Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the recommended rope to use with Sky Climber hoists?
2. What weight oil is used in all Sky Climber hoist gearboxes?
3. What kind of oil is used to lubricate the Sky Climber air motors?
4. What can be done to reduce the amount of moisture or water in the air supply line for a Sky Climber air motor?
5. When an operator calls in to say the hoist will go up, but not down, what is most likely to be the problem?
6. What would cause a dual voltage Compact 750 or Alpha 1000 hoist to hum and not lift a hanging load?
7. What could cause the power contactor in a dual voltage Compact 750 or Alpha 1000 to pull in on the 110  volt setting, but not pull in on the 220 volt setting?
8. What could cause the power contactor on a dual voltage Compact 750 or Alpha 1000 to not pull in on either 110 volt or 220 volt setting?
9. When the dual voltage Compact 750 and Alpha 1000 is set on 110 volt setting, what would cause the brake to not release in the up direction, but it will in the down direction?
10. When using hoists on long drops, what cause the hoists to get hot quickly and have trouble lifting the load?
11. What is the recommended frequency for inspecting Sky Climber hoist?
12. On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 the electric motor, what would cause the hoist to not lift a hanging load?
13. On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause the K2 “Up” contactor to operate, but the K1 “Down” contactor does not operate?
14. On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause neither the K1 “Down” contactor, nor the K2 “Up” contactor to operate?
15. On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause both the K1 “Down” contactor and the K2 “Up” contactor to operate properly, but the primary brake won’t release?
16. On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause the main power source circuit breaker to instantly trip (open),when either the S2 “Up” selector switch or the S3 “Down” selector switch is engaged?
17. What would cause the electric hoist to pull an abnormally very high current (about 40 amps) that eventually trips (opens) the main power source circuit breaker, when the hoist is operated in either the up or down direction?
18. What would cause the electric hoist to pull an abnormally slightly high current (about 9 amps in 220 VAC or about 17 amps in 110 VAC) when the hoist is lifting a full load in the up direction?

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1.     What is the recommended rope to use with Sky Climber hoists?

The 8mm (5/16”), 5X26, Fiber Core, Galvanized, Right Lay is the primary choice of wire rope for the Alpha 1000 and Compact Series hoists.

The 8mm (5/16”), 4X26, Fiber Core, Galvanized, Right Lay is the second choice of wire rope for the Alpha 1000 and Compact Series hoists.

The 8mm (5/16”), 6X19, IWRC, Galvanized, Right Lay is the third choice of wire rope for the Alpha 1000 and Compact Series hoists.

The 8mm (5/16”), 6X31, Fiber Core, Galvanized, Right Lay is the primary choice of wire rope for the Model 4 hoists.

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2.    What weight oil is used in all Sky Climber hoist gearboxes?

HD 85W-140 paraffin base oil is used in Sky Climber hoist gearboxes. In the Compact Series and the Alpha 1000 hoists, there is 8 ounces of oil used in the gearboxes. In the Alpha 1500, there is one liter of oil used in the gearbox.

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3.    What kind of oil is used to lubricate the Sky Climber air motors?

10 weight spindle oil is used to lubricate the Sky Climber air motors. All Sky Climber air hoist lubricators are adjusted for an oil delivery of 4-8 drops per minute.

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4.     What can be done to reduce the amount of moisture or water in the air supply line for a Sky Climber    air motor?

The only way to reduce a moisture or water problem for the air motor is to install a water trap and dryer in the line.

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5.    When an operator calls in to say the hoist will go up, but not down, what is most likely to be the      problem?

Most likely the problem is that the Sky Lock (Safety Brake) is tripped and the operator is not aware of it. Tell the operator to reset the Sky Lock by going in the UP direction for a few inches – to take the load off the Sky Lock – then rotate the Reset Handle on the Sky Lock clockwise, until they feel it reset.

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6.    What would cause a dual voltage Compact 750 or Alpha 1000 hoist to hum and not lift a hanging load?

Any of the following could cause this symptom to happen:
· Start capacitor(s) is bad.
· Centrifugal switch points are not making contact.
· Up/Down switch is bad.

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7.    What could cause the power contactor in a dual voltage Compact 750 or Alpha 1000 to pull in on the    110  volt setting, but not pull in on the 220 volt setting?

The control circuit transformer is bad (open) and would cause this symptom to happen.

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8.    What could cause the power contactor on a dual voltage Compact 750 or Alpha 1000 to not pull in on   either 110 volt or 220 volt setting?

Any of the following could cause this symptom to happen:
· Hoist not plugged in.
· The Thermal Protector tripped and didn’t reset.
· The Power Contactor coil is burned out (open).

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9.    When the dual voltage Compact 750 and Alpha 1000 is set on 110 volt setting, what would cause the   brake to not release in the up direction, but it will in the down direction?

Usually this symptom is cause by the brake gap being set too wide. The brake gap on the Compact 750 and Alpha 1000 should be set at 0.007 - 0.008 inches.

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10.  When using hoists on long drops, what cause the hoists to get hot quickly and have trouble lifting      the load?

Usually the problem is low or inadequate voltage. This problem can usually be corrected by installing a booster transformer at the building source. For 220 volts, install a 10% booster transformer. For 110 volts, install a 20% booster transformer.

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11.   What is the recommended frequency for inspecting Sky Climber hoist?

• In normal ( non-contaminated and non-freezing) environments – Sky Climber recommends inspecting your Sky Climber hoist at least annually.
• In harsh (contaminated or freezing) environments – Sky Climber recommends inspecting your Sky Climber hoist at least every six (6) months.
• In extremely harsh environments (where Gunite, Hydroblasting, Sandblasting, etc. is used) – Sky Climber recommends inspecting your Sky Climber hoist at the completion of the job, not to exceed a three (3) month period.

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12.   On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 the electric motor, what would cause the hoist to not lift a hanging load?

Any of the following could cause this symptom to happen:

• C2, Start capacitor is bad.
• S4, Centrifugal switch is bad (stuck open).
• K2 – 5 & 6, Up contactor pins 5 & 6 are bad (stuck open).

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13.   On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause the K2 “Up” contactor to         operate, but the K1 “Down” contactor does not operate?

Either of the following could cause this symptom to happen:
· S3, Down Selector Switch is bad.
· K1 coil, Down Contactor pins A1 & A2 is bad (stuck open).

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14.   On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause neither the K1 “Down”         contactor, nor the K2 “Up” contactor to operate?

Either of the following could cause this symptom to happen:
· S1, Emergency Stop Switch Element with #27 & #28 wires attached is bad (stuck open).
· S5, Thermal Protection switch is bad (stuck open).

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15.   On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause both the K1 “Down” contactor and the K2 “Up” contactor to operate properly, but the primary brake won’t release?

Any of the following could cause this symptom to happen:
· R, Bridge Rectifier is bad (no VDC output)..
· K1 – 5 & 6, Down Contactor pins 5 & 6 are bad (stuck open).
· Y, Brake coil is bad (burned open).
· K2 – 53 & 54, Up Contactor pins 53 & 54 are bad (stuck open).

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16.   On a Compact 1000 or a Compact 1250 electric motor, what would cause the main power source         circuit breaker to instantly trip (open),when either the S2 “Up” selector switch or the S3 “Down”           selector switch is engaged?

Any of the following could cause this symptom to happen:
· R, Bridge Rectifier is shorted.
· F, Main Filter is shorted.
· HM, Hour meter (if present) is shorted.

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17.   What would cause the electric hoist to pull an abnormally very high current (about 40 amps) that         eventually trips (opens) the main power source circuit breaker, when the hoist is operated in either         the up or down direction?

The Centrifugal switch is bad (stuck shut) and would cause this symptom to happen..

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18.   What would cause the electric hoist to pull an abnormally slightly high current (about 9 amps in 220 VAC or about 17 amps in 110 VAC) when the hoist is lifting a full load in the up direction?

The Run Capacitor(s) is bad and would cause this symptom to happen..

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