Can materials handling equipment lift people?

No. Chain blocks, lever hoists and winches sold for load handling are rated for loads only. Lifting people needs equipment specifically designed and rated for it.

Materials Handling

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Chain & Lever BlocksView products →38 items

Lifting HardwareView products →10 items

Sheave & Snatch BlocksView products →10 items

Hoists & WinchesView products →27 items

Site HardwareView products →6 items

Trolleys & ClampsView products →31 items

Choosing materials handling

Chain blocks, lever hoists, girder trolleys, winches and the hardware that moves loads. Rated equipment for shifting weight, not just lifting it.

Chain block or lever hoist?

A chain block hangs from a fixed point and lifts vertically: high capacity, slow and controlled, two hands on the hand chain. A lever hoist works in any orientation, so it covers lifting, dragging, tensioning and pulling a load sideways into position. If the pull isn't straight down, it's a lever hoist's job. Hoists in Australia fall under the AS 1418 series.

Capacity is only half the spec

Rated capacity gets the attention, but lift height decides whether the hook reaches the load, and headroom, the distance the block itself takes up between hook and beam, decides whether it fits where you're hanging it. Measure capacity, lift and headroom before ordering.

Trolleys and beam clamps

A girder trolley runs the hoist along the beam; a beam clamp fixes a lifting point to it. Both are rated and both are sized to the beam flange, where width and taper matter as much as capacity. Check the flange dimensions before ordering either.

What's the difference between a chain block and a lever hoist?

A chain block lifts vertically from a fixed suspension point, operated by hand chain. A lever hoist ratchets with a handle and works at any angle, whether that's lifting, pulling or tensioning. Straight-down repetitive lifting: block. Everything else: lever.

What does headroom mean on a hoist?

The distance the hoist itself occupies between its suspension point and its hook at full raise. Low-headroom models exist for tight spaces. If your beam is low, check this figure before capacity.