Date: 2/1/2021
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For heavy-duty and demanding lifting applications, a strong case could be made for either a heavy lifting winch or a wire rope hoist. Both pieces of equipment are able to lift high-capacity loads and are designed with consistently rigorous lifts in mind.
But as always, the day in and day out uses of your lifting equipment should drive which is the right-sized option for your application.
Today, we look at the different capabilities of winches and wire rope hoists to help you decide the right equipment for your next project.
When Should I Use A Winch Or A Wire Rope Hoist?
Both winches and wire rope hoists can suit heavy-lifting applications across many industries. But where a wire rope hoist can nimbly maneuver with a smaller footprint, winches are better suited for heavy lifting in process duty applications.
To better understand which lifting equipment is right for you, we’ll provide areas of consideration: capacity, duty cycle and lift application.
Capacity
Standard wire rope hoists will start to lose product range in terms of lift and capacity as they approach the maximum 80-ton capacity, due to the larger reeving and drum length needed for those capacities.
For example, if you have an 80-ton application, R&M can provide an SX hoist for that capacity. But if you also need an H4 duty cycle, we recommend using the winch product for your application. If the needs of your application reach into higher capacity ranges (80-160 tons), it will require a wire rope winch.
Not only do winch hoists include larger drums, but the reeving of the winch is also optimized for heavy use with a more condensed profile. Additionally, the orientation of the sheaves helps protect the wire rope from heavier use.
Duty Cycle
At lower capacities, however, the wire rope hoists are smaller and often less costly than winches. It’s at capacities of over 80 tons where the wire rope hoist cannot achieve the lift and duty cycle needed for the application. At capacities over 60 tons, the product lines overlap and the combination of capacity, lift and duty cycle often determine which product is best suited.
Winches offer a broader product portfolio in the higher capacity range, and they’re typically associated with higher duty cycle applications. That’s because the rugged, high-quality components of the winch can consistently perform at nearly full capacity or at full capacity in exceptionally rigorous conditions. Ruggedly designed, R&M winches are CMAA Class E duty rating, which equates to “process duty service.” This means that winches are prepared to function optimally even in applications like scrap yards, cement mills, paper mills, steel mills and other equally demanding lifting jobs.
As you can read in our article covering the classifications of duty cycles, selecting the right equipment for your duty cycle has a huge impact on the longevity of your equipment.
Lift Application
In the “Duty Cycle” section, we listed some applications that require high performance in harsh conditions. We often refer to these types of applications as “process duty.”
For process duty applications, we can compare what we know about wire rope hoists and winches to decide the best option – both pieces of lifting equipment can lift heavy loads. However, because of the higher duty cycle rating, the winch will require fewer part replacements and fewer opportunities for unexpected maintenance.
Where a wire rope hoist might perform well in this environment but at the wrong duty cycle for a few years, a winch at the right duty cycle may have a lifetime of 10 years or more. Additionally, winches often come with more standard features than wire rope hoists, where the needed features may be optional given the broader application range for wire rope hoists.
This discrepancy in the overall lifetime cost of ownership is a key consideration for facility managers looking to select new equipment.
When You May Not Have to Choose: Modular Winch Packages
In another use case to consider, R&M’s winches can also be purchased as part of a modular crane package, which give the crane owner all the same benefits of right-sized crane components offered in our SX line.
A winch may also be combined with smaller wire rope hoists into a main and auxiliary hoist configuration on a single crane. This is advantageous for applications where the winch can be used for the highest capacity loads, and the lighter and faster wire rope hoists can accomplish the everyday lifting needed on the work floor. Additionally, having an auxiliary hoist means that you may have a back-up hoist to completely eliminate downtime.
For your next project, select a manufacturer who can create all the equipment you need in one package – this not only saves you on overhead and creates inroads for faster installation, but also service costs.
With a right-sized and comprehensively engineered system, you can achieve optimal operations with fewer overages or surprises in the cost. If you haven’t read our article about right sizing vs. oversizing your equipment, we recommend it for the comparison chart that can help you assess your project’s needs against the benefits of right-sizing your equipment up front.
Is a winch or wire rope hoist the most cost-efficient and effective choice for your next project? Contact us online or call 800-955-9967 to talk with an expert – or use our crane designer tool for an immediate equipment recommendation.