A hoist, regardless of its shape, size or lifting capability, will work in much the same way as the rest of the pieces of lifting equipment within the hoist family. While all pieces of lifting equipment will gradually wear down over the years, there are several ways that you can increase hoist life spans, and below we’ve laid out some of our top tips.

Stick to the safe working loads of your hoist

This has been spoken at great length around the internet and we’ve touched on it before, but all pieces of lifting equipment will have a working load limit and a safe working load.

To keep it short, the working load limit is the max amount that your hoist is capable of lifting. Lifting any amount that is greater than this will result in the ending of your hoist’s life span fairly quickly!

It’s important to look after your hoists to avoid any damage or rusting

The safe working load, however, is a number that has been set by the manufacturer after careful testing and examination, and is deemed to be a number that can be safely operated at consistently to keep hoist life spans long.

Regular examinations and inspections of your hoist

As with the above when it comes to tips that relate to all lifting equipment, you should be regularly examining and inspecting your hoists. An examination or inspection could reveal a fault with your hoist that can be fixed quickly, but should the fault have persisted then hoist life spans may be cut short.

We recommend that you thoroughly inspect and examine all of your hoists at least every six months, but given the small nature of hoists, there’s no reason that you can’t perform more regular inspections. It only takes a few moments, but can save you a great deal of trouble when it comes to time and money should a problem occur and halt your production line.

Choose the right hoist for the job

It’s crucial to choose the right hoist for the job, as it is with any piece of lifting equipment for any job. Using a hoist that is out of its depth, whether this is because of the task at hand, the weight of the load you are lifting, or something else entirely, is a sure fire way to quickly end the life span of your hoist.

It’s important that you use the right hoist for the job!

Use your hoist in the right environment

Some hoists are designed for heavier, more industrial environments, and so are better protected against things such as sparking or chemicals. Think about where you’ll be using your hoist and how often you’ll be using it.

Hoists that are constructed with wire rope as their lifting medium have a great resistance to corrosive elements, while you’ll find that steel is more likely to rust faster than other metals.

Ensure that a qualified and competent person is always on site

All lifting operations should be properly planned by a competent and knowledgeable person, and a person of a similar nature should be carrying out, or at the very least supervising, all lifting operations involving hoists.

If the lifting equipment is used in the wrong way, it could be broken very quickly!

Looking for more top tips on hoist life spans?

If you’re looking for more tips on hoists and increasing its life span, or for any of your other pieces of lifting equipment, then we would be more than happy for you to pick our brains. You can get in contact with us here.

 

Image credit: Andrew Magill and The National Archives UK