Products · Hoists
Base-Mounted Hoists
A base-mounted hoist bolts to a floor, wall, deck or structure and lifts with wire rope wound on a drum. Every Columbia hoist except the hook-mounted HMH is a base-mounted drum hoist: AC electric to 64,000 lbs and pneumatic to 16,500 lbs on a single line, engineered and built to order in Beaverton, Oregon since 1983.
What is a base-mounted hoist?
A base-mounted hoist (also called a base-mounted drum hoist) is fixed to a foundation or supporting structure. The load hangs from wire rope that winds onto a drum, and the rope usually runs over a head or lead sheave to reach the load. The hoist does not have to sit over the load: it can be on the floor below, on a deck above, on a wall or in a separate machine room.
A hook-mounted or chain hoist hangs from a beam, hook or trolley directly over the load and carries its chain or rope with it. That suits short, portable lifts. A base-mounted hoist suits long lifts, heavy loads, rigging with sheaves and multiple parts of line, and installations where the drive has to be somewhere other than over the load.
Pulling or positioning rather than lifting? See base-mounted winches. Not sure which you need? Read Winches Versus Hoists.
When a base-mounted hoist is the right choice
These are the jobs where a drum hoist on a base earns its place over a hook-mounted unit.
Long lifts
The drum stores the rope, so lift height is set by drum capacity, not by the hoist body. Size the drum for the distance the load actually travels, measured to the first change-of-direction sheave.
Drive away from the load
Mount the hoist where there is room, power and access for maintenance, and bring the line to the load over lead sheaves. Keep the fleet angle between 1/2° and 1-1/2°: as a rule of thumb, the first fixed sheave should be at least as many feet from the drum as the drum is inches wide.
Multiple parts of line
Reeving through sheaves lets a smaller hoist lift a bigger load. Four parts of line on roller bearing sheaves give a 3.77 multiplier; the drum must hold the extra rope the rigging uses.
Lifting through floors and shafts
A base-mounted hoist on a deck, mezzanine or roof can lower through a hatch, well or shaft to the level below: pumps, screens, gates, doors and maintenance loads. Only the rope and hook go down the hole.
Harsh and hazardous sites
Pneumatic hoists have no electrical ignition source and suit sites where electric power is unsafe or impractical. We also build explosion-proof electric units, outdoor and washdown units, and marine coatings.
Synchronized and multi-unit systems
Controls run from a single-speed drum switch to synchronized multi-unit, multi-axis systems, with variable speed, load limiting and travel limiting where the job needs them. Controls →
Columbia base-mounted hoist series
Maximum rated lift is single line, first layer, for the largest standard model in each series. Line pull falls and line speed rises as rope builds up on the drum; each series page has the layer-by-layer ratings, drawings and downloads.
| Series | Max rated lift | Motor / power | Mounting and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC electric base-mounted hoists | |||
| HC Series | 2,000 lbs | 0.75 HP · 115/230 V 1Ø | Installs at any angle; pairs with davit cranes |
| HD Series | 2,000 lbs | 0.5 HP · 115/230 V 1Ø | Base plate and quick-mount brackets (Docs 42B, 54C) |
| H2G Series | 5,600 lbs | 1 – 2 HP · 1Ø or 3Ø | Three drum widths |
| H2K Series | 6,000 lbs | 1 – 2 HP · 1Ø or 3Ø | To 88 FPM on a full drum (36:1 models) |
| HL Series | 15,000 lbs | 2 – 7.5 HP · 1Ø or 3Ø | ANSI B30.7; four-bolt base mount |
| HU Series | 21,000 lbs | 7.5 – 15 HP · 3Ø | ANSI B30.7; oil-bath planetary |
| HV Series | 28,000 lbs | 10 – 20 HP · 3Ø | ANSI B30.7 |
| HW Series | 40,000 lbs | 15 – 25 HP · 3Ø | ANSI B30.7 |
| HX Series | 64,000 lbs | 20 – 60 HP · 3Ø | ANSI B30.7; rope to 1-1/4" standard, 1-1/2" special |
| ASME B30.7 Compliant | 3,000 lbs | AC electric | 18:1 D:d minimum; supplied with rope and safety hook |
| Pneumatic base-mounted hoists | |||
| HD Series | 2,000 lbs | Vane · 50–80 psi, 70 SCFM | Installs at any angle |
| H2G Series | 5,000 lbs | Vane · 90 psi, 70–110 SCFM | Installs at any angle |
| H2K Series | 6,000 lbs | Vane · 90 psi, 110–160 SCFM | Installs at any angle; to 76 FPM |
| HL Series | 15,000 lbs | Vane · 80–85 psi, 215–225 SCFM | ANSI B30.7; four-bolt base mount |
| HS Series | 16,500 lbs | Radial piston, 5.4–18.8 HP | ANSI B30.7; counter-balance valve |
Need more than a single line can lift? Rig multiple parts of line, or ask about a custom unit. Portable alternative: the HMH hook-mounted hoist, to 750 lbs. Also available: DC electric and hydraulic winches and hoists.
Mounting a base-mounted hoist
How each series mounts, from the series data:
- Any angle: HC, and the pneumatic HD, H2G and H2K, install at any angle: floor, wall or ceiling.
- Base plates and quick-mount brackets for the HD/WD frame, with print-to-scale mounting templates.
- Bolted base mount on HL, HU–HX and HS, with the motor rotatable in 90° increments to clear the structure.
- Motor and gearbox position are called out at order: use the Motor Position Guide and Right Angle Gearbox Position Guide.
- Trolley and crane mounting: hammerhead trolleys, manual overhead trolleys and davit and gantry cranes.
- Spooling aids: AutoAdvance line spoolers and cable tensioners keep rope winding evenly.
Mounting templates & guides
Print templates at 100% scale. More in Resources.
- HC/HD/WD Series Mounting TemplateDoc 51C · print at 100%
- HD/WD Series Base Plate Mounting GuidelinesDoc 42B · PDF
- HD/WD Series Quick-Mount BracketsDoc 54C · PDF
- HF/WF/HG/WG Series Mounting TemplateDoc 52E · print at 100%
- HF/WF/HG/WG/WK Series Quick-Mount TemplateDoc 53F · PDF
- Motor Position GuideDoc 112B · how to call out motor position
- Right Angle Gearbox Position GuideDoc 78A · PDF
Standards for base-mounted hoists
The Winch & Hoist Selector sizes hoist wire rope to ASME B30.16: rope minimum breaking strength at least 5 times the line pull, a drum core at least 18 times the rope diameter, and at least one rope diameter of freeboard below the drum flange.
ASME B30.7 covers hoists mounted on a foundation or supporting structure. It was formerly titled Base-Mounted Drum Hoists and is now titled Winches. The HL, HU, HV, HW, HX and HS series are designed to meet ANSI B30.7, and our ASME B30.7 compliant hoists ship with wire rope and a safety hook.
Never for people. Columbia winches and hoists are not to be used to lift or move people, or to lift anything over people.
Sizing a base-mounted hoist
One-page guides to the numbers we ask for, or let the selector do the math for every Columbia model.
Base-mounted hoists at work: Solution Spotlight
Jobs we’ve engineered and built around a base-mounted Columbia hoist.
Solution Spotlight · HoistBase Mounted Hoist Lifting Chamber DoorRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistWall Mounted Engine HoistRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistHigh Lift Hoist System Provides Tower Crane AlternativeRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistSubmersible Mud Pump HoistRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistTwo Line Dam Hoist Raises Oil Water SeparatorRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistPneumatic Coker HoistsRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistMast Hoists Provide Low Overhead SolutionRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistHigh Rise HoistRead the story →
Solution Spotlight · HoistSynchronized Multiple Hoist SystemRead the story →
Base-mounted hoist questions
What is a base-mounted hoist?
A base-mounted hoist is a drum hoist that bolts to a floor, wall, deck or supporting structure instead of hanging from a hook or trolley. Wire rope winds onto the drum and usually runs over a head or lead sheave to the load. Every Columbia hoist except the HMH hook-mounted hoist is a base-mounted drum hoist, rated for vertical lifting.
When should I use a base-mounted hoist instead of a hook-mounted or chain hoist?
Choose a base-mounted hoist when the lift is long (the drum stores the rope), when the drive has to sit away from the load (in a machine room, at grade or out of a hazardous zone, with the line run over sheaves), when the load is rigged on multiple parts of line, or when the hoist must lower through a floor, hatch or shaft. For a small, portable lift under a beam, a hook-mounted hoist such as the HMH (to 750 lbs) may be simpler.
How far can a base-mounted hoist lift?
As far as its drum can hold rope. Size the drum for the distance the load actually travels, measured to the first change-of-direction sheave, and add rope for each extra part of line. The Winch & Hoist Selector works out rope capacity layer by layer for every Columbia drum; see Travel Distance.
Can a base-mounted hoist be mounted on a wall or ceiling?
Several series can. The HC and the pneumatic HD, H2G and H2K install at any angle. Larger series (HL, HU to HX, HS) use a bolted base mount with a motor that rotates in 90° increments. Tell us the orientation when you quote and use the Motor Position Guide (Doc 112B) to call out where the motor sits.
What standard are Columbia base-mounted hoists built to?
The Winch & Hoist Selector sizes hoist wire rope to ASME B30.16: a 5:1 rope design factor and an 18:1 minimum drum-to-rope (D:d) ratio. The HL, HU, HV, HW, HX and HS series are designed to meet ANSI B30.7, and we build ASME B30.7 compliant hoists supplied with wire rope and a safety hook.
Can a base-mounted hoist lift people?
No. Columbia winches and hoists are never to be used to lift or move people, or to lift anything over people.
Tell us about the lift
Send the load, lift height, speed and power you have. An engineer will come back with questions or a price range.