Buying an electric chain hoist on lifting capacity and price alone is how you end up back on the supplier’s website six months later wondering why it’s burned out. The headline figures — 250 kg, 500 kg, 1,000 kg — don’t tell you how the unit will perform in your workshop, day in and day out. There’s more to the decision.
Duty Cycle: The Figure Most People Skip
Duty cycle tells you how hard you can run a hoist before the motor needs to cool down. It’s usually expressed as a percentage over a set time period — 20%, 40%, or 60% being the most common ratings. A hoist rated at 20% duty cycle can run under load for about 12 minutes per hour. That’s workable for occasional lifts in a light assembly shop. It’s not workable on a production line where the hoist is moving parts every few minutes.
Most budget imports run at 20% or lower. That’s not automatically a problem — it depends entirely on your usage. If you’re picking and placing continuously for 30 minutes out of every hour, you need a hoist designed for it. Get this wrong and you’ll run through motors quickly.
Single Phase vs Three Phase
Single-phase hoists (230 V) are convenient — plug in, go. They suit small workshops, garages, and light trade use well. The downside is higher starting currents and less smooth performance under sustained load compared to three-phase motors.
If you’ve got three-phase power available, a three-phase hoist at the same capacity will generally run cooler, last longer under regular use, and handle the work more efficiently. For anything beyond occasional domestic or light trade use, three-phase is usually the better call.
Lift Height and Chain Grade
Measure your available drop carefully before you specify. The rated capacity assumes the hook is operating in a vertical line — if your headroom is tight and the chain’s angled, you’ve already reduced your working capacity. It’s not a huge margin, but it matters when you’re lifting close to the limit.
Chain grade is the other variable that doesn’t get enough attention. Grade 80 chain is the standard minimum for lifting applications. Grade 100 chain is lighter for the same strength rating, which reduces the dead weight of the hoist assembly. On an existing beam already working near capacity, that’s worth knowing about.
Upper and Lower Limit Switches
Check whether the hoist you’re looking at includes upper and lower limit switches as standard — not as an optional extra. An upper limit switch cuts the motor before the hook block contacts the hoist body. Without one, a momentarily distracted operator can destroy the unit in seconds. It’s not a premium feature; it’s basic equipment.
Lower limit switches stop the chain running out and losing its anchor to the drum. Again, standard on any hoist worth buying. If a supplier is offering these as optional add-ons, that tells you something.
The Trolley Question
The beam clamp or push-travel trolley that carries the hoist is often ordered as an afterthought. Beam flange width varies — a trolley that doesn’t fit your beam rail is useless, and returning it wastes time. Most manufacturers publish beam compatibility tables. Check them before ordering.
Also check the working load limit of whatever the hoist is suspending from. The hoist capacity is only half of it. The beam, bracket, and fixing point all need to handle the load — including any dynamic loading during operation, which can exceed the static weight.
Nine times out of ten, the hoist itself is fine. The problem is the installation it’s going into.
