Gantry Crane

There are two general types of cranes. There are mobile cranes and fixed cranes. Mobile cranes are able to travel from place to place to work on projects. Fixed cranes are typically permanent fixtures in one area – unless they are disassembled and taken to another project site. One common type of fixed crane is the Gantry crane.

The Gantry crane is made up of a long horizontal beam, that holds the hoists, built on top of horizontal support beams. These support beams typically are built on rails giving this fixed crane some mobility. Gantry cranes are commonly found on shipyards because they can lift heavy loads off of cargo ships.

However, two of the largest Gantry cranes in the world don’t just lift heavy cargo off ships, they were actually created to help build ships. These cranes have been given the names Samson and Goliath and are located in Belfast, Ireland. They each can lift up to about 840 tons each.

Built in the late 60s and early 70s, they are still used today. At one point due to poor economic conditions the company, Harland and Wolff, that build the cranes, was considering tearing them down. Harland and Wolff had decided to concentrate on other business, like ship repair, and Samson and Goliath weren’t being used much. Because these giant cranes had become such a big part of the Belfast culture, instead of tearing them down, these gantry cranes were made into historical monuments.

There are also very large hydroelectric gantry cranes called hydropower gantry cranes. These cranes are so large they even have indoor work areas. These hydropower gantry cranes can lift anywhere from 700-900 tons.

One of the first large Gantry Cranes built was in 1961 and was a hydropower gantry crane. The Sanmenxia can lift about 540 tons and actually still runs.

Not all gantry cranes are giants. There are some smaller versions called workstation gantry cranes. These may exist in a machine shop and move around on enclosed track. Workstation gantry cranes are meant to lift smaller loads – maybe only up to about five tons. And they may only be 20-30 feet tall or smaller.

Today, one company is even offering gantry cranes that aren’t run on rails – but on wheel lifts so that they can move in any direction. With this technology, the gantry crane is more computerized and even operated wirelessly by a trained crane operator.

Purchasing a gantry crane may be as easy as searching “gantry crane” on the Internet. By searching “gantry crane” a myriad of construction equipment websites will come up offering a variety of gantry cranes for sale. These gantry cranes will range from giant cranes made for shipyards to smaller versions made for smaller machine shops.