EXPERT ARTICLE
Glenn Morgan – National Hoist Specialist
When searching for an electric chain hoist to lift high-mass items at your business premises, you need to make safety and efficiency your top priorities. This means putting the right solutions in place to guarantee the right results, every time.
KITO heavy-duty hoists are the answer here. Let’s take a look at some of the features you’ll find on a KITO Electric Chain Hoist that you won’t find as standard anywhere else in the market. These features keep operating costs low while boosting workplace safety and equipment longevity.
CONDITION MONITORING
The built-in Count Hour (CH) meter is a standard feature on KITO Electric Chain Hoists. This feature records the hoist’s operating time, delivering crucial insight that can be used to schedule maintenance and monitor usage levels.
An accurate CH meter data history is important for managing inspection periods, including the timely replacement of gear oil, brakes, load chains, and other components. This means you can perform maintenance exactly when it is required — not too early (taking the equipment out of commission unnecessarily) or too late.
Users will also be able to plan when they need to retire the hoist. Retiring the hoist when it reaches its design life is crucial in guaranteeing ongoing safety and effectiveness at your facility. Most hoists do not have the capability to advise users when the end of the design life is approaching, but KITO Hoists include this as standard. Many hoists are in fact retired too early by over-cautious facility managers — the CH meter provides the data required to avoid this.
This feature is fully compliant with Australian Standard AS 2550.1.2011, which specifies the general requirements for the safe use of cranes, hoists, and winches.
STATE-OF-THE-ART CHAIN
Most hoists in the market use zinc-plated chain, which is soft and easily worn down. KITO is the only manufacturer to use original super-strength nickel-plated case-hardened chain certified by the German Institute. Its shorter and narrower link profile allows for greater surface area contact, optimizing its resistance to wear and tear, as well as its overall tensile strength.
In addition, this chain is highly resistant to rust and other forms of corrosion and is designed to combat hydrogen embrittlement.
Our team manufactures and designs both the KITO Hoist body and the chain. We can personally guarantee the quality of the load sheave and the chain, as well as the accuracy of the engagement between the two. This is very different from the majority of our competitors, who design and manufacture their hoist bodies, but order in chains from third-party suppliers.
VARIABLE FREQUENCY DRIVE
The dual-speed inverter achieves smoother transitions than a simple pole change motor, reducing load swing. The drive can also be safely started and stopped, with smooth transitions between. Thus, there is less chance of damage to the product or equipment.
Users will be able to accurately adjust the high-to-low speed ratio according to their needs. The inverter will set the phase rotation automatically, meaning that the hoist can be deployed across numerous locations and positions with no need to rewire the phases.
The drive also features Thermal Overload Protection as standard, which protects the hoist motor from overheating and related damage.
Find the perfect heavy-duty hoist for your purposes
Safety is always paramount, and the hoist you choose has to reflect this. When you choose a good-quality piece of hoist equipment, you will notice features such as emergency stop functionality, automatic braking, friction clutches, thermal protection for the hoist motor, nickel plating on the load chain, upper and lower load limit settings, and other elements that keep your hoist functioning as it should for longer. Most importantly, it provides necessary maintenance when required, not before or when it’s too late.
Count Hour Meter Nickel-Plated Chain Variable Frequency Drive