It may be easy to think a mini hoist will only be useful for extremely light duty jobs, but surprisingly, some of these smaller hoist models can still lift a significant amount of weight. When you are shopping for a mini hoist, perhaps the most important thing you will need to look for is the established weight capacity, which will be written directly on the hoist in most cases. This will determine how large of an object you will be able to lift and move with the hoist system, and it will have the biggest impact on how useful the system is for your needs.
Think carefully about how you are most likely to use the mini hoist before settling on the system that is best for you. Hoists come in a variety of styles to accomplish various tasks, and you will need to choose the appropriate system for what you intend to do. A mini hoist can be used, for example, to lift engines out of cars; in this case, a jib boom crane may be the best option. A much smaller hoist system can be used to lift a bicycle off the ground in a garage for storage. This system is likely to be far less expensive, but also less capable of lifting heavy objects. Some mini hoist models are designed for a specific purpose: canoe hoists are designed to lift these boats off the ground for storage, and scaffolding hoists are used to lift materials at a construction site using a scaffolding system.
Another decision you will need to make before purchasing or renting a mini hoist is whether you need a hand-operated or a motorized system. Generally speaking, motorized systems are usually capable of lifting more weight more quickly, but they also tend to be more expensive and may take some practice to learn how to use. Hand hoists are versatile because they are usually smaller, easy to use, and less expensive, but there may be more effort required to lift or move objects, and these hoists may not be able to lift as much weight as motorized versions.
Consider carefully the setting in which the mini hoist will be used as well. Some people need a hoist system for the home or garage, while others need one for an industrial setting such as a factory or warehouse. Industrial settings may benefit from a hoist mounted on a trolley that can run along a track set high above the floor. This is useful for moving objects across a space, though some settings will require a much larger hoist.
