Where a chain block hangs vertically and lifts, a lever hoist works in any orientation and does as much pulling and tensioning as lifting. The short arm lever and gear ratio mean a single operator can apply serious force without excessive effort, and the free wheel mechanism lets the chain be pulled out rapidly by hand to position the hooks before any load is applied. High grade steel body protecting the gears and brake, Grade 80 fine tolerance calibrated load chain, and nine capacities from 250 kg to 9 tonnes.
Key Features
- Works in any position: Vertical, horizontal, inverted or at any angle. That is the fundamental difference from a chain block and the reason lever hoists dominate tensioning, straining and recovery work.
- Free wheel mechanism: Disengages the gearing so the load chain can be pulled out by hand at speed when no load is applied. Setting up a lever hoist takes seconds rather than minutes of ratcheting.
- Short arm lever and gear ratio: Specified so the operator can develop full rated pull without excessive effort or awkward stance, which matters when working at height or in a confined space.
- High grade steel body: Encloses and protects the gear train and brake system rather than relying on a pressed cover.
- Grade 80 calibrated load chain: Fine tolerance calibrated to BS EN 818-7, so the chain feeds cleanly through the load sheave.
- Nine capacities: 250 kg, 500 kg, 750 kg, 1 t, 1.5 t, 2 t, 3 t, 6 t and 9 t.
- Available as a carcase: Supplied without load chain for customers fitting their own length or rebuilding onto existing chain.
- 4:1 minimum break load: Marked in accordance with BS EN 13157.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code (1.5m) |
Capacity (3m) |
A (Carcase) |
B (kgs) |
C (mm) |
D (mm) |
H (mm) |
L (mm) |
K (mm) |
Load Chain (mm) |
Falls of Chain (mm) |
(mm) |
|
| VLH0.25T1.5 |
VLH0.25T3 |
VLH0.25TC |
250 |
119 |
79 |
90.5 |
31 |
237 |
168 |
24 |
4 x 12 |
1 |
| VLH0.5T1.5 |
VLH0.5T3 |
VLH0.5TC |
500 |
130 |
83 |
112 |
36 |
283 |
178 |
25.5 |
5 x 15 |
1 |
| VLH0.75T1.5 |
VLH0.75T3 |
VLH0.75TC |
750 |
148 |
90 |
136 |
40 |
320 |
250 |
28 |
6 x 18 |
1 |
| VLH1T1.5 |
VLH1T3 |
VLH1TC |
1,000 |
148 |
90 |
136 |
40 |
320 |
250 |
28 |
6 x 18 |
1 |
| VLH1.5T1.5 |
VLH1.5T3 |
VLH1.5TC |
1,500 |
172 |
98 |
160 |
44 |
380 |
300 |
38 |
8 x 24 |
1 |
| VLH2T1.5 |
VLH2T3 |
VLH2TC |
2,000 |
180 |
105 |
160 |
46 |
380 |
300 |
38 |
8 x 24 |
1 |
| VLH3T1.5 |
VLH3T3 |
VLH3TC |
3,000 |
200 |
115 |
180 |
50 |
480 |
375 |
42 |
10 x 30 |
1 |
| VLH6T1.5 |
VLH6T3 |
VLH6TC |
6,000 |
200 |
115 |
235 |
64 |
600 |
375 |
50 |
10 x 30 |
2 |
| VLH9T1.5 |
VLH9T3 |
VLH9TC |
9,000 |
200 |
115 |
335 |
85 |
740 |
410 |
57 |
10 x 30 |
3 |
All dimensions in millimetres. Dimensions for the 500 kg size upward are given in full on the user instruction manual below. [ANDREW: the spec table in the batch file was truncated. Full dimensions for 750kg upward are in gt-variations-full.csv under ParentSku VLH.]
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.
Suitable Applications
The lever hoist is the most versatile item in the hand lifting range because orientation does not constrain it. It suits load tensioning and straining, vehicle and plant recovery, pulling structures into alignment during steel erection, tensioning cables, wires and guy ropes, short vertical lifts in confined spaces where a chain block will not fit, and maintenance work where the pull is horizontal or angled. Riggers commonly carry one for exactly that reason. The 1.5 m height of lift suits tensioning and short lifts; the 3 m suits general work. For long vertical lifts with a lot of chain to pull, a chain block is less tiring.
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 Lever Hoist
- Inspect before use: Check the load chain for stretch, twist and damage, both hooks for throat opening and working catches, and the lever and pawl for free movement.
- Use free wheel to position: With no load applied, engage free wheel and pull the chain out to length. Never engage free wheel with a load on the hook.
- Engage the direction selector fully: The selector must be positively in lift or lower, never between positions. A partly engaged selector can slip.
- Attach at both ends to rated points: Both the anchor and the load must be rated for the pull. On tensioning work the anchor often takes more than people expect.
- Operate with the lever only: Never extend the lever with a bar or pipe. The lever length is specified so that one operator cannot overload the hoist. Extending it defeats that.
- Keep clear of the line of pull: On tensioning and recovery work, stand out of the path of the chain and load in case of release.
- Release under control: Lower using the mechanism rather than releasing free wheel under load, which is dangerous and will damage the hoist.
Warning: Never extend the lever with a bar, pipe or any other means to increase leverage. The lever is sized so a single operator cannot exceed the rated load, and extending it can cause catastrophic failure. Never engage the free wheel mechanism while a load is applied. Never use to lift persons.
Safety Information
- Never exceed the marked Working Load Limit.
- Never extend the operating lever to increase leverage.
- Never engage free wheel under load.
- Ensure the direction selector is fully engaged before operating.
- Both anchor and load attachment points must be rated for the applied force.
- Stand clear of the line of pull during tensioning and recovery work.
- Inspect the load chain, hooks and catches before every use.
- Do not use a hoist whose brake does not hold.
- Thorough examination by a competent person required at intervals not exceeding 12 months under LOLER 1998.
Inspection and Maintenance
Lever hoists take more abuse than chain blocks because they are portable, used at awkward angles and often thrown in the back of a van. Check the load chain for elongation, twist and gouging, and pay particular attention to the section that habitually runs through the sheave. Check both hooks for throat opening and working catches. Test the free wheel engages and disengages cleanly, and confirm the direction selector locks positively in both positions rather than feeling vague. The brake should hold a test load without creep. A lever hoist that has been overloaded, typically by someone extending the lever, will often show a bent lever or a distorted hook long before the chain shows anything, so inspect those first.
Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Lever hoist or chain block?
If the pull is vertical, from a fixed overhead point, and the lift is long, choose a chain block. If the pull is horizontal, angled, inverted or in a confined space, or if you are tensioning rather than lifting, choose a lever hoist. Many riggers carry both.
Q: Why must I never extend the lever?
The lever length is a safety feature. It is calculated so that one operator applying normal force cannot exceed the hoist's rated load. Fitting a scaffold tube over it removes that limit, and the mechanism, chain or hooks will fail before the operator runs out of strength. It is the single most common cause of lever hoist failure.
Q: What does the free wheel do?
It disengages the gearing so the load chain can be pulled out by hand rather than ratcheted. It makes setting up quick. It must only be used with no load on the hook, since engaging it under load releases the brake.
Q: What is the carcase version?
The hoist without load chain. Not a working unit on its own. It is bought either to fit a non-standard chain length or to replace a worn body onto serviceable existing chain.
Q: Why do the 6 t and 9 t units have multiple falls of chain?
The 6 tonne runs two falls and the 9 tonne three, meaning the load chain passes through the bottom block more than once to multiply the mechanical advantage. It is what makes those capacities achievable by hand. The practical effect is that the hook rises more slowly for the same lever movement.
