What Does a Hoist Do?

Author bio: Guest post is provided by Hoists Direct Inc., a leader in the distribution of hoists.  They carry many different high-quality brands, including the Yale hoist.  Browse their website for more information.

Hoists are essentially powerful lifting assistants.  Hoists are typically used to lift heavy items, but they can also be used to lift people and animals.  Many hoists are also utilized when the items needing to be lifted are awkward and difficult to move in another way.

There are many different types of hoists that serve a variety of functions.  For example, an air hoist is typically used to raise vehicles for mechanical purposes.  Car hoists are often used in mechanic repair shops.  Hoists used in a mechanic’s shop typically need to be able to support more weight than one used in a residential home because mechanic’s often work on vehicles of all different sizes and weights.  Other types of hoists are geared more towards heavy lifting on construction sites or in factories.

Hoists can vary in the way that they are powered.  There are manual and electrical hoists.  Manual hoists are generally smaller than electrical hoists and they must be operated manually by a worker.  Manual hoists are used in many different industrial applications.  Due to the fact that manual hoists need to be hand operated, they can be more difficult to utilize.  Electrical hoists on the other hand, are easier to use and are capable of lifting incredibly heavy loads.

If you need a powerful hoist to do things such as hoisting rails and brackets, a capstan hoist is a great option.  Capstan hoists are generally very lightweight, portable, and can be easily mounted virtually anywhere.