Four Types

There are four main types of overhead lifting systems available. Click on each h
eading below for further product details. You can also contact us to request a s
et of brochures or speak with an engineer.
Overhead Traveling Bridge Crane
This type of crane runs on an elevated runway system along the length of a facto
ry and provides three axes of hook motion. Both single and double girder bridge
designs are provided with great flexibility in allowing the hook to be positione
d very precisely and for loads to be placed very gently. See our technical repor
ts under the resources button to learn more about single girder versus double gi
rder cranes.
Gantry Crane
This type of crane is quite similar to the bridge crane except that it runs on a
track at the floor level. The bridge (which carries the hoist and trolley) is s
upported by a pair of rigid steel legs which, in turn, are carried by a pair of
end trucks along the floor-level runway. The gantry crane provides the same perf
ormance characteristics that an overhead bridge crane offers.
Jib Crane
This type of crane consists of a pivoting head and boom assembly, which carries
a hoist and trolley unit. The pivoting head is supported either by a floor-mount
ed mast providing 360-boom rotation or by an existing building column, which prov
ides 180 of boom rotation. The jib crane can also be motorized to provide precise
spotting of loads, however, the hook location is along a radial path rather tha
n a simple X-Y arrangement.
Monorail
This type of overhead lifting system is quite specialized and very effective whe
n properly designed into the factory layout. Only two directions of hook travel
are afforded by the monorail: up/down and along the axis of the monorail beam. I
t is not recommended (and quite dangerous) to push the load out from under the c
enterline of the monorail beam. The key phrase here is "when properly designed i
nto the factory layout" since monorail systems, by their nature, are most often
integrated into continuous production systems for material transport; e.g., hot
metal operations in a foundry, paint booths, etc.
Types of Overhead Cranes
This section specifies the kind of equipment you require. Overhead cranes come i
n four basic configurations;
Top Running (T/R) - The crane bridge travels on top of rails mounted on a runway
beam supported by either the building columns or columns specifically engineere
d for the crane.
Under Running (U/R) - The crane bridge travels on the bottom flange of the runwa
y beam which is usually supported by the roof structure.
Single Girder (S/G) - The crane consists of two end trucks, a single bridge gird
er and the trolley hoist unit. The trolley runs on the bottom flange of the brid
ge girder.
Double Girder (D/G) - The crane consists of two end trucks, two bridge girders a
nd the trolley hoist unit. The trolley runs on rails on top of the bridge girder
s.