Should I Use A Cable Loader or Hooklift?
Among many cities, contractors, waste haulers, and many other users, the money-saving benefits of cable loaders and hydraulic hooklifts are well known. You can purchase a single cab and chassis, then equip it with your choice of a cable hoist of hook loader. Now you’ll be able to buy as many different roll-on/roll-off truck bodies as your operation requires, swapping them out with ease.
With either option, you can mount and haul a container one day, then swap out for a tanker body the next, and swap again to a dump body — the options are endless. Some users swap bodies seasonally while others end up swapping multiple times within a single day — it’s entirely up to your personal use-case.
Your big-ticket purchases — the cab and chassis — rarely sit idle. Rather than operating an entire fleet, you only need to register, license, and insure a single vehicle, with one operator hired and trained to man it.
Now, let’s talk about the benefits of each type.
Hooklifts
Hook loader systems eliminate the need for winches and cables by using a large, hydraulic hook mounted behind the cab. To load a container, the driver simply backs up, connects the hook to the front of the body, lifts it up, and rolls it onto the truck chassis—all from the comfort of their cab!
For containers to be compatible, they must have a front hook point and rear wheels, allowing the hook loader to lift and pull them onto the bed independently.
Hook loaders are a popular choice for many operators thanks to a handful of key advantages:
- Hooklifts benefit from faster operation; loading and unloading take significantly less time compared to cable hoists, since there’s no need to exit the cab to connect or manage cables. Many operators report hauling more loads per shift thanks to this efficiency.
- Hooklifts give increased operator safety, allowing full control from within the cab and thus keeping drivers safe inside rather than exposing them to moving parts and hazardous surfaces like mud, ice, or snow. This reduces the risk of slips, trips, and other injuries–simultaneously reducing owner liability.
- Hooklifts allow for operation in tighter spaces, being able to operate in confined areas with precision. Cable hoists require more fore-and-aft or horizontal space than hooklifts to manage the same loads or drop-offs.
- Hooklifts allow off-center approaches. When an operator comes in at an angle, they have up to 60° of wiggle room, making loading more forgiving and reducing the time wasted repositioning, and lowering the learning curve for newer drivers.
- Hooklifts are capable of handling elevated loads. Unlike cable hoists, hook loaders can handle containers on elevated surfaces such as those on loading docks, easily adapting to whatever situation an operator encounters.
Cable Loaders
Cable loader systems employ a winch and cable to pull containers (or other bodies) up onto the truck’s bed. To work with this system, containers must have a front hook for the cable connection, along with nose rollers and rear wheels that allow smooth movement onto the chassis. Both truck and container feature rails to guide alignment during loading. Typically, the truck bed has rails spaced about 35 inches apart, while the container rails are around 36 inches apart to ensure proper fit and alignment. Cable hoists are the more widely used of the two main roll-on/roll-off systems. When choosing one, you’ll benefit from:- Greater familiarity among operators and mechanics, thanks to their common use.
- A larger inventory of used cable hoist trucks and containers available on the market.
- Better performance in low-clearance areas.