Gantry cranes are a type of overhead crane used for lifting and repositioning heavy loads. Used in a wide variety of applications, gantries offer superior lifting capacities for heavy goods and materials, making them a common sight in construction, manufacturing and shipping environments.
Consisting of a single or double girder configuration, gantry cranes are supported by freestanding legs that either move along a track (full or semi-gantries) or move on wheels (portable gantries).
The structure of a gantry crane creates a bridge-like framework that facilitates the horizontal movement of a hoist and trolley. The hoist component of a gantry is responsible for the lifting and lowering of the load, including the precise movement of loads for ultimate safety and efficiency.
Metreel is a leading UK supplier of portable gantries. Here is an overview of gantry cranes in general, including their many advantages for improving safety and efficiency.
What Are Gantry Cranes Used For?
When looking to undertake material lifting, businesses have many choices at their disposal. So when opting for a gantry crane, it would be due to the excellent lifting capacity, mobility, adjustable height, ease of assembly, versatility and safety features that gantry cranes provide. In addition, portability if selecting a portable rather than a full or semi-gantry crane.
Gantry cranes can be used for tasks which involve the movement of heavy goods whereby precise handling in a safe and efficient manner is necessary. Furthermore, whereby there is a requirement to lift goods in a determined area.
In shipping and transportation, gantries can be used to load and unload cargo from trucks and ships. Likewise, in factories, warehouses or construction sites, gantries are used to reposition goods and materials.
Gantry cranes are usually considered when there is a reason not to incorporate an overhead runway track system.
Types Of Gantry Cranes
With ‘versatility’ being one of the main advantages of gantry cranes as mentioned above, it’s good to note that this extends to the configurations which gantry cranes can built to accommodate.
The choice of gantry crane depends on the scale of the application, with gantries capable of lifting smaller loads on construction sites through to lifting some of the heaviest loads in the world in cargo ports.
Full Gantry Cranes
Full gantry cranes is the name given to the largest and most powerful gantry cranes found in industrial settings. The Samson and Goliath cranes in Belfast are an example of a full gantry cranes. The full gantry crane with the largest lifting capacity is in China and can lift up to 22,000 tonnes.
Semi Gantry Cranes
Semi-gantry cranes are a hybrid of overhead and gantry cranes. Suited for both indoor and outdoor use, semi-gantries are often installed below an overhead crane to improve efficiency without disrupting the workflow of the overhead crane.
Portable Gantry Cranes
Portable gantry cranes offer a lightweight and fully mobile solution when increased lifting capacity is needed. Metreel portable gantries boast lifting capacities of between 500kgs and 2,000kgs while offering the flexibility to be installed in different locations, unlike standard gantries which are fixed in one position.
Metreel – Gantry Cranes UK
Are you a business owner or procurement manager in search of a gantry crane for your operations?
Metreel is a leading supplier of manual lifting equipment including portable gantry cranes in the UK. We also supply bespoke solutions for the likes of workstation cranes, track systems and monorails.
Contact us today to speak to a member of our team, so we can help you find the most suitable gantry crane or lifting equipment for your operations.
Our team are only a call or click away on 0115 932 7010 or [email protected].