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©2018 Hubbell Incorporated | Chance
®
Capstan Hoist Operating Instructions
Ten Safety Recommendations (Cont.)
The rope to be used over a capstan drum needs
three things: adequate working load, good frictional
characteristics, and high temperature melting point. As
rope goes around a capstan drum, it must slip a small
amount to advance across the drum. This creates friction
which causes the drum to heat. If the drum is allowed to
rotate without advancing the rope, heat builds up quickly
and melts plastic ropes.
WARNING: Allowing the drum to turn without advancing
the rope is a dangerous condition as the melted rope
may break or "weld" to the drum which will then wrap
up the rope like a winch. A composite fiber braided rope
is recommended, like catalog number C4000799. This
1/2"-diameter rope has low stretch and excellent gripping
power on a capstan.
Always mount the hoist to the proper bracket using the
high strength bolts and fasteners supplied with each
hoist. If fasteners are damaged or missing, replace them
with the same type and grade designation. The fasteners
must be tightened evenly to the proper torque to insure
“load sharing” by all the fasteners.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installing the
bracket on the pole or other structure to be used. Align
the capstan drum so the rope will feed perpendicular to
the drum axis and onto the large radius of the drum near
the motor end.
This allows rope to feed smoothly across the drum as the
load is moved. Do not allow the load line to rub on the
pole or other objects as this will degrade the rope. Be
sure to retighten the chain binders after initial loading to
compensate for “seating” of the chain and bracket into
the pole.
