Jib cranes aid in boosting productivity within your workforce by allowing heavy lifting or repositioning tasks to be completed quickly and efficiently, but most importantly safely.
As with any type of material handling that you wish to purchase for your business operations, when looking to acquire a jib crane, it’s essential to consider your requirements so that the item you choose is capable of completing everything you need. By the same token, for smaller operations, exceeding your needs in terms of height or weight capacity wouldn’t be economical either, which is why there’s a lot to think about.
Metreel is a leading supplier and installer of jib cranes across the UK. While we’ll always carry out a thorough consultation to ensure your needs as a business are met when looking to purchase a jib crane through us, here are some of the top points to consider when weighing up your decision.
Benefits Of Jib Cranes
- Provides localised material handling
- Transfers materials from different areas of your workspace
- Ideal for when using an overhead crane is not possible
- Supplements a large overhead crane system
- Economical outdoor lifting solution
Weight Capacity
No two lifting requirements are going to be the same. Depending on what it is that you do as a company, this will ultimately affect the weight capacity that you require. Here at Metreel, our jib cranes have a maximum capacity of 500kgs, which we’re sure you’ll agree is pretty generous! However, we can also work to smaller capacities too, which can help your business to save money and space.
Jib Arm Length
The length of the jib arm will determine not just how far the load can be moved but how much clearance space is required around the jib to ensure safety. Our jib cranes have a maximum span of 4m (13.1ft). It’s very much dependent on the building if larger spans can be incorporated. However, as there are different types of jib cranes (i.e. wall and floor mounted), there may be a solution to be found within smaller spaces. As always, the length of your jib arm can be determined after the relative checks have been undertaken.
Potential Overhead Obstructions
This leads us nicely onto our next point, which is that when looking to install a jib crane, building owners must be mindful of any overhead obstructions. When you consider our floor mounted jib cranes offer a full 360 degree rotation, this means such cranes require maximum clearance from all angles. Otherwise, your jib crane could be on course for a collision which would make it an unsafe installation. Safety is our number one priority here at Metreel, so overhead clearance is one of the top aspects we’ll look out for when designing and installing your jib crane.
Suitability Of Supporting Wall Or Floor
It probably comes as no surprise that due to their lifting capacity, not to mention impeccable construction, jib cranes are in themselves heavy loads. To counter the weight and ensure that your jib crane never runs the risk of toppling over, it must be properly secured. All of which requires a good level of support from whatever your jib crane is secured to.
Types of jib cranes include:
- Freestanding jib cranes
- Wall-mounted jib cranes
The ability to secure a jib crane to a wall or floor offers maximum flexibility since it is usually possible to find a solution should one option be unsuitable. On the contrary, one crane company in America demonstrated floor cracking as a result of an unstable floor following a free standing jib crane installation.
Had the proper processes been followed as we adhere to here at Metreel, this would never have happened. So, having a secure wall or floor is absolutely essential and should be top of your considerations if you’re looking to install a jib crane or upgrade your current kit to something offering a greater weight capacity.
Buy Jib Cranes Online UK – Metreel
Metreel is a leading designer and installer of jib cranes across the UK. Based in Derbyshire, we operate not just across the East Midlands but on a global scale. So, if you are in search of the perfect jib crane for your business, or if you have any questions about material handling in general, you’re in the right place.
Be sure to check out our page dedicated to our jib cranes (workstation jibs). You can also download our free brochure to discover more about our product specifications by visiting our product brochure page. If you’re ready to place an order or have any questions, please give us a call on 0115 647 0422 or email us at [email protected].