Tirfor: Manual wire rope winch

In 1941, Tractel invented the Tirfor winch, a traction and lifting device with a continuous wire rope. The Tirfor winch was a revolution in its day.
Since then, Tractel has continued to improve its operation with the registration of numerous patents, maintaining a high level of quality and endurance, allowing this winch to be used in many industrial applications.

How the Tirfor works

There are no wheels or gears in a Tirfor. Two jaw blocks alternate to drive a wire rope through the Tirfor moving an attached load in a chosen direction, like two hands pulling a rope. The jaws are self-tightening, the greater the load, the stronger their grip, giving immediate progressive and safe tension on the wire rope. A disengagement mechanism allows the wire rope to be inserted and removed from between the jaws.

TU Series

  • Unsurpassed durability and robustness
  • Practical, lightweight, powerful
  • Fast installation
  • No wire rope length limitation
  • Overload protection
  • Millimetre positioning of the load
  • TU 8 and TU 16 supplied with hooks
  • EN 13157 standard: better breaking strength, increased endurance

Optional: the use of a sheaving pulley increases the capacity of the device.


Tirfor TU

T500 Series

  • Reduced weight
  • Lighter, more compact
  • Robust
  • Millimetric load positioning
  • Optional hook available (CAL hook)
Tirfor T500

Motorised models

Tirfor wire rope hoists are also available as motorised versions.

  • Can lift, pull and position loads over a long distance while maintaining their pulling capacity
  • Can be used in a variety of configurations

Motorised Tirfor come in two forms, hydraulic and pneumatic. Hydraulic Tirfor are portable with the use of a hydraulic power pack whilst pneumatic Tirfor are used where compressed air is readily available such as power stations or shipyards.

Supertirfor TU-H

Tirfor products by Tractel

The Tirfor range includes a comprehensive selection of winches and accessories for all lifting, pulling and positioning applications.

The Tirfor is particularly well suited to rescue operations. Rescue teams around the world rely on the Tirfor to safely extract stalled vehicles or move heavy equipment in hazardous conditions.

It is also a reliable tool for tree felling and agricultural environments.

Versatile, it is also used for lifting work platforms or suspended platforms, tensioning guy wires, erecting steel silos, loading or unloading heavy equipment, erecting escalators, positioning electrical transformers, raising and lowering tents and inspecting and maintaining various structures.

Used in conjunction with the Dynafor, it is an ideal solution for monitoring the tension of anchor points.

3D CAD files

At Tractel, we understand the importance of seamless integration in design workflows. In response to the growing demand from engineers incorporating our products into larger designs, we're thrilled to announce the availability of 3D CAD files and Building Information Modeling (BIM) files for Tractel products. Find the complete list with available downloads here.

Available 3D CAD files

Tirfor: News

Stay informed about news, product launches and Tractel recommendations

Tirfor TU
Application of Tirfor TU - EN
Application of Tirfor

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