A tripod hoist is an adjustable aluminium three leg frame with a winch on one leg, used to lower and lift things through an opening in the ground. Rental sets run about $60 to $150 a day. The first question the counter will ask decides everything else: is a person going down the hole, or only equipment, because those are two different units with two different ratings.
Two jobs, one silhouette
A materials set is a frame and a wire winch for pulling a pump, a valve or a test rig out of a chamber. A personnel set adds a second, separately rated device for raising and lowering someone and an arrest block above them. They look nearly identical on the shelf, so quote the job at the desk rather than pointing at a machine.
Leg spread sets both the height and the footprint
Legs telescope, and every foot of headroom you gain costs floor space at the base, since the feet have to move outward to keep the frame stable. Measure the clear area around the opening before booking. A tight plant room or a chamber against a wall is where a davit arm on a fixed socket becomes the better hire.
The harness is normally your problem
Yards hire the frame and the winch. Harnesses, lanyards and lifelines are sometimes stocked and are sometimes expected to be yours, and gas monitoring, ventilation and the entry paperwork are separate matters entirely. Ask what comes in the case, then check the inspection tags on every item before you sign for it.
Where these actually get used
Pulling a submersible pump from a wet well, servicing a lift station, retrieving a probe from a borehole, working in a tank or a valve chamber, and rescue standby over a footing shaft. Short hires dominate, and a day rate with a weekly cap is common, so ask what the week costs before choosing a two day booking.
Questions people ask about tripod hoist rental
Can I use a materials winch to lower a person?
No. A device rated for lifting people is designed and marked for that duty and is used with a separate fall arrest connection. Using a materials winch on a person is the failure this equipment exists to prevent.
What rating do rental tripods usually carry?
Common hire frames are rated in the hundreds of pounds rather than in tons, which suits a pump, a person and their kit. If the load runs into thousands of pounds you are into gantry or crane territory and should say so at the counter.
Does the yard set it up for me?
Delivery crews will drop and often assemble it, but positioning it over the opening, checking the leg pins and chain, and confirming the ground under each foot is the user's job on the day. Take five minutes over the pins; that is where these fail.