CM Hurricane 360: Uses, Best Practices, & Durability
Construction | Mining, Petroleum and Gas | Hoisting & Lifting | By Rob Bruno | Oct 12, 2020
The CM Hurricane 360° has revolutionized the concept of safety in hand chain hoist design. The CM Hurricane 360’s patented hand chain cover rotates a full 360 degrees, allowing loads to be lifted, positioned, or pulled from virtually any angle – even in confined spaces. Operators can stand safely away from the load, preventing accidents and injuries during use.
The Hurricane 360 stands alone in the hand chain hoist market with its 360-degree rotating hand wheel, allowing the operator to lift from any position or angle, even above the load.
The operator can remain a safe distance away from the load and still have full efficiency and functionality of the hoist.
The Hurricane 360 is built per ASME B30.16 with a 4:1 design factor. Its gears and pinions are heat-treated, high-strength steel, giving them longevity and resistance to wear. The Hurricane features zinc-plated chain, a powder-coated finish for corrosion protection, and standard overload protection.
The unit has a four-pocket lift wheel and chain guide to help with alignment, providing a better chain fit and extended chain life. The hoist comes with a double pawl standard.
What are some of the best use cases for the people that are using these in the field?
The Hurricane 360 is very popular among mechanical contractors and construction workers.
To operate a standard hand chain hoist, the operator has to stand next to the hoist to make a lift. Otherwise, the hand chain rubs against the stationary chain guide binds up. When moving out to operate at a safer angle or distance, the chain gets bound up in the wheel making the hoist inoperable. The Hurricane 360 allows for flexibility and safe distance lifting.
Mechanical contractors are always working in tight spaces, elevated areas, and at various angles. They're never making a typical lift where you're standing right next to the load without obstacles. Because of the Hurricane's rotating hand chain wheel cover, contractors can move around obstructions and operate the hoist from any angle.
The Hurricane 360 is also very popular in general construction applications. Many construction companies prefer the Hurricane, investing in the added safety features that are only available in its patented design. The operator is able to stand away from the load at a safe distance when making a lift.
The Hurricane 360 comes in standard capacities, half-ton to 20-ton, with the option of a hook mount suspension or low headroom integrated trolley version.
The integrated trolley reduces headroom tremendously and is designed for quick, easy adjustments. Standard trolleys use spacers and washers to get the correct flange width. The low headroom integrated trolley has threaded spindles that run all the way through the trolley so the operator can quickly and easily adjust to any flange width without the complexity of spacers or washers.
The Hurricane 360 is not recommended for use in hazardous high heat or ultra corrosive environments that require spark resistant or explosion-proof lifting equipment.
Luckily, the Yale ATEX hoist features the same 360 degree rotating hand wheel for such applications.
The Hurricane is not intended for lifting loads over 20 tons or suspending loads over people.
Riggers get very excited when they see a demonstration of the Hurricane 360. Anyone who has used a hand chain hoist at some point has run into the problem of needing to stand away from the hoist and load, only to deal with a bound up, inoperable hoist. When riggers see the Hurricane 360 in action, with seamless use from any angle, their eyes light up.
While the rotating handwheel is a life-saving safety feature, it can make dramatic improvements to the efficiency of a lift. Many riggers struggle to work around obstacles trying to find a safe place to lift from. This is where the Hurricane 360 comes in handy.
In some cases, operators need to pull pumps or motors out of a pit and they will stand elevated above the hoist, or they'll have the hoist below them to pull that pump or motor out of a pit. The Hurricane makes these lifts safer, quicker, and easier.
The Hurricane 360 is completely enclosed to protect it from its environment. The unit has two openings for the hand chain, and two for the load chain. Otherwise, the Hurricane has an entirely sealed body to protect the unit from dirt and debris. The powder-coated finish helps protect against corrosion.
The hoist holds up very well in outdoor environments or dusty, dirty environments.
The Hurricane uses a Weston-style brake, so the unit cannot be submerged 100% in water.
As with all CM chain hoists, there is a full line of replacement parts for the Hurricane 360. The Hurricane is one of the easiest chain hoists to work on and repair.
The gear side cover is simply removed by four bolts giving access to the gears. The opposite side brake cover easily removes with the load limiter right there and of course the standard Weston-style brake.
The Hurricane comes standard with two pawls, adding an additional level of safety. On most traditional chain hoists with a single pawl, if the pawl was to fail, the load can drop. With the two-pawl system, if one pawl fails, the other pawl will engage the load and maintain that load until it can be safely taken down.
The most common repairs on the Hurricane are the brake disk, chain, and hooks, all of which are readily available. The hooks are completely bolted on to avoid issues with rivets.
Columbus McKinnon has one of the largest inventories of hoist repair parts for CM and other hoists. Easily find hoist repair service centers for maintenance and repair needs. Lifting Specialists are readily available to offer assistance with repair and inspection.
The Hurricane 360's overload indicator is essential for overload protection and protecting the operator during use. Traditionally, the overload indicator is set at about 135% of the rated load. If a hoist is in use and the load exceeds 135% of the rated load, the hand chain slips but not the load. The load then needs to be brought back to the ground and the lift plan needs to be reassessed.
Once the hoist is overloaded, it needs to be 100% inspected for damage. Once the qualified person on site deems that hoist to be safe for continuous use, it can be immediately put back into service.
The Hurricane offers one of the lowest pull forces in the industry and is one of the lightest hoists on the market for carrying around on the job. Single-reeved up to three-ton, weight is reduced even more for lighter capacities. The bolted bottom block allows for easy removal for repair and inspection.
There is a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects. Columbus McKinnon stands behind this product assuming it hasn't been misused.
When would you choose to use the hand chain versus a lever hoist?
When an application warrants a 360-degree rotating lever hoist, the CM Tornado features the Sidewinder™ rotating lever handle, allowing the operator to work up to 12 times faster and with as much as 30% less pull force than with conventional ratchet lever tools.
When it comes to selecting the proper hoist, it's going to depend on the application; the load being lifted, whether it is a tensioning or pulling type application, how heavy the load is, where do the operator needs to be, what are your space limitations? There are a lot of variables that go into what type of hoist to use.
When it's a tensioning or pulling type application, in other words, on a horizontal plane, we're going to tend to go with a lever tool or a lever hoist.
A big misconception is that lever hoists can only be used for pulling or tensioning. They can also be used vertically for lifting, although most lifting plans will lean towards a hand chain hoist for vertical lifts. If there is an application in a confined space that requires a very short distance lift, and the operator can't stand up to correctly use a hand chain hoist, the application may warrant a lever hoist.
For anyone considering purchasing a Hurricane 360, or for those looking to learn more about the features of their product, visit the Hurricane 360 product page.
Columbus McKinnon offers a wide range of rigging products, hoisting products, overhead crane products, and more. Find safe rigging and hoisting videos, product information, application solution information.
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Discover the CM Hurricane 360
The CM Hurricane 360° is unlike any other hand chain hoist on the market today. Featuring a one-of-a-kind hand chain cover, the CM Hurricane 360° provides flexibility and versatility for challenging applications.
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