This is the hand chain — the loop you pull to operate a chain block or geared trolley. It is a wearing part: over years of use the links stretch, the surface polishes and eventually the chain needs replacing without replacing the appliance.
Sold by the metre. Order the number of metres you need. The length required is roughly twice the height of lift plus enough to reach the operator comfortably, so measure the existing chain before ordering.
This is the hand chain, not the load chain. The hand chain operates the mechanism and carries no load. The load chain is a rated component and is not interchangeable — never substitute one for the other.
Manufacturer specification. Mild steel material. Electro galvanised finish. Calibrated to suit GT Heavy Duty and GT Viper chain blocks. Certification available 2.1
Key Features
- Electro Galvanised finish: As supplied by the manufacturer
- Mild steel material: As specified by the manufacturer
- Electro galvanised finish: As specified by the manufacturer
- Calibrated to suit GT Heavy Duty and GT Viper chain blocks: As specified by the manufacturer
- Certification available 2.1: As specified by the manufacturer
Technical Specifications
| Property |
Value |
| Product Code |
HCZP |
| Finish |
electro galvanised |
| Details |
See manufacturer information sheet |
Full specification and capacities are given in the manufacturer information sheet.
Manufacturer Specification | LOLER Ready
Mild steel material. Electro galvanised finish. Calibrated to suit GT Heavy Duty and GT Viper chain blocks. Certification available 2.1 Under LOLER 1998, lifting equipment and accessories require thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months. Work equipment that does not lift falls under PUWER 1998 and must be inspected and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Suitable Applications
General lifting and material handling across engineering, maintenance, construction and workshops: installing and removing plant, tensioning and pulling, load positioning, and any lift where a crane cannot reach or is not justified. Lever hoists specifically where the pull is horizontal or angled, which a chain block cannot do.
More About This Product
Chain blocks and lever hoists do the lifting that cranes cannot reach and that would not justify one anyway. They are the most widely owned lifting appliances in industry, and the most likely to be found in a corner having last been examined at a date nobody can establish.
Which matters, because they are lifting appliances rather than accessories, and the LOLER regime applies to them just as firmly.
The Point Above and the Temptation to Add Leverage
Two things account for most of the trouble with these appliances.
The suspension point. A chain block is proof tested, certified and marked. The beam, eye, tube or hook it hangs from is not, unless someone competent has assessed it. Slinging a two tonne block from a convenient piece of structure and lifting two tonnes is a decision about the structure, and it is being made by whoever picked up the block.
Adding leverage. When a load will not lift, the instinctive response is to put a bar on the lever or pull harder on the hand chain. Both are overload, and both are common enough that manufacturers state explicitly that the hand chain or lever must not be extended. The mechanism is designed around the force a person can apply through the standard handle; beyond that, something inside is being loaded past its design.
If it will not lift, the load is heavier than you thought, something is fouled, or the appliance is failing. All three are reasons to stop rather than to find a longer bar.
And the load chain is not a sling. Choking a load with the load chain damages the chain, loads it in a way it is not designed for, and is outside the appliance's certification.
How to Use
- Assess the point above: The appliance is certified; the beam or eye it hangs from is not unless someone has checked it.
- Check the fall indicator and hooks before use: Throat opening, safety catch, and chain for stretch and damage.
- Never exceed the rated capacity: And never extend the hand chain or lever to gain leverage — that is how appliances are overloaded.
- Do not use the load chain as a sling: It is not designed to be choked around a load.
- Keep the load chain untwisted: A twisted chain jams and damages the mechanism.
- Never leave a load suspended unattended: Crib or lower it.
Warning: Never extend the hand chain or lever to gain leverage — it is the commonest way these appliances are overloaded, and the mechanism is not designed for it. Never use the load chain as a sling, and never leave a load suspended unattended.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the rated capacity.
- Never extend the hand chain or lever to gain leverage.
- Assess the supporting structure before use.
- Do not use the load chain as a sling.
- Keep the load chain untwisted and correctly reeved.
- Never leave a load suspended unattended.
- Keep clear of and never pass beneath a suspended load.
- Withdraw any appliance showing chain stretch, hook throat opening, a slipping brake or damage.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
The brake and the load chain are what fail. Test the brake by lifting a light load and confirming it holds without creep — a brake that slips is an immediate withdrawal. Inspect the load chain link by link for stretch, wear at the bearing points, nicks, gouges and bent links, measuring a defined number of links against the original length. Check both hooks for throat opening, which is the classic evidence of overload, and confirm safety catches spring closed. Check the hand chain runs freely without jumping the sheave, and look for cracks and impact damage to the housing.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Chain block or lever hoist?
A chain block hangs from a fixed point and lifts vertically. A lever hoist works in any orientation, so it pulls and tensions as well as lifts. If the pull is horizontal or angled, you need the lever hoist.
Q: Can I put a bar on the hand chain for more leverage?
No. It is the commonest way these appliances are overloaded and the mechanism is not designed for it. If it will not lift, the load is too heavy.
Q: Does the beam need checking?
Yes. The appliance is proof tested and certified; the beam, eye or tube it hangs from is not, unless someone competent has assessed it for the load.
