Second generation for a benchmark chain hoist: two lifting speeds as standard and 6,300 operating hours
Demag has launched the second generation of its DC chain hoist, twenty years after the original series appeared. The DC-II adds two lifting speeds to the basic version and is available from stock in eight combinations from 125 to 1,000 kg.
What changes in the basic version
The DC-Com II entry variant now offers two lifting speeds as standard, so an operator can run a lift up to five metres quickly or slow it for placement without specifying a higher-tier unit. The DC-Pro II variant sits above it with a wider choice of speeds and options.
The safety package is common to the range: a slipping clutch with automatic cut-off through speed monitoring, 24 V contactor control, an operating limit switch and an elapsed operating time counter. Load sway is reduced by smooth motor starting and braking, and the control pendant is height-adjustable.
Service life and maintenance
Demag puts particular weight on duty life. Depending on the FEM group of mechanisms — 2m, 2m+, 3m or 4m — the DC-II is rated for up to 6,300 operating hours, with the Demag Plus 2m+ group delivering 20 per cent more operating hours than the standard classification. The gearbox and brake are described as largely maintenance-free.
The company attributes this to component quality and to manufacturing at Wetter, which covers the DC-II gearbox as well as the hoist itself. Wear parts are accessible and the modular construction is intended to keep servicing time down; assembly and installation follow what Demag calls a plug-and-lift principle, which matters most to the partners and system builders who fit these hoists into crane installations.
From the user’s side, the design intent is to cover both ends of the duty spectrum with one unit — highly dynamic handling where cycle time governs, and sensitive handling where the load will not tolerate a jolt.
Availability
The DC-II launches in eight combinations with load capacities from 125 to 1,000 kg, available directly from the warehouse in Wetter. Migration of the remaining DC variants to the new generation is under way; once complete, the whole DC chain hoist programme will be DC-II.
The original DC series, first shown in 2004, became a reference point for the sector, and Demag is explicit that the second generation is meant to defend that position rather than reinvent the product. The DC-II was presented at LogiMAT 2024.
Source: Demag — Photos: Demag
Crane facts
- Product: Demag DC-II chain hoist
- Variants: DC-Com II (basic), DC-Pro II (high end)
- Launch range: eight combinations, 125–1,000 kg
- Lifting height: up to 5 m
- Duty: FEM 2m, 2m+, 3m, 4m — up to 6,300 operating hours
- Demag Plus 2m+: 20% more operating hours
Safety package
- Slipping clutch with automatic cut-off via speed monitoring
- 24 V contactor control
- Operating limit switch and elapsed operating time counter
- Height-adjustable control pendant
- Built at Demag’s Wetter plant, available ex stock