Electric hoists

Electric hoist

— a hoist (of any type) is a lifting device using a chain and equipped with a built-in mechanism that reduces the force required to work (muscular effort of the user or electric motor traction). The presence of this mechanism is one of the main differences between a hoist and a winch: if in winches the force (with rare exceptions) is transmitted directly to the drum, then in hoists it is through a kind of “gear reducer”. The second difference is the use of chains (winches are equipped with cables or belts). To further increase efficiency, a movable block is also often supplied with the hoist, but this moment is not mandatory.

Different types of hoists differ just in the features of the "reducer". And this variety, in accordance with the name, uses not the muscular effort of the user to rotate the mechanism, but the drive from the built-in electric motor. This design simplifies the operator's task as much as possible — he does not need to pull the chain or swing the lever, all "power" operations are performed by the engine. On the other hand, electric models are quite large, complex and expensive, and they require a mains connection (sometimes three-phase 400 V) to operate. With all this, most of the simpler manual hoists can handle a load of several tons. Therefore, electrical varieties have not received much popularity.

Separately, we note that the terms "electric hoist" and "telpher" are sometimes used as synonyms. This is not entirely true, since these are still different devices; see "telpher" for more details.