Hi all,

When I got a backstage tour of "Oliver", the stage tech showed me a chain hoist/motor that was used to raise up heavy set pieces, mainly to gain floor space. It was basically a boxed industrial motor that fed out/ retrieved the chain. Does anyone know of a source for these? I've found several chain hoists listed from various industrial supply companies, but these all have a chain in the range of 10 to 20 feet. The one I saw had a chain that was at least 30 or 35 feet long. Thanks!

Phil

I think I know what you are talking about, and I believe you would find it at a theater rigging supplier I would look for stage trussing and rigging, I saw one in PLSN magazine. So you could go to their site and see if there is an ad for these. You could also call Springtree.net and see if they can help as they are pros with sound and light, they probably can get one or tell you where you can.

Jason

Hey Phil...
CM Rigging & R&M Hoist are two companies used a lot in concerts. You can get them in almost any lentgh. Just make sure to stay with 115 Volt single phase unless you have acess to three phase 208 Volt. They go even higher than that on voltage, but typically you will only use single 115V or three 208V.

http://cmrigging.com/ProStar.asp
&
http://rmhoist.com/concert-hoists.htm


Hope that helps.
Kevin

Kevin has pointed out the CM Loadstar motor. It's the standard of the rock'n'roll (and magic) industry.

The length of the chain is a product of the size of the chain bag, the chain only runs through the motor so it can be as long as you want.

There are other motors out there, but in America, the CM is the industry standard.

Just be sure to get one of the black "upside down" motors made for entertainment, not the "rightside up" motors made for construction sites.

They also come in different speeds.

Just make sure you have a up and ground rigger on the call. You have to make sure they are attached properly to the grid to avoid any accidents.