7.A1.2 TYPES OF SUSPENDED WINCHES

With the suspended winch, the winch drum and mechanism is housed in an enclosed casing, which has a built in steadying/carrying handle. Extension tubes, through which the wire rope passes, are fitted to the casing and have a sheave mounted at the top to allow the wire rope to hang vertically downward. They are light in weight and easily portable, making them ideal for applications where light loads are to be lifted in more than one location. The top suspension arrangement allows them to be used with trolleys to move light loads and they are often used on light assembly lines as a means of both lifting and moving components. (See Figure 7.A1.2-1 )

Varying lengths of extension tubes enable the winch to be used in a variety of locations both for temporary and permanent applications. They are available in capacities from 250 kg to 1270 kg. Suspended winches are available arranged for lifting heights of up to 9 metres. Design variations enable an open drum version with up to 45 metres lifting height to be built into portable lifting structures. Although normally manually operated, a power take off drive unit can be fitted for power operation. Controlled descent is available on some models, obtained by the use of governors in contact with the brake drum which give controlled fall rates.

A variation of this winch design is produced specifically for people carrying purposes and is often used in rescue situations.