Can You Replace a Hoist Chain Yourself? Safety, Hardness, and Calibration Explained

Introduction: Can you replace a hoist chain yourself?

– Your hoist chain is worn or damaged, can you just replace it with a new one? Is any grade 80 or 100 chain strong enough for a hoist? In this video, we’ll explain why replacing the hoist chain isn’t just about strength, it’s about hardness, compatibility, and safety. We’ll walk through the risks of using the wrong chain, what chain hardness actually means, and how to ensure you’re getting the right replacement.

I’m here with Carlo, Pewag ‘Chainiac’, to find out if I can replace my hoist chain with any lifting chain. So Carlo, if someone has a damaged hoist chain, can they replace it themselves?

– Like a do-it-yourself replacement of the chain, I wouldn’t say so. I think the best thing would be going through a qualified rigging shop or somebody who knows the stuff.

Why hoist chains and lifting chains are not interchangeable

But here, the information that is required is identifying the proper chain. And chains which are going on hoist are totally different from lifting chains.

– So why do so many people think that they can just take a grade 80 or 100 chain and put it onto their hoist?

– Yeah, probably because they look the same. If you go deeper, there are two elements here that are coming into question. One is obviously the hardness, and the second are those dimensional specification of those pocket wheels. Because hoist chain producers, they want to make sure that only the proper chain will be replacing to that.

How the wrong chain ruins hoist pocket wheels

If you were to install a regular lifting chain because just looks the same, you may run the risk that those pocket wheels will be ruined. And then you have to replace not just the chain, but also the internal component of your hoist.

How chain hardness differs for manual vs. electric hoists?

– Okay, so you mentioned chain hardness. So what does that mean? What is chain hardness, and then also, how does it affect the safety of your chain hoist?

– It’s like your skin. You usually have three different types of hardness. One is a chain that usually is going on manual-driven hoists like this one. The chain here is called through-hardened chain, but technically, it’s just a heat treatment that has been performed.

The hardness of it is measured in, usually in Vickers 470 to 500 Vickers would be acceptable in terms of the surface hardness of the skin. How hard is it in order to be running on those pocket wheels?

But then, if you move on to electric-driven hoist where the wear is higher than a manual-driven hoist, you need a different type of hardness. So you really need to make the skin harder than the regular 470 Vickers. And you go around 500, 550, even 600, depending on the type and the design of your equipment. The skin gets harder and thicker, thicker, and thicker.

How to Identify chain hardness through chain markings

So there are three layers, one is this one, which is technically called through-hardened chain, and then you have a thin layer of hardening, usually associated with a branding like DAT, three letters. You usually find those three letters on the chain, embossed on it, reminding you that these are light-hardened chain or the DT, which is where the skin is thicker than usual, and you have a very good thick layer of hardened chain.

And as you can see, I was looking at this marking, and I did find the letter T, which tells me this is the chain engineered and designed to work with this particular hoist equipment. And it is a through-hardened chain because it is a manual-driven hoist. But that’s a chain that has the accurate dimensional specification and tolerances that fits in those pocket wheels.

Why precise chain calibration is required for hoists

– Let’s say that someone has a damaged hoist chain and they just want to do it themselves, and they just put any chain on it. What can happen?

– Likely you have to replace your chain block all together, because the first thing that goes bust it will be the pocket wheel that is running as internal component of it.

It’s like a marriage. You have the marriage between the pocket wheel and the chain, and that is also the reason why those chains are really customizing in terms of dimensional specification. They’re really accurate. The calibration of this chain is the highest level of calibration.

Technically, when this chain is going through the different production stages, then it is pulled to a force that is the manufacturing proof force. This manufacturing proof force exceeds the yield point. You make the chain somewhat shorter than it should be according to the specification that you want to have, and then you go through this stretching it and deforming it, because when you cross this yield point, the formation of the chain is permanent. It’s no longer elastic like rubber band, doesn’t go back to the original state.

But basically, this chain is so accurately produced that the tolerances are really narrow. If you were to use a regular chain, lifting chain there, where the tolerances are not so accurate, the first thing to go would be the pocket wheel.

The right way to replace a damaged hoist chain

– So if someone has a damaged chain, what’s the right way to get it replaced? What should they do?

– If you were to the point that you need to replace the chain, you will look at the certificate, you will look at the user manual of the block, and you will determine which is the exact chain that fits there.

– So the best way is probably to send it off to a repair shop or manufacturer and have it repaired there. That way they can, you know, make sure that everything’s repaired accurately-

– Exactly.

– The right chain’s being put on, they can load test it.

– The key here is the dimensional, the unique tolerances that are engineered and design in conjunction, and together with the hoist producers, because of the accuracy of the calibration, it costs more than a regular lifting chain. So why would you do that to yourself? So it wouldn’t be-

– It wouldn’t make sense.

– For saving money, it wouldn’t make sense.

– What would you say to someone who wants to save money? So they’re just going to put any ol’ chain on their chain hoist and replace it themselves.

– That is a big problem, because if you were to do that, you will ruin your pocket wheel, so let the professional do that job.

How to get professional hoist service and repairs

– So remember, when shopping for chain, strength matters, but you also need to consider hardness. Not all chain can be used interchangeably.

If you’re having trouble with your hoist, Mazzella can service your hoist in-field or perform in-house repairs. If you need a new hoist, we can help you there as well. Whatever your chain needs, Mazzella is here to help. Be that custom sling assemblies, transport, or any other application you might have. Feel free to contact us through the link below.

If you found this video useful, informative, entertaining, or you just feel like being friendly, then hit that Like button, so we can get this information out to everyone who needs it. Subscribe and hit the bell so you never miss a video. If you have a question, drop it in the comments, so we can get you an answer. Remember, safe rigging is smart rigging. My name is Ben, stay safe out there.