Overhead Crane Wiki: Types of Gantry Cranes

Fixed Height

• This gantry crane has a beam fixed at a particular height. These cranes lift objects to specific heights. Some fixed-height gantry cranes are equipped with wheels or casters for moving around a factory. Portable fixed-height cranes prove useful in places where lifting is not frequently performed.

Adjustable Height

• An adjustable-height gantry crane has grooves on the support beams; the horizontal beams fits into the grooves to adjust the hoist to reach varying heights. These gantry cranes are equipped with wheels or casters; they lift objects to different heights in construction and in other industries.

Single Girder

• A single-girder gantry crane lifts heavy objects in small manufacturing units and warehouses. These gantry cranes are equipped with wheels that can be fixed in different areas of a factory. The height of the hoist fastened under the girder in a single-girder gantry crane is lower than that of a double-girder crane. A single-girder gantry crane has lateral braces for added strength.

Double Girder

• Double-girder gantry cranes are used in heavy industries; they carry heavier objects than the single-girder version. Double-girder gantry cranes have two horizontal beams with the hoist fastened between the two beams rather than under the horizontal beam. The hoist has a greater height than that of a single-girder crane.

Rail Mounted

• These gantry cranes are used in shipyards, steelyards and the locomotive industry. A rail-mounted gantry crane has a hoist mounted overhead and rails installed on the ground, with pillars or legs to support the crane. Electricity or steam powers the hoists on these cranes.

Cantilever Gantry Crane

• A cantilever gantry crane has girders that run crossways on one side of the horizontal girder or on both sides of the horizontal girder.