Coil Lifters & Material Tongs (Mechanical Below-the-Hook Lifters)

Industrial material handling requires specialized grab profiles to manipulate heavy metal objects safely. Standard wire rope or synthetic slings can slip when choking smooth cylinders, and they frequently crush the delicate edges of thin, slit sheet-metal coils. Purpose-built mechanical below-the-hook lifting devices solve this vulnerability by establishing solid, slip-resistant structural engagement points with the material.

Holloway Houston Inc. (HHI) distributes an elite range of Peerless mechanical lifters. Our inventory encompasses two primary structural designs: the CLNC Narrow Coil Lifter line for rolled materials and the BTA Adjustable Bar Tong series for solid round bar stock and heavy tubing.

The Industrial Lifter & Tong Ecosystem

Our inventory isolates two distinct material geometries, providing high-efficiency handling for specific warehouse and production workflows.

1. Peerless Narrow Coil Lifters (CLNC Series)

The CLNC series utilizes a counterbalanced, cantilevered C-hook frame built from high-strength welded steel.

• The Balancing Mechanism: An integrated counterweight positioned along the rear vertical spine keeps the lower lifting arm perfectly level when hanging empty from the crane hook. This enables a single operator to guide the arm smoothly into the center eye of a resting coil.
• Cantilever Stability: Once the crane applies upward tension, the lifting bail aligns automatically with the combined center of gravity of the lifter and payload. This keeps the lower arm tilted slightly upward, preventing the coil from shifting or sliding off the open tip.
• Narrow Profile Focus: Unlike massive master coil lifters, the CLNC series is optimized for thin, slit steel coils, wire spools, and narrow metal bands, allowing for clean extraction from densely packed pallets or narrow processing slots.

2. Peerless Adjustable Bar Tongs (BTA Series)

The BTA series provides a fully mechanical, automatic scissor-action gripping system for solid shafts and heavy-wall cylinders.

• Scissor-Action Grabbing: These tongs utilize a dual-pivot scissor mechanism. When lowered over a horizontal cylinder, the tongs open automatically to encompass the outside diameter. As the crane lifts upward, the weight of the payload drives the jaws inward, multiplying the gravitational force into high-friction holding power.
• Adjustable Dimension Spans: Built with adjustable jaw pins, a single BTA unit can modify its diameter range in seconds. This allows a single tool to transition seamlessly between small-diameter shafts and large structural pipes.

Sizing, Capacity, and Pricing Guide

Selecting the correct below-the-hook device requires matching the Working Load Limit (WLL) to your payload mass while verifying that the physical material diameter fits within the engineered jaw or throat opening.

Peerless CLNC Series (Coil Lifters)

This product group spans capacities from 0.5 tons to 5 tons to accommodate various slit sheet-metal parameters.

• Dimensional Ranges: Accommodates maximum coil widths of 8", 12", 16", or 20".
• Throat Clearances: Vertical throat openings measure 14.5", 17.5", 19.5", 21.5", and 25.5", defining the maximum outer diameter (OD) the lifter can encompass.

Peerless BTA Series (Adjustable Bar Tongs)

This lineup features explicit material spans and fixed pricing tiers based on diameter capacity.

• 0.5-Ton Capacity Bar Tong (#BTA-1/2-2.5/4) : Rated for a 0.5-ton (1,000 lbs) WLL. Engineered for a bare steel range spanning 2.25 inches to 4 inches in diameter.
• 1-Ton Capacity Bar Tong (#BTA-1-4/7) : Rated for a 1-ton (2,000 lbs) WLL. Engineered for a bare steel range spanning 5 inches to 7 inches in diameter.
• 1-Ton Capacity Bar Tong (#BTA-1-7/12) : Rated for a 1-ton (2,000 lbs) WLL. Engineered for a bare steel range spanning 6 inches to 12 inches in diameter.
• 1-Ton Capacity Bar Tong (#BTA-1-10/15) : Rated for a 1-ton (2,000 lbs) WLL. Engineered for a broad bare steel range spanning 6 inches to 15 inches in diameter.
• 1-Ton Capacity Bar Tong (#BTA-1-15/20) : Rated for a 1-ton (2,000 lbs) WLL. Establishes the maximum diameter capacity in our inventory, spanning 8 inches to 20 inches in diameter.

Applications by Industry

• Steel Service Centers: Transporting narrow, slit metal bands and master coil offcuts directly to packaging lines or shipping flatbeds.
• Machine Shops & CNC Centers: Loading heavy, solid round bar stock into lathe chucks or raw material feeding bays cleanly and quickly.
• Pipe Fabrication & Yards: Stacking, sorting, and positioning heavy industrial steel piping, drill pipe, and round solid shafting.
• Automotive Stamping Plants: Transferring rolled sheet-metal bands smoothly onto automated decoiler reels.

Safety, Compliance, and Rigging Awareness

Below-the-hook lifters and tongs must operate under the rigorous safety parameters established by ASME B30.20.

1. Surface Conditions for Friction Tongs: Because bar tongs rely entirely on scissor-action mechanical friction to maintain their grip, the surface condition of the load is paramount. Heavy grease, active lubricants, loose scale, or thick ice can drastically reduce the friction coefficient, creating a severe drop hazard. Always clean or wipe the center gripping zone of the bar before applying the tongs.
2. Full-Depth Seating for C-Hooks: When operating a CLNC coil lifter, the coil must slide completely back until it seats firmly against the vertical spine of the frame. Short-loading a coil on the tip of the arm introduces un-engineered bending stress and tilts the load off-center.
3. Control the Travel Path: Mechanical lifters are strictly intended for balanced, vertical lifting. Never use a bar tong or coil lifter to drag loads sideways, break materials loose from frozen ground, or bump obstacles across the facility floor.
4. Visual Shift Inspections: Check your devices before every shift. Inspect bar tongs for worn jaw teeth, bent pivot links, or loose center pins. Inspect coil lifters for hair-line weld cracks or a twisted lower arm. Deformed components indicate structural damage and mandate immediate removal from service.

Complete Your Rigging System

Holloway Houston stocks a comprehensive industrial hardware inventory to complete your material handling setups. Pair your below-the-hook devices with our certified rigging components:

• Wire Rope Slings : Fully fabricated, high-capacity wire rope slings to cleanly bridge your lifter's bail to the primary crane hook.
• Rigging Shackles : Join your slings to master links and lifters using heavy-duty Crosby anchor and chain shackles.
• Chain Hoists : Pair your tongs with manual or pneumatic hoists for micro-positioning control at machine shops and welding bays.
• Lifting Hardware : Master links, lifting frames, and hooks to finalize your plant's crane configuration.

Need Specialized Lifters or High-Tonnage Systems?

If your workflow requires massive 50-ton master coil lifters, motorized rotating C-hooks, sheet lifters, or custom pipe tongs, contact Holloway Houston directly. We source, build, and proof-test custom below-the-hook solutions daily.