Harbor Freight Hoist problem

[Rick Potter]

I have a 1300# HF hoist that I use to lift heavy items off my truck. It is a real back saver, and I use it for my 5th wheel hitch as well as tools. It is a couple years old and has started to give me problems. Going up, with weight on it, it goes a little, then stops. If I fiddle with the up down toggle it usually goes on up. Going down has been no problem. I am a bit concerned about it getting stuck with a tool hanging in the garage, like a wind chime.

Any ideas? I am thinking contacts in the switch, or maybe in the junction box at the motor. I suspect the motor is OK, but the current is not always getting there. Anyone have a suggestion??

Rick Potter

[Jim Koepke]

What kind of equipment do you have to test your theories?

Everything I can think of will need at least a volt meter and a bit of understanding as to what kind of motor (AC or DC) is involved.

jtk

[Dan Hintz]

Similar stuff happens with HF's car jacks. Three possibilities:
1) There is air in the ram that needs to be bled
2) You're getting low on hydraulic oil
3) The ram is leaking

1 and 2 are eay enough to fix, 3 means you'll want to purchase a replacement ram as it's not worth taking it apart to fix it unless you're bored.

[Jim Koepke]

I thought he was talking about one of these:

185171

I didn't think there was hydraulic fluid in one of those, let alone a ram.

Oops, sorry. After re-reading Dan's post it seems he is saying that another HF item has failure problems that parallel this item. That is why I have never been in a HF store. It is cheap for a reason.

The specs say AC motor. There could be a bad connection at the motor to do the reversing jumper or it could be a bad switch.

I do not have one of these or a picture in front of me to instruct someone on where to check to do the trouble shooting.

If there is a problem with the switch, it could be that the reversing jumper part of the switch is flakey or it could be the power side. There could also be bad connections in the motor housing. Often the crimp connections in low cost labor markets are done by hand instead of machine. A poor crimp connection could be the problem.

jtk

[Rick Potter]

Jim...

Yes, I have one of those. It is AC, 120v, and I have a cheapie volt meter, which I usually use on my car, but it does AC also. I do have a bit of electrical knowlege, wired my desert cabin, and changed a lot of stuff out on rental houses, but I could use advice on trouble shooting.

Should I solder all the connections I can find?

Rick Potter

[Jim Koepke]

Should I solder all the connections I can find?

I would advise against this. You want to find the problem without introducing new problems. If the original connections are soldered, then I would look for ones that look like they may have entered failure mode from vibrations, heat or a combination of those.

Connections at higher wattages can create heat. Over time this can cause problems with soldered connections.

Is the switch housing easy to take apart?
How about the motor housing where the electrical connections are located?

Does your meter have a range to read ohms?

The other thought that came to me while taking a nice long hot shower was that there could also be a mechanical problem involved.

If the internal gears are wearing they could be jamming. This would be more evident on the up than on the down because of the gravity assist when going down.

Are there any changes in the sound before or when this happens?

It also depends on how the control is set up. It may be just a simple switch in the control that drives a relay set up at the motor end. The relay could be a double coil relay or two relays.

Pressing the switch for one way would pull in contacts one way to drive the motor. Pressing for the other direction would activate contacts that would jump the reversing contacts on the motor and then apply power. I know a little about motors, but I do not know if the reversing jumper has to be in place before the power is applied or if it can be simultaneous to power.

The more I ponder this, the more it sounds like there may be a mechanical impediment. This is because it starts lifting and then stops. If the motor slows or hums as this takes place, that would send my suspicions there.

jtk

[Dan Hintz]

Ah, my bad... I thought he was talking about the engine hoist setup, which is hydraulic...

[Jim Koepke]

Ah, my bad... I thought he was talking about the engine hoist setup, which is hydraulic...

No problem, it is another good example why I try to avoid those great deals. In the long run, they are not really all that great.

Like so many thing though, there seems to be a check list of items that can go bad.

In Rick's case he has to first determine if the problem is mechanical or electrical. If the transmission in the unit is gone, he may be able find some replacement parts. If not, he may be able salvage the motor for some other use. If it is electrical, it may be easier to repair. Most of the time electrical problems do not occur in the middle of an operation.

That is why I questioned as to whether there is any sound or indications of the motor trying to supply torque when the hoist stops. That would indicate the motor trying to do its work and the gears being jammed.

Hope Rick gets back to us on this. I am kind of interested in knowing what he finds.

jtk

[Rick Potter]

Back again.

The motor makes no hum or gear noise, it just stops. I can take apart the handle with the up/down switch, and remove the plastic cover over the connections at the motor and see if anything is loose. The last switch I had trouble with (on a router) had no way to work on it, it was sealed, and I suspect this one will be too. Lemme take a look tomorrow, and get back to you.

Rick P

[Jim Koepke]

It doesn't seem likely, but there may be a limit switch or two in this. That would be to shut it off at the end of travel up or down. If that is getting actuated before it should be, that could also be a problem.

Does it tend to stop in the same place when it stops or is it random?

I did a search for documents on this and couldn't find anything.

jtk

[Rick Potter]

Jim,

Haven't opened it up yet, but there is a limit switch, activated by that chrome loop you see in your picture, next to the red weight. It has stopped in several places, in the first couple feet of travel.

Rick P

[Norman Hitt]

If it has worked well for a couple of years, I would be inclined to think the most probable cause is in the switch or electrical connections. Heck, I've had MUCH Higher dollar Warn Hoists start doing the same thing in less than two years and they use pretty good quality switches, but even they go bad with use.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim,

Haven't opened it up yet, but there is a limit switch, activated by that chrome loop you see in your picture, next to the red weight. It has stopped in several places, in the first couple feet of travel.

Rick P

That would be my first suspect.

You may be able to confirm a problem with this by actuating the limit switch with a broom handle or long stick while operating the hoist without a load.
You may also be able to confirm this by tapping the limit switch arm in operation when the load stops.

BEFORE DOING ANY OF THE FOLLOWING DISCONNECT FROM POWER.

If you have an AC voltmeter with a way to clip on to the connections to the limit switch, here is how you can check the switch.

See the statement above in all caps. This will depend on the way the limit switch is in the circuit.

If the limit switch is just in line with the motor, it will stop the motor when the switch is open. This would show close to full voltage across the switch when it stops the motor.

With a meter across the contacts and the hoist in operation, it will be easy to determine if the limit switch is the culprit. The meter reading should not change until the switch is actuated.

There are likely a dozen ways to Sunday that this could be wired. One of the simplest would be to have the limit switch in series with your up control switch contacts.

If the limit switch limits both directions, then it would be slightly different.

It could also be that what is holding the limit switch in place has become loose and allowing the switch to false trip.

Remember to disconnect power when ever you are checking the internals. I like to put the power cord in front of where I am working so I can see it when I am working on things.

If it is connected through breakers, my first step is to check the voltage across the line and to ground at the unit. When working away from my own shop, I like to lock the breaker panel. On one occasion a "helpful" idiot turned the breakers back on for me while working on equipment.

Also be careful to not get sloppy when connecting a meter or any other test equipment. Bright flashes and popping noises should be saved for the Fourth of July.

My procedures on such things is to usually start at the wall plug to make sure that is not a problem. When ever I unplug something in the shop, it is just second nature for me to wiggle the plug and notice if it is warm.

That doesn't sound like the culprit in your case, but a lot of troubleshooting is the habits and observations built up over the years.

jtk