Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 So over the weekend I made the drive from St. Louis down to Springfield, MO to pick up a few machines I purchased from Grizzly. While I was down there I stayed with some buddies and did some fishing. Of course after a two month drought, the sky decided to open up and pour down rain for the entire weekend, and of course my trailer and my new machines were out in the weather the whole time. I brought down every tarp I had and covered them as best I could, and fortunately everything stayed nice and dry. I made the drive back home yesterday and went about unloading today. All of the machines were manageable to unload by myself without any assistance...except the planer...estimated shipping weight: 675 pounds. I have a "one ton" hoist set up in my garage that I use to lift the front end of my zero turn mower so I can sharpen the blades and clean the deck, and I figured since the hoist was rated for "one ton," I could safely lift out the planer, which comes in well below half of the hoist's rated capacity. Well, apparently I was wrong. I backed the trailer into the garage, wrapped the straps around the box, hooked up, and lifted the planer off the trailer with the hoist. I pulled the trailer out, and I have to admit, that giant package dangling about three feet in the air did look rather ominous. But hey, it's a "one ton" hoist...that's two thousand pounds. It's cool. I began lowering the beast, keeping all of my body parts well away from underneath, and it was smooth sailing. I got it down to about three inches off the ground, then POP! KABOOM! I soiled myself. I quickly regained my composure and after double checking I still had all my toes, turned my worry to the machine. I unpacked it from the crate and inspected every inch of it, and it seems to be fine. I haven't wired it up yet so I guess there's no telling if any harm was done...we'll have to wait and see. Moral of the story...don't buy your hoists from Harbor Freight. I sure am glad I wasn't under my mower when it decided to snap. (I have a totally overkill safety chain rigged for when I am under the mower, FYI...guess that was a wise decision.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brice_Arnold Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 What broke? If your hoist is like my hoist, it is rated for 1 ton with the boom at it's shortest length. As you extend the boom the rating decreases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 What broke? If your hoist is like my hoist, it is rated for 1 ton with the boom at it's shortest length. As you extend the boom the rating decreases. One of the chain links broke. I didn't know about the decreased rating thing...they should probably rate a hoist at whatever the weakest point is instead of the strongest. That's a little misleading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignWave Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm not sure if the OP is talking about an engine hoist or a chain hoist. I have one of each from HF and I generally assume that they are only useful at 50% of rated capacity at best. I've never had a problem, though this example still fits that margin of error. I'm glad you stayed clear and that nobody was hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 i say raise hell you might get something free out of it at least a new chain.perhaps a whole new tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm not sure if the OP is talking about an engine hoist or a chain hoist. I have one of each from HF and I generally assume that they are only useful at 50% of rated capacity at best. I've never had a problem, though this example still fits that margin of error. I'm glad you stayed clear and that nobody was hurt. Yeah, it's a chain hoist. Even 50% of rated capacity would be a thousand pounds...supposedly the shipped weight of the planer was at least 300 less than that. We're looking at about 33% of rated capacity causing failure. That's just unacceptable. They're playing with people's safety with their incompetence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I would expect the hoist mechanism in the "box" to fail before the chain. I would think that the load rating is for the latch mechanism that keeps the chain from free spinning. I wouldn't expect the chain the break, that seems unusual to me. At worst, I would take it back for a refund and buy a 2 ton unit. Then you'll be safe, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 eric i know what happened you can admit it you were swinging around on it like a monkey you big lugg. you're either going to have to get a stronger hoist or lose some weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brice_Arnold Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I was referring to an engine hoist. With an engine hoist the rating changes because the boom is telescopic. So when you extend the boom there is more leverage on the ram/assembly which is why the rating decreases. Typically when something (anything) has a load rating, the rating has some sort of factor of safety such that the item in question can actually handle more than what it is rated for. Even though the stuff from Harbor freight is cheap I would think that in order for it to be sold in the US it would have to comply with some sort of regulations. Otherwise, Harbor Freight would have a huge liability on their hands. As far as your chain busting that is very unusual but there are ways to improperly load a chain as well. I have some experience rigging and medium/heavy lifting and I also design rigging and support structures as a mechanical engineer. If the chain is not vertical then the rating of the vertical load is decreased. For example, lets say you brought the chain to the corners of the crate and the chain was at 45 degrees from vertical. This would decrease your vertical lift capacity of said chain by %30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I was referring to an engine hoist. With an engine hoist the rating changes because the boom is telescopic. So when you extend the boom there is more leverage on the ram/assembly which is why the rating decreases. Typically when something (anything) has a load rating, the rating has some sort of factor of safety such that the item in question can actually handle more than what it is rated for. Even though the stuff from Harbor freight is cheap I would think that in order for it to be sold in the US it would have to comply with some sort of regulations. Otherwise, Harbor Freight would have a huge liability on their hands. As far as your chain busting that is very unusual but there are ways to improperly load a chain as well. I have some experience rigging and medium/heavy lifting and I also design rigging and support structures as a mechanical engineer. If the chain is not vertical then the rating of the vertical load is decreased. For example, lets say you brought the chain to the corners of the crate and the chain was at 45 degrees from vertical. This would decrease your vertical lift capacity of said chain by %30. Yeah, the chain was perfectly vertical, and it wasn't swinging or anything. It just...gave. I guess it was probably a bad weld on that chain link. I can't fathom what if anything I was doing wrong...it was a pretty straight forward operation using a piece of equipment for the exact purpose it was made. I'm pretty sure it was purely mechanical failure due to poor-quality materials or craftsmanship. I don't buy from Harbor Freight very often, and now I have a reason to never go there for anything, especially anything potentially dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChetlovesMer Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 For example, lets say you brought the chain to the corners of the crate and the chain was at 45 degrees from vertical. This would decrease your vertical lift capacity of said chain by %30. Okay I'm no math genius or anything, but if you brought the chain to the four corners of the crate, even if it's at 45 degrees, wouldn't you still have 4 chains? So instead of decreasing your lift capacity of the chain by %30, wouldn't you actually increase it by %280, because each chain would only have to support 1/4 the weight? Again, I'm not Alfred Einstein or Leonardo DiCaprio Vinci or anything. So, I'd say don't stand on or under any bridge I design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brice_Arnold Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 Okay I'm no math genius or anything, but if you brought the chain to the four corners of the crate, even if it's at 45 degrees, wouldn't you still have 4 chains? So instead of decreasing your lift capacity of the chain by %30, wouldn't you actually increase it by %280, because each chain would only have to support 1/4 the weight? Again, I'm not Alfred Einstein or Leonardo DiCaprio Vinci or anything. So, I'd say don't stand on or under any bridge I design. It depends on the how the chain is rigged if it is a single chain that is looped then no. if there are four anchor points where you are lifting from and each chain is independent from each other then yes, it would be the load rating * .70 *4. The example was meant to be a generic example and I never even mentioned "four" corners. As I said in my previous post, I am surprised to hear that the chain snapped; but there is more to rigging than meets the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 As I said in my previous post, I am surprised to hear that the chain snapped; but there is more to rigging than meets the eye. What is it that you think I should have done differently? I'd like to know for future reference if I've been using a hoist the wrong way. It's a chain hoist with a single hook on a single chain. I hooked it up to tow straps that I laced under the skid and over the top of the box where they met at a single point. When I lifted the crate it did not swing and it was perfectly plumb when hanging. There was no jumping or jerking in the chain while I was lowering the machine. I don't know how else I could have handled it...seems to me I was using it exactly the way it was intended to be used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brice_Arnold Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 It's a chain hoist with a single hook on a single chain. I hooked it up to tow straps that I laced under the skid and over the top of the box where they met at a single point. When I lifted the crate it did not swing and it was perfectly plumb when hanging. Let me preface by saying that I am not a rigging expert I have limited experience. The heaviest thing I have rigged is 5,000 lbs. I am just a mechanical engineer with ideas. Your set-up sounds solid. The only thing I would have done differently is using some doneage towards the top of the crate to force the straps apart and towards the corners of the load. This would prevent them from potentially slipping in towards each other thus making for an unstable lift. As far as your chain, which link snapped (out of curiosity) The chain should have held based on what you have told me. I would gt rid of the hoist and perhaps get something from this page http://www.mcmaster.com/#chain-hoists/=e5d48f $125 should get you some peace of mind. Also, in general you should never put any part of your body under a suspended load. Just assume that it will fall and keep everything out of harms way. With your mower, you should be using doneage to support the mower as a back-up should your rigging fail. It sounds like you have a backup chain but I might consider some jack stands or wood blocks instead. I would also go raise hell with HF. I wouldn't bother with the retail store because they probably don't care, nor can they do anything about it. I would get ahold of corporate. If this happened with a 700lb load imagine if you were actually lifting 2000lbs. This is a huge safety issue that HF may or may not be aware of but it should be brought to their attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 Eric you rigged it properly it was just inferior chain I'm sure harbor frieghts chineese quality control guys are really on top of it. It's just a good thing no one was hurt and the tool is still intact. sounds like you thought it through stayed out from under the load used the proper straps I'm not sure what you could have done differently haveing no inkling that the chain was going to break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 I work heavy construction, and we use cranes to lift many things we use straps for most lifts occasionly cable, we never use chain on any of our lifts. I think it's an OSHA safety issue we do use chain hoists mostly for alighnment issues not for lifting. At the begining of each crane session we inspect all straps for wear all cable for jaggers before anythingis lifted the reason for no chains is a chain is only as good as it's weakest link it's an old addage but very true. That being said I would have tried the chain hoist for picking the jointer just like you did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 As far as your chain, which link snapped (out of curiosity) This one... And here's the culprit... On a brighter note, everything seems to be going together the way it should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SignWave Posted September 20, 2011 Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 This one... Maybe it's the camera angle, but it looks like the first link that didn't break is bent. The reason I ask is I don't see how the failed link could have caused the bend in the adjacent link, and it makes me wonder if the chain was damaged somehow prior to the failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted September 20, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2011 Maybe it's the camera angle, but it looks like the first link that didn't break is bent. The reason I ask is I don't see how the failed link could have caused the bend in the adjacent link, and it makes me wonder if the chain was damaged somehow prior to the failure. Didn't even notice until you mentioned it, but yep, it's bent alright. Don't know how that could have happened other than being mangled in the hoist itself. It's been hanging from my rafters since it came out of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted September 21, 2011 Report Share Posted September 21, 2011 The first choice for my culprit would be metal fatigue. It happens, even to high quality metal. Although, if you purchased it from Harbor Freight, the chance of it happening is much, much higher. And metal fatigue strikes even if you do everything right. Keep in mind I'm not a mechanical engineer. My blacksmithing knowledge falls into the "hobbyist" category. I've read (the title pages) of only a couple of engineering books. So what I'm offering is the paraphrased knowledge of several people's experience. Think of metal like an old comfortable shirt. No matter how much care you take of it during the laundry, it still stretches a little bit every time. And the fabric gets thinner each time it's handled. Eventually, holes appear, and the shirt goes from the top of the drawer to the bottom. (We're mostly men here, we can admit we don't really throw them out no matter who we tell we did...) Metal reacts the same way. Properly heat treated and hardened metal will also break, just not as quickly. Which is why chain is available at many locations. It's designed to be replaceable. My opinion (note: see above disclaimers) is that the hoist should be fine for lifting and such. However, replace the chain now. Just get rid of the old one entirely; don't try to salvage any parts of it. You don't know what parts are also suffering fatigue. And the next time you lift the mower, I'd also add in the blocks or jack stands, letting the weight of the mower rest on them and using the chain hoist as the "emergency reserve." It's not perfect, but two safety measures are better than one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted September 22, 2011 Report Share Posted September 22, 2011 (We're mostly men here, we can admit we don't really throw them out no matter who we tell we did...) Hint: Women already know these things, whether we admit them or not. -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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