How To Make Your Engine Hoist Safer And More Convenient
An engine hoist to a mechanic's shop is like an oven to a baker: you can't run your business without one. Something that's so critical to your business shouldn't be a cookie-cutter apparatus, but should be optimized in every way possible for your specific needs. Here are a couple tips to achieve this goal with only minor modifications to your current setup.
Use the Shortest Hoist Possible
If your hoist is adjustable, then it will almost always be to your advantage to keep the height of the load as low as possible for a number of safety and convenience reasons. Most importantly, having a lower maximum height will help cut down on the chances of dropping a heavy object on an employee, piece of equipment, or even your floor, which might crack under so much weight. Also, keeping your load as close to the ground as possible will decrease stress on the hoist and the chain, offering a longer life to your machinery since you won't have to lift the load for as great a distance as if you were using a higher hoist.
Swap Your Casters
Mobility is a critical component of any engine hoist, so if one of your casters fails, it can be an inconvenience at the very least, and a safety nightmare at worst. The cheap plastic casters that many engine hoists come with can be particularly susceptible to failure, especially if you're using your hoist at or near its maximum capacity. A cheap and easy "insurance policy" against caster failure is simply to upgrade your casters. Steel is the industry standard for many different applications, and they take well to oil as well to ensure that they're always ready to move wherever you need them.
Add a Load Leveler
If your engine hoist doesn't already have one, adding a load leveler can be a godsend in a number of ways. First and foremost, a load leveler will take some of the pressure off of your hoist, since loads that can swing and wobble put more pressure on a hoist than a load that hangs still and level. Second, a load leveler will allow you to customize how your load hangs so that you can drop an engine more exactly into place, especially when this feature is coupled with your new upgraded steel casters.
While the fact that you need an engine hoist isn't news to anybody, different ways to optimize this vital piece of equipment might be. By adding some bells and whistles to your engine hoist like new casters and a load leveler and by keeping your load as low to the ground as possible, you'll be sure to keep your equipment and employees safer and more productive.
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