Extension Leaflet 312
1950
THE ELECTRIC HAY HOIST
THE ELECTRIC HAY HOIST efficiently replaces
the tractor in elevating hay into the barn or onto
a haystack. Its use is increasing, for it is fast, safe,
simple in mechanism and operation and reasonable in
first cost and operating cost. It is a labor-saving device
which frees the tractor for use elsewhere in the haying
operation. The hoist can be used in either small or
large haying operations, with loose hay, baled hay or
chopped hay. Many farmers who continue to harvest
and handle loose hay, either by choice or through
necessity, can use it to advantage.
The Hoist Has Three Primary Parts
The hoist consists primarily of a drum, clutch, and
power unit. The drum is a cylinder, 6 to 9 inches in
diameter, 15 to 24 inches long, with flanges on each
end 16 to 20 inches in diameter. The drum should
hold about 50 feet more cable or rope than is required
to run the length of the barn, plus double the height
of the hay track from the ground. The rope or cable is
wound on the drum, which is driven by belt, gear
or chain  from the power unit  through a clutch.
A friction clutch usually a cone or a band type—
is used since the drum must be free to rotate during
the pullback operation. Cone clutches are normally
hardwood blocks which engage  friction against
steel. Four to six hardwood blocks fit against the cone-
shaped steel surface on the end of the drum, the blocks
being forced  against  the steel by a handle-and-cam
arrangement. The band type of clutch utilizes an internal ring faced with asbestos brake lining. To drive
the  drum, the  ring is expanded,  forcing  the  lining
against a steel outer ring attached to the flange on
one end of the drum.
Most hoists have some form of brake to hold the
drum in an emergency, or where the particular hoist-
ing operation may require holding the load stationary
in midair. This break is usually an external brake band
operating through friction with the outer surface of 
one  of the flanges of the drum. It may be either automatic or manual, but the manual type is more positive
in action than the automatic.
A hoist may be equipped with a pullback drum for
returning the fork or slings to the load. This is a small
auxiliary drum, 3 to 5 inches in diameter and the same
length as the hoisting drum-15 to 24 inches-with
flanges 8 to 12 inches in diameter.  The same  type of
clutch is used on this as on the  main  drum, except
that it may be designed for a lighter load. The auxiliary
drum is mounted parallel to the other drum, is driven
from the same gear, but requires an additional handle
for its control. This drum must be capable of holding
as much pullback rope as needed to extend the length
of the hay track.
Another attachment sometimes used  is an anti-
backlash device. This usually consists of a small brake
band attached to a lever which is controlled by the
tension on the hoisting cable or rope. When this cable
is under tension, either in hoisting or during the pull-
back, the brake is held off the drum. As soon as the 
tension is released, the brake drops onto the flange 
of the drum and stops it. This action prevents the cable 
from unwinding and becoming tangled.                                                                                                                                                                                 A multiple V-belt drive of four B-section or three
C-section belts is recommended for electric-motor-
driven hoists. The belts may run on a flat pulley on
the hoist shaft. A flat belt may be used, but it is more
likely to slip, especially when subjected to a heavy
load. Slipping may be quite serious if the hoist is not
provided with enough brake to handle any emergency.
The rope speed, when hoisting, should be 100 to 150
feet per minute. The hoist must have a capacity of
1,200 to 1,500 pounds lift on a double line. A 6-inch
hoisting drum should turn about 64 revolutions per
minute. The speed of the rope on the return may he
175 to 200 feet per minute.
Types of Hoists Used  Most Often
Single-Drum Hoist. This type consists only of the
hoisting drum, with either a counterweight or a
manual-type pullback for returning the hay carrier
to the end of the track. The unit usually has a clutch
and a brake to improve its operation, except for the
reversible-direction hoist, on which the clutch and
sometimes the brake are eliminated.
The counterweight pullback system is described in
more detail in a later paragraph. The system provides
an automatic return of the hay carrier and fork to the
outer end of the hay-carrier track when the hoist clutch
is disengaged or the drum is rotating  backward.   It
does not have enough power to return the carrier and
fork until after the load has been dropped. The coun-
terweight acts against the hoist only when the load is
traveling along the carrier track. It is controlled by
the hoist lever operating when the lever is placed
in the neutral position. The single drum hoist with a