Looking for a special kind of hoist

[Little_Grizzly]

I wasn't sure where to ask this question but this seems like a good of place as any.

I'm looking for an electric hoist where instead of a single lead that wraps around a drum, it has a continuous loop of cable. Maybe I'm inventing something that doesn't exist but with what I'm trying to do the cable will be VERY long (>500ft!). If it was a loop (>1000ft) where only a few turns were wrapped around the drum then the drum wouldn't have to be very big.

I'm envisioning it is feeding out the cable at the same rate it's pulling it in (or vice-versa). Kinda like a ski lift I just realized.

I hope I'm describing it well enough. Any ideas?

[bcp]

sounds like you need a capstan winch.

Bruce

From:
Capstan Winches - Motivation | Marine Supplies 1-877-811-3625



From:
Capstan Winches

[Little_Grizzly]

Well gosh. Is that some kind of record? Ten minutes!?!?! Thanks Bruce. That's exactly what I was thinking of.

[Bob Rooks]

Just curioud what size cable you plan on using for that long of a run.
Are you going to be yarding logs on a high wire?

A double drum yarding winch may be what you need. They are geared so one winch pays out while the other hauls back. A capstain has to have tension on the bitter end in order to function, otherwise it just turns freely.

[LD1]

So do you need a hoist....or a winch???

Care to describe what you are doing??

I dont think a hoist (for over head lifting) would be practical to do what you describe. The cable would get tangled, twisted, and make a mess. A chain hoist works on the same principal you are describing, but dont get tangled as easily.

If a winch (pulling, NOT overhead lifting) is what you are really after, an just want more length, then the capstans in the previous post would be good.

[Little_Grizzly]

I'm laying some pipe in a 500' long trench. Not a big deal if it was on the flat. Problem is it's up a steep hill. In fact it's 150' vertical rise. I'm going to be lining the trench and partially filling it with sand. Hauling that much sand up hill doesn't sound appealing to me. The plan was to create a temporary trolley of sorts. It could be loaded by my "assistant" at the bottom and conveyed up-hill to where I'm working. Then lowered back down for the next load. Rinse and repeat.

The capstan winch / hoist sounds perfect but I'm still not sure. I was envisioning something more like a ski lift where both sides of the line are in tension.

[soilsailor]

You may want to consider adding the sand to water amd pumping the slurry up the hill. Deposit. Drain. Use sand.

[Bob Rooks]

Now I understand.
It sounds more like you need a few conveyor belt sections.
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Another thing to consider is letting gravity help you. A winch at the base of the slope and a block at the top. Assuming the sand arrives at the base (in bags?), it could be loaded on a cart and simply winched up the slope, and payed out to let the cart return to the base. You could eliminate the block at the top by placing the winch there, but that may be counter-productive because you may need a winch operator (or a long remote switch).

[Steave]

The capstan winch sounds like a good idea but consider reversing. The capstan type winch we used in electrical work for pulling wire did not have a reverse because is wasn't needed. Just something to think about. Good luck on your project.

[Little_Grizzly]

You may want to consider adding the sand to water amd pumping the slurry up the hill. Deposit. Drain. Use sand.

That is the most out-of-the-box solution I've ever heard! I LOVE it! Get some kind of cheap trash pump. It won't be worth much after I'm done with it but it might be the cheapest solution yet. The water is free. I really have to think about this idea. Thanks!