical short circuits and associated equipment malfunction.
5. The Duty Cycle: This implies the time for which your hoist is going to be used. The number of hours that the hoist will operate at a stretch can impact the longevity of the machine. The length of the duty cycle is important as electrical hoists need to dissipate heat from the motors. This means they must be given sufficient downtime to cool and recover. Otherwise, you might just be inviting equipment malfunctions.
6. The Height Of The Lift: The height to which you need to lift the load also plays an important part in the choice of the hoist. Usually, electric chain hoists have a container in which the excess chain is spooled. Naturally, the greater the height, the longer the chain, and this means a larger chain container. If not designed properly, a too-large container might actually act as an obstruction to the load being lifted. An Electric Chain hoist is a preferred choice for higher lifting height, e.g. windmill hoist for turbine maintenance.
7. The Power Source: The kind of hoist you require will also determine the type of power source that you need to use. For low-duty cycle applications, a single-phase hoist is sufficient. If, however, you need extremely high-duty cycles, then it's best to buy a three-phase hoist. This will ensure that you have enough power for the machine's operation.
8. Warranty: As far as machines go, an electrical hoist is one of the ones that undergo the usual wear and tear. Hence, to avoid repair costs, you must get a product that has attractive warranty features. Be sure that the hoist warranty covers all essential parts and labour. Usually, labour is more costly than parts, so it's best if your warranty comes with both included.
9. Safety Features: At the end of the day, an electric hoist is a machine. And in any setting where electrical equipment is being used, accidents can occur. That's why, when purchasing the hoist, make sure it has all essential safety features, such as load limiters. Also important are self-adjusting brakes and thermal overload protection.

Why is LOADMATE the best Electric Chain Hoist Manufacturer?

Electric Chain hoists are the machines utilized for regular, heavy lifting operations in situations where manual hoists need to become apt for the size of the load. LOADMATE Chain Hoists typically lift Weights up to 50 Tonnes. For loads heavier than this, a Double Girder Crane is used that certainly lifts the Weight to 250 tonnes. There are tonnes of reasons to choose LOADMATE for Electric Chain Hoist over other manufacturers. LOADMATE - EURO Series Electric chain hoist also helps improve lifting procedures, making them safer and more efficacious. 

12 Major Reasons to Choose a LOADMATE - Electric Chain Hoist.

1. Original guide chain: The original guide chain is an essential component of the electric chain hoist and is designed to make it possible for the load chain to lift the loading material and fall.
2. Advanced suction rotary motor brake: A suction rotor motor brake, which is made of non-asbestos material, can aptly and efficaciously make the hoist stop running whenever there is no or insufficient power supply. In general, only when an alternate or direct current brake is installed can the brake work while the power is off and the hoisting work while the power is on; thus, the load won't fall because of a closed circuit of the motor. 
3. High-frequency motor with a cooling fan: The high-frequency motor that consists of a cooling fan enhances short-time rating and repeated rating. Apart from this, a class F insulation motor allows high-frequency use. A cooling fan is compulsory in a high-frequency motor as it keeps the motor cool and enables it to perform better than ever. This is again one of the important components of an electric chain hoist like a machine.
4. Low-noised transmission gear: Generally speaking, electric chain hoists are a kind of large machine and if there is no noise gear create unnecessary noise pollution. Therefore, precise spiral gears manufactured from intensive alloy are soaked in the machine oil. This helps the electric chain hoist achieve a longer life noiselessly. As there is strict law against noise or environmental pollution, the operating company won't fall into any legal complaints.
5. Upper limit Switch: An upper limit switch is a kind of switch that is useful and helps prevent the lifting of goods. If there is any overloaded material or goods, the switch comes into action and puts a stop to the working hoist. This acts as a safety measure and also helps the operator get confident about the operation of the machine. Such switches are necessary for a heavy-load lifting machine.
6. Highly durable chain bag: The Canvas chain bag added to the electric chain hoist is of notable durability. The robustness of the chain bag is one of the major and strongest features of the machine. You can remain mentally free for its repair or replacement. 
7. Intensive aluminium case: The intensive aluminium case, which is originally moulded, is light in nature and offers a notable appearance quite appealing to grab one's attention.
8. Special Overrolling Protection device: The newly designed device with the features of a friction clutch soaked in the oil helps prevent the machine from getting extremely rolling up or being overloaded. A specific advanced machine is used for such purposes because it can be controlled easily. Overloading or extreme rolling can make a lifting process unsafe, and there could be a loss of humans and resources at the same time.
9. Convenient examination and maintenance: The control cover is fixed, and the hinge is suitable for maintenance or spot examination. All the electric switch groups are fixed on the same board. As such, using switches is easy and convenient, and one can quickly understand the operating procedure of the machine.
10. Emergency stop button: If there is an emergency, operators can shut off the power supply by tapping the emergency stop button. It will immediately stop the supply of power in the machine, and the chances of complexes can be altered.
11. Durable buttons: The buttons are easy to operate as they are made and structured for controlling the low voltage to provide security. The protection class is IP65.
12. Bottom hook: It is hot forging with full strength that is tough to break. The operation safety of the lower hook is ascertained by its 360-degree rotation system and safety tongue piece.

More features of LOADMATE Electric Chain Hoists-

• It can lift higher capacities in comparison to other company hoists.
• It can lift more clumsily shaped loads, and transport loads more powerfully.
• It also allows for simple and quick operations and ensures lifting processes safer for crane operators.

An electric chain hoist is a powerful machine to lift heavy loads safely and conveniently. Using a branded product from LOADMATE can quicken your lifting processes, and you will be saving a lot of resources, time and money.

Final Words

Let's end with what we said at the beginning: choosing the right electric chain hoist is no child's play. However, with a bit of due diligence, you can easily select the one that's needed for your application.

By keeping the above factors in mind, you can settle on the electric chain hoist that you require. While making the purchase, you shouldn't hurry and take the needed time to pick out one that will give you the best ROI. Also, if you feel the need to, you can always enlist the help of an expert to choose for you. At LOADMATE, we have a manufacturing facility to supply more than 400 electric chain hoists per month.