What are the differences between chain electric hoists and wire rope electric hoists
2025-07-04
Structural design differences
Transmission method
Chain electric hoist: Uses chains as the transmission medium, with the chain wheels and chains hinged together, mainly bearing tension. The chain bag is designed to be separated from the main unit, reducing the volume of the drum and making the structure compact.
Wire rope electric hoist: Uses steel wire ropes as the transmission medium, with the wire ropes wound around the drum, bearing tension and pressure. The diameter of the drum needs to be more than 20 times the diameter of the wire rope, resulting in a large volume.
Volume and weight
Chain electric hoist: Compact in size, lightweight, with small axial dimensions, suitable for scenarios with limited space.
Wire rope electric hoist: Larger in size, especially when the lifting height increases, the length of the drum significantly increases.
Core Components
Chain Electric Hoist: Utilizes high-strength stretched shells or die-cast aluminum shells, with thin-wall extrusion molding technology. Equipped with oil bath lubrication transmission gearbox, overload protection clutch and electromagnetic braking system.
Wire Rope Electric Hoist: Composed of a motor, reducer, drum and wire rope. The motor is mostly a conical rotor braking asynchronous motor, and is equipped with a three-stage fixed-axis helical gear transmission mechanism.
Performance Feature Comparison
Lifting Capacity and Speed
Chain Electric Hoist: Capacity range 0.1 - 60 tons. The lifting speed is relatively slow, but the double-speed model can achieve quick and slow speed switching.
Wire Rope Electric Hoist: Capacity range 0.5 - 20 tons. The lifting speed is faster, and it supports continuous speed adjustment, providing higher operational flexibility.
Lifting height
Chain electric hoist: The lifting height can reach 3 to 120 meters. At the same height, the hook spacing is smaller and the actual lifting height is higher.
Wire rope electric hoist: The lifting height is limited by the diameter of the drum and usually does not exceed 30 meters (for CD1 type), while higher capacity models have even lower lifting heights.
Running distance and accuracy
Chain-driven electric hoist: The axis can be installed at a 90° angle to the running track, resulting in a greater running distance; however, the winding of the steel wire rope causes the hook to shift horizontally, resulting in lower accuracy.
Wire rope electric hoist: Installed with the axis parallel to the track, the running distance is shorter; however, the elastic deformation of the wire rope is small, and the positioning accuracy is higher.
Durability and Maintenance
Chain electric hoist: The chain is made of low-carbon alloy steel, with excellent wear resistance; the oil bath lubrication system extends the lifespan of the gears; maintenance is convenient and the cost of replacing components is low.
Wire rope electric hoist: The wire rope needs to be lubricated regularly, and the replacement cost is relatively high; the drum and gears are prone to wear, and the maintenance frequency is higher.
Application Scenario Analysis
Applicable Scenarios: Factory buildings, warehouses, logistics centers, dust-free workshops, explosion-proof environments, and other small-scale operation sites.
Typical Cases: Assembly lines in automobile manufacturing plants, maintenance of wind power equipment, cargo handling at docks.
Application scenarios: Mining, railways, construction sites, bridge construction, metallurgical industries and other large-scale engineering scenarios.
Typical cases: Installation of steel structures for high-rise buildings, lifting of mining equipment, maintenance of railway vehicles.
