Purpose:
The Civil and Environmental Engineering department at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana hosts a Construction Equipment and Methods course. This site was composed as a research project for this class, synthesizing different types of construction hoists and providing technical resources for hoist selection.
Why use a construction hoist?
Construction hoists offer an efficient, safe, and reliable alternative for the transport of materials and personnel on the job site. Conventional methods such as scaffolds for personnel transport, or crane use for material transport can be slower, less safe, and more expensive than a construction hoist. Hoists can be used in a variety of manners, including personnel transport for exterior finishes with work platforms. The versatility and safety that construction hoists offer make them a convenient and lucrative option for many project types.
What exactly is a construction hoist?
Construction hoists are a type of semi-permanent equipment that lift construction material, personnel, or both vertically on the job site. There are many types of construction hoists available on the market for various project types. Common types are skip hoists, buck hoists, builder hoists, and construction elevators.
The common components of all different types of hoists are a mast, a lifting mechanism, and a platform or cage. The mast is typically composed of mast sections attached along the structure at set distances for stability. The lifting mechanism is typically a motorized rack-and-pinion system. The platform or cage is made based on design load capacities and sized for efficiency based on typical material sizes.
Construction hoists can be organized into Utility Hoists—used for transporting materials only, Personnel Hoists—used for transporting personnel only, and Dual Rated Hoists—used for transporting both materials and personnel. For a database of hoist products, click here.
Where are construction hoists used?
Construction hoists are used on a variety of construction projects throughout the industry. From large high rises—such as the Trump Tower in New York City—to smaller projects such as a roof repair of a multi-story building, construction hoists can be seen in diverse applications for a large range of projects. High rises, tall silos, communication towers, power plant chimneys, boilers and cooling towers, vertical wells and mines, hotels, shopping malls, and wind turbines are a few of the possible projects that construction hoists are used for.