PURPOSE: To safely and smoothly continue the work by bringing a conical friction member into contact with a projection provided on an operating wheel to prevent a pressing drive member from making contact with the outside cover of an operation lever when a load sheave is freely rolled to regulate the position of a lower hook in non-load state.

CONSTITUTION: When a rotating direction switching claw 27 is situated in neutral position in a non-load state where no article is suspended on a lower hook, and a load chain is pulled, a load sheave 2 is freely rolled. Thus, a driving shaft 4 is rotated by a gear transmission system line 8. At this time, a pressing drive member 15 is energized outward by an energizing member 16 with the weak contact with a friction member 11, rotated slower than the driving shaft 4, and moved on an operating wheel 21 side together with a conical friction member 17 along a right screw part 4b to the driving shaft 4. Before a rotating force transmitting member 18 makes contact with the outside cover 24B of an operation lever 24, the conical friction member 17 makes contact with the operating wheel 21 and stops the movement.