Air Hoists vs. Air Balancers

A hoist is a device that is used for ergonomically loading, unloading, transferring and transporting materials. A hoist is an important part of a crane because it does the lifting and lowering of a load. Based on the power source on which they run, hoists can be classified into three categories- manual hoists, electric hoists and air-powered hoists. In this article, we will discuss air hoists (also known as pneumatic hoists) and how they fare against air balancers. Air hoists are driven by compressed air. They utilize a rotary or piston-driven motor powered by compressed air. Air passes through the system and cools the hoist as it operates, so air hoists can run continuously without stopping or risk of overheating—unlike an electric hoist system.

For industrial settings and heavy-duty production environments, air hoists that run on compressed air are the most suitable option because they can operate well in high-speed and heavy-usage environments with repeated start and stop. They have high lifting capacities with the ability to perform in very hot environments.

Pneumatic Air Balancers are similar devices to air hoists in the sense that they ergonomically help transfer loads using a variety of up/down pendants. Although, they are different from air hoists as they provide balance “float” options that allow for superior control and greater speed over standard air hoists. Air balancers give the operator the ability to take their hands off the pendant and actually float the part into position. What this means is that in case of air hoists, in order to get the material load in the exact position you want, you would have to use the up/down buttons. And you would only be able to adjust the height at which the load will be suspended. But in case of air balancers, you can manually adjust the position of the load any way you want, because of the float feature. Trying to obtain a very precise position of a suspended load by repeatedly using the up and down levers requires many more steps than simply floating the load into position as can be done with an air balancer. Air balancers even give you the option to adjust the up/down speeds. Hence, pneumatic balancers give you more overall precision and accuracy to finish the job, as compared to pneumatic hoists.

Air balancers are usually more energy efficient than air hoists. In case of air balancers, only a fraction of a CFM per cycle is required when compared to a pneumatic hoist.

Conco offers the best-in-class range of air hoists as well as air balancers. We have JD Neuhaus Air Hoist Mini 125 with up to 275 lb. capacity, JD Neuhaus Air Hoist Mini 250 with up to 550 lb. capacity, JD Neuhaus Air Hoist Mini 500 with up to 1100 lb. capacity and JD Neuhaus Air Hoist Mini 1000 with up to 2200 lb. capacity respectively. We also have Unified Pneumatic Air Balancer with capacities up to 485 lbs. single reeve – 1940 lbs. double reeve.

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