Easy-Lift System
vs Chain Lifting.

The Standard Method: Chain Lifting

Chain lifting is the conventional method for repositioning heavy site equipment — fuel bowsers, dust suppression units, dewatering pumps — that need to be moved by crane, excavator or telehandler. The standard sequence: connect chains to the lifting points on the equipment; signal the machine operator to take up tension; guide the load as it rises; signal to traverse and lower; disconnect the chains at the destination.

This process requires at minimum two people — the machine operator and an operative on the ground managing the chains and guiding the lift. Often a banksman is also required to direct the machine operator and manage the lift zone. The ground operative works in close proximity to a suspended load throughout the lift — a Zone of Risk that is the primary source of injury in lifting operations.

The MW Easy-Lift System

The MW Easy-Lift System (Patent Pending GB 2600815.1) is a chainless lifting mechanism integrated into the structural frame of every MW Equipment product. A 60mm lifting pin engages directly with the excavator bucket tine, telehandler forks, or crane hook. The machine operator approaches, engages the pin, lifts, traverses, sets down, and withdraws — entirely from the cab. No ground operative is required near the load at any point. No chains are used.

Safety Comparison

Zone of Risk

Chain lifting: the ground operative must be physically adjacent to the suspended load to connect, manage and disconnect chains. This places them in the highest-risk zone of a lifting operation — the area where a dropped load, a chain failure, or a loss of machine control will cause the most serious harm.

Easy-Lift System: no person is adjacent to the load at any point during the lift. The machine operator remains in the cab. The load zone is clear.

Chain Failure Risk

Chains used for lifting site equipment are subject to wear, corrosion and fatigue — particularly on demolition and groundworks sites. A chain that fails under load drops the load suddenly and without warning. Chain failure is a well-documented cause of serious injury in lifting operations.

The Easy-Lift System's 60mm pin is a structural steel component integrated into the product frame. It is not a wearing component in the chain sense. It is inspected as part of routine maintenance rather than tested before each lift like a lifting chain.

Banksman Requirement

Chain lifting typically requires a banksman to direct the machine operator and manage the lift — adding a third person to the operation, increasing coordination requirements, and creating an additional person in the vicinity of the lift.

The Easy-Lift System is a single-operator operation. The machine operator controls the entire lift. No banksman required.

Speed Comparison

Chain connection, tension check, lift signal, traversal, lowering, disconnection: the chain lifting sequence adds minutes to every relocation. On a site with 10 plant machines requiring fuelling twice daily, the accumulated time cost of chain-based bowser repositioning is significant.

The Easy-Lift System reduces engagement to the time it takes the machine operator to manoeuvre into position and lower the bucket. No chains to connect, no tension check, no disconnection. Faster approach, faster engagement, faster repositioning.

Terrain Compatibility

Chain lifting with a wheeled bowser requires firm, accessible ground for the bowser to be positioned on. If the ground is waterlogged, on a slope, or accessible only to tracked machines, the bowser cannot be positioned where it is needed.

The Easy-Lift System allows MWE products to be repositioned anywhere the operator machine can access — including waterlogged ground, demolition rubble and rough terrain. The machine's mobility becomes the bowser's mobility.