A hand chain block is the most straightforward way to lift a load precisely and hold it there. Pull the hand chain, the load rises; stop, and the brake holds it. No power, no hydraulics, nothing to fail but the mechanism itself. The Viper VCB covers 500 kg through 30 tonnes across four standard heights of lift, using Grade 80 fine tolerance calibrated load chain and running on sealed bearings that keep weather and grit out of the gear train. Manufactured to BS EN 13157 with a minimum break load of four times the Working Load Limit.
Key Features
- Grade 80 calibrated load chain: Fine tolerance calibrated to BS EN 818-7, which is what allows the chain to run smoothly through the load sheave without snatching. Calibration matters more than grade alone on a hoist.
- Sealed bearings throughout: Keeps water and grit out of the gear train, which is the usual cause of a hoist stiffening up on site. It also means the unit can be stripped and rebuilt rather than scrapped when it does eventually need attention.
- Nine capacities: 500 kg, 1 t, 1.5 t, 2 t, 3 t, 5 t, 10 t, 20 t and 30 t, covering workshop lifting through to heavy plant installation.
- Four heights of lift: 3 m, 6 m, 10 m and 12 m as standard. Above 12 m the hoist needs specifying with GT directly, since chain weight becomes a factor in its own right.
- Electro galvanised calibrated hand chain: Corrosion resistant and calibrated to run cleanly through the hand wheel.
- Heavy duty cast catches: Top and bottom hooks fitted with cast safety catches rather than pressed steel, which survive site use considerably better.
- Available as a carcase: The "unchained" option supplies the unit without load chain, for customers fitting their own length or replacing a body onto existing chain.
- 4:1 minimum break load: Minimum break load is four times the Working Load Limit, marked in accordance with BS EN 13157.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code (3 mtr) |
Capacity (6 mtr) |
A (10 mtr) |
B (12 mtr) |
C (Carcase) |
D (kgs) |
H (min) (mm) |
(mm) |
(mm) |
(mm) |
(mm) |
| VCB0.5T3 |
VCB0.5T6 |
VCB0.5T10 |
VCB0.5T12 |
VCB0.5TC |
500 |
136 |
126.5 |
25.5 |
36 |
266 |
| VCB1T3 |
VCB1T6 |
VCB1T10 |
VCB1T12 |
VCB1TC |
1,000 |
156 |
143 |
28 |
40 |
324 |
| VCB1.5T3 |
VCB1.5T6 |
VCB1.5T10 |
VCB1.5T12 |
VCB1.5TC |
1,500 |
182 |
148 |
38 |
52 |
392 |
| VCB2T3 |
VCB2T6 |
VCB2T10 |
VCB2T12 |
VCB2TC |
2,000 |
198 |
152 |
38 |
52 |
407 |
| VCB3T3 |
VCB3T6 |
VCB3T10 |
VCB3T12 |
VCB3TC |
3,000 |
214 |
156 |
42 |
60 |
465 |
| VCB5T3 |
VCB5T6 |
VCB5T10 |
VCB5T12 |
VCB5TC |
5,000 |
266 |
181 |
50 |
68 |
636 |
| VCB10T3 |
VCB10T6 |
VCB10T10 |
VCB10T12 |
VCB10TC |
10,000 |
365 |
181 |
57 |
85 |
798 |
| VCB20T3 |
VCB20T6 |
VCB20T10 |
VCB20T12 |
VCB20TC |
20,000 |
630 |
192 |
84 |
106 |
890 |
| VCB30T3 |
VCB30T6 |
VCB30T10 |
VCB30T12 |
VCB30TC |
30,000 |
670 |
330 |
84 |
106 |
1000 |
All dimensions in millimetres. H min is the minimum headroom, the closed distance between hook saddles, and is the dimension to check against your available headroom before ordering. Effort required to lift, load chain diameter, falls of chain and weights are given on the user instruction manual below.
BS EN 13157 | Grade 80 Chain to BS EN 818-7 | 4:1 Break Load | LOLER Ready
Manufactured and marked in accordance with BS EN 13157, the standard for hand powered lifting equipment. Load chain is Grade 80 fine tolerance calibrated to BS EN 818-7. Minimum break load is four times the marked Working Load Limit. Supplied with test certification. Under LOLER 1998, lifting equipment requires thorough examination by a competent person at intervals not exceeding 12 months, or 6 months where used to lift persons.
Suitable Applications
A chain block suits any lift where the load must be raised slowly, positioned accurately and held indefinitely without power. That covers workshop and maintenance lifting, plant and machinery installation, engine and gearbox removal, steel erection and beam work, tensioning and pulling operations, and site work where no power is available. Paired with a beam trolley or clamp it becomes a simple travelling hoist for a workshop bay. The lower capacities are genuinely portable; from 5 tonnes upward the unit itself becomes a two-person lift and mounting needs planning. For repetitive lifting many times a day an electric hoist will be less tiring, but for occasional precise lifting the chain block is more reliable and far cheaper.
More About This Product
Material handling equipment solves the problem that most manual handling injuries come from: moving something heavy a short distance. Cranes handle the long lifts; the damage is done shifting a machine six metres across a workshop because it seemed too short a distance to be worth rigging.
The equipment is straightforward. The considerations that catch people out are the floor, the route and the momentum of something heavy once it is rolling.
The Route Is the Risk
A load on wheels behaves entirely differently from a load being lifted, and the risks move with it.
Point loading comes first. Wheel loads under a laden truck or skate concentrate onto small hard wheels, and the pressure at each contact patch is far higher than the load's own footprint would suggest. Slabs that carry the static load comfortably can crack, and floor coverings can be marked or cut.
Level changes are where control is lost. A multi-tonne load rolling at walking pace and stopping abruptly against a threshold, an expansion joint or a change in floor covering keeps trying to move. Anyone with a hand on it at that moment finds out how much energy is in it. The answer is to slow down before the change, not at it.
Gradients compound the same problem. Even a slight slope in a workshop floor will accelerate a heavy load on good wheels, and a load that gets away has no brakes.
Nobody walks alongside. The instinct is to have people at the sides steadying the load, and that is exactly where they should not be if it shifts or a wheel collapses. Push or pull from a position of control, keep feet clear of the wheels, and treat the route as part of the plan rather than as the bit between the lifting points.
How to Use the Chain Block
- Check headroom before ordering: The H min dimension is the closed height between hooks. That plus the load height must fit under your beam. This is the most common reason a hoist arrives and cannot be used.
- Mount to a rated point: The top hook must attach to a beam clamp, trolley or padeye rated for the load plus the weight of the hoist itself. Confirm the mounting structure can take it.
- Inspect before use: Check the load chain for stretched, twisted or gouged links, the hooks for throat opening and working catches, and the hand chain for kinks. Test the brake with a light load before the full lift.
- Check the chain is not twisted: A twisted load chain, particularly on multiple fall units, will jam or damage the chain. Run it out and check before lifting.
- Lift in line: The hoist is designed for vertical lifting. Angular pulling, fleeting and cross hauling need the specific manufacturer's guidance, which is in the downloads below.
- Do not exceed the rated effort: If the hand chain will not move with normal effort, the load is too heavy or the mechanism is faulty. Never extend the hand chain or use two people to increase pull.
- Never leave a load suspended unattended: The brake will hold, but an unattended suspended load is an uncontrolled hazard.
Warning: Never exceed the marked Working Load Limit. Never use the hoist to lift persons unless specifically rated and certified for that purpose. Never extend the hand chain or apply more than one person's effort to increase pull. Never use a hoist with a damaged, twisted or stretched load chain.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the marked Working Load Limit.
- Confirm the mounting point is rated for the load plus the weight of the hoist.
- Inspect the load chain, hooks and catches before every use.
- Ensure the load chain is not twisted before lifting, particularly on multiple fall units.
- Do not stand under a suspended load or leave a load suspended unattended.
- Fleeting and cross hauling are not recommended practice. Follow the manufacturer's guidance if unavoidable.
- Do not use a hoist whose brake does not hold a test load.
- Heights of lift above 12 metres require specific technical advice.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
The load chain tells you most of what you need to know about a chain block. Check it for elongation by measuring a defined number of links against the original length, since chain stretches before it fails and the change is gradual. Look for gouging, twisting, corrosion and any link that will not sit square. Check both hooks for throat opening against original dimensions and confirm the cast catches spring closed. Test the brake with a light load at every use, and be alert to a brake that slips or grabs. The sealed bearings mean the gear train needs little routine attention, but they also mean a unit that has become stiff usually has a genuine fault rather than needing a squirt of oil. These units are designed to be repaired rather than replaced, so a fault is worth investigating. WOLFF Onsite provides LOLER inspection and certification for lifting equipment.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does the "carcase" or "unchained" option mean?
It is the hoist supplied without load chain. It is not a complete working unit. Customers buy it either to fit a non-standard length of chain, or to replace a worn body onto existing serviceable chain. If you want a hoist that works out of the box, choose one of the standard heights of lift instead.
Q: How do I know what height of lift I need?
Measure from the underside of your mounting point to the lowest position the bottom hook must reach, then add a margin. Buying too short leaves you unable to reach the load; buying too long simply means surplus chain hanging in the chain bag, which is a minor inconvenience by comparison. If in doubt, go longer.
Q: What is headroom and why does it matter?
Headroom, dimension H min, is the closed distance between the top and bottom hook saddles. It is the space the hoist itself occupies and cannot be reduced. On the 500 kg unit that is 266 mm; on the 30 tonne it is a full metre. If your beam is 2.5 m up and your load is 2 m tall, a hoist with 1 m of headroom will not lift it.
Q: Why does calibrated chain matter?
The load sheave has pockets machined to accept the chain links. Fine tolerance calibrated chain to BS EN 818-7 sits correctly in those pockets and feeds smoothly. Chain of the right grade but the wrong tolerance will snatch, wear the sheave and eventually jam. Never fit non-calibrated chain to a hoist.
Q: Can I use this for pulling rather than lifting?
Fleeting and cross hauling are not recommended practice, but the manufacturer publishes specific guidance covering it, which is in the downloads above. Read it before attempting any non-vertical use, since the loading on both the hoist and its mounting point changes considerably.
Q: I need more than 12 metres of lift.
Available, but it needs specifying rather than ordering off the shelf. Above 12 metres the weight of the load chain itself becomes significant and the chain bag needs sizing accordingly. Contact us with your requirement and we will get technical guidance from GT.
