Lifting & Lashing Accessories

Chain slings, hoists, beam clamps and trolleys

Chain slings and hoists take the weight of the load, beam clamps and trolleys fix or carry the hoist on an overhead beam, and winches pull a load along the ground.

Grade 80 chain slings

Grade 80 chain slings connect the load to the hook of a hoist or crane. Alloy steel chain resists cutting, heat and abrasion better than a fibre sling, which makes it the sling for steelwork, plant, precast units and other loads with hard edges or heavy daily use. The slings conform to BS EN 1677-3 and are made up in single, double, three leg and four leg assemblies.

Chain blocks

Chain blocks, also called chain hoists or manual chain hoists, lift and lower a load hanging below a fixed overhead point and are worked from the floor by the hand chain. The range lifts up to 10 tonnes and meets the WLL performance requirements of BS EN 13157.

Ratchet lever hoists

Ratchet lever hoists, also known as lever hoists, lever chain hoists and ratchet lever blocks, raise, lower and pull a load with a short lever working a ratchet. They handle loads up to 9 tonnes.

Adjustable beam clamps

Adjustable beam clamps grip the bottom flange of an I beam or other steel section and give a hoist a suspension point where the structure has no lifting eye. For the heaviest lifts, heavy duty beam clamps are rated up to 20 tonnes and comply with the WLL performance requirements of BS EN 13155.

Push and geared beam trolleys

A beam trolley runs along the bottom flange of an I beam and carries the hoist with it, so a load can be lifted at one point and set down at another along the beam. A push travel beam trolley moves when the operator pushes the suspended load and suits lighter loads at a height the operator can reach. A geared beam trolley is driven along the beam by a hand chain, which gives controlled travel with heavier loads or on high beams. Both types carry loads up to 5 tonnes and meet the requirements of BS EN 13157.

Wire rope winches

Wire rope winches wind wire rope on and off a drum to pull or lift a load. On machinery moves, a winch draws plant across the floor on rotating machinery skates, which let the load turn as it travels, or on machinery moving skate sets, which spread machines of up to 48 tonnes across several skates.

Matching lifting accessories from beam to load

Order of the rig, from beam to hook

A beam clamp or beam trolley goes on the beam flange first: a clamp where the load only goes up and down, and a trolley where it has to travel along the beam. The chain block or lever hoist hangs from the eye of the clamp or trolley by its top hook, the bottom hook takes the master link of the chain sling, and the sling legs connect to the lifting points on the load. Before the lift, confirm that the beam itself is designed to carry the load and that every hook sits fully in the eye or link it engages. Loads that need a purpose made attachment, such as a lifting beam or grab, are covered in site lifting equipment.

Working load limit across every component

A rig can lift no more than its lowest rated component, so a hoist rated above the clamp it hangs from is limited to the rating of the clamp. Take the heaviest load the job will lift, add the weight of the hoist and sling where they hang below the clamp or trolley, and choose every part at or above that figure.

Sling legs and hook type

The number of legs follows the lifting points on the load: a single leg for one central lifting point, two legs for long items such as pipe or beams, and three or four legs for skips, tanks and precast units that have to hang level. The wider the legs spread, the more load each one carries, so the rating of a multi leg sling falls as the angle between its legs opens. A self locking hook closes and locks when it takes the load and suits lifts where the hook could be knocked or snagged, while a sling hook with a safety catch is quicker to attach and release on repeated lifts.