A tower crane cannot move your workforce up and down forty floors, ten times a day. EME Elevators supplies and installs rack and pinion construction hoists for high-rise, bridge and industrial sites across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE, built to keep personnel and materials moving safely on demanding schedules.
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A construction hoist, also called a passenger and material hoist, buck hoist, or man-lift, is a temporary rack and pinion elevator installed on the outside of a building under construction. It moves workers and materials between floors far faster than a staircase or a single crane, and it’s removed once the building’s permanent elevators are commissioned.
Unlike a traditional elevator, a construction hoist needs no shaft, no machine room, and no counterweights. The cage climbs a steel mast fixed to the building face, driven by a rack and pinion mechanism, which is what makes it fast to erect and just as fast to strike once the project reaches handover.
The primary use across Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s tower construction sites, moving labour crews and materials to upper floors throughout the build.
Rack and pinion hoists are used on bridge piers, chimneys, and other tall infrastructure projects where scaffolding alone can’t move crews efficiently.
Large-format warehouse and industrial sites use hoists for materials movement during the build phase, not just personnel transport.
Facade upgrades and major renovation projects on occupied buildings often need a temporary hoist to keep material movement off the existing lifts.
| Single Cage | Twin Cage | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Typically 1–2 tonnes | 1–2 tonnes per cage (2 cages) |
| Best for | Smaller sites, lower daily traffic | High-rise towers with heavy daily personnel movement |
| Efficiency | One cage, sequential trips | Cages run independently, cutting wait times |
| Typical site | Mid-rise buildings, renovation projects | Major high-rise developments |
Rack and pinion drive, no counterweights or machine room required
Variable frequency drive (VFD) for smooth acceleration and precise floor levelling
Mast sections added progressively as the building rises
Corrosion-resistant cage construction, built for exposed exterior use in UAE heat and humidity
Automatic layer selection and levelling on advanced models
Fast erection and equally fast dismantling once construction is complete
Progressive dropping (anti-fall) safety device on the cage
Mechanical and electronic door interlocks on cage and landing gates
Upper and lower limit switches plus emergency stop
Overload protection and backup limit switches
Emergency cut-off system with fault diagnostics display
Compliant with UAE construction safety regulations
| Model Type | Load Capacity | Cage Size (Approx.) | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Cage | 1,000–2,000 kg | 3.0m x 1.5m x 2.2m | Up to 40 m/min |
| Twin Cage | 2,000 kg per cage | 3.0m x 1.5m x 2.2m per cage | Up to 63 m/min |
EME Elevators supplies and installs construction hoists for the duration of your project, handling erection, mast extension as the building rises, and dismantling once the permanent lifts are commissioned.
| Configuration | Estimated Project Cost (AED) |
|---|---|
| Single cage hoist | 80,000–150,000 |
| Twin cage hoist | 150,000–280,000 |
Reviews building height, site access, and expected load to determine the right hoist solution.
A single or twin cage hoist is selected and matched to the project requirements and construction phasing.
The base and initial mast are installed, with additional mast sections added as the building rises.
Full load testing and comprehensive safety checks are completed before the hoist is put into operation.
Scheduled maintenance and rapid callout support help keep the hoist operating safely throughout the project.
The hoist is safely removed once the permanent elevator installation is complete and fully commissioned.
A construction hoist runs daily under heavy load for the length of a build, needing closer servicing than a permanent elevator. EME Elevators provides scheduled maintenance and 24/7 Emergency Support for hoists we install, minimising downtime on live construction sites.
EME Elevators supplies and installs construction hoists for the length of your project, then handles dismantling once the building's permanent lifts are operational. We're a supplier and installer, not a rental company.
Base installation is usually completed within a few days, with mast sections added progressively as the building rises.
A construction hoist is temporary and externally mounted. Once construction finishes, the site's Passenger Lifts are installed as the permanent solution.
Yes, most models are rated as combined passenger and material hoists.
Yes, built with reinforced mast structures and safety systems rated for windy and exposed conditions.
It's dismantled and removed once the building's permanent elevators are installed and commissioned.
Share your project’s building height, phasing, and expected daily traffic, and our engineering team will confirm the right hoist configuration for your site.
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