Top 11 Crane Terms You Should Know
Hiring a crane for your worksite can be an incredibly useful and effective decision. Cranes come in many types, shapes, and sizes, from a 12-tonne all-wheel drive crane to a heavy-duty 200T machine.
To find the best crane for your needs, it’s important to know all the relevant industry terms. Here are 11 crane terms you should know when selecting the right crane type for your business or worksite.
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Trolley
The trolley is the unit that carries the hoisting mechanism that moves along the bridge rails.
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Runway
The runway is the framework on which the crane operates, including rails, beams, brackets etc.
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The Bridge
The bridge is the section of the crane comprising girders, trucks, slides, ties, footwalks, and other mechanisms that carry the trolley.
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Gantry Crane
In a Gantry crane, the bridge for carrying the trolley or trolleys is supported by at least two legs. These are set on fixed rails or another runway.
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Boom
There are two different types of booms, those for gantry cranes, and those for overhead cranes.
A boom for a gantry crane is an extension of the trolley runway. It can be raised or retracted for easy gantry mobility.
A boom for an overhead crane is a horizontal component on the trolley. This allows it to hoist and lower a load in a location other than directly under the trolley itself.
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Fail Safe
A fail-safe is a provision that immediately stops or implements a safety control when a malfunction occurs.
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All-Terrain Crane
An All-Terrain Crane or ATC is a premium mobile hydraulic crane that is considered a hybrid of a mobile truck crane, and a rough terrain crane. An ATC is dynamic and can be used on all kinds of off-road terrains as well as on regular roads.
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Rated Capacity
The rated capacity is the maximum gross load that the crane can hold while in a particular working setup and in particular conditions.
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Mobile Crane
A mobile crane is a crane that is able to manoeuvre without the need of a fixed point or runway.
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Stabilising Moment
The stabilising moment or just the ‘Moment’ is the point of the crane’s engineering in which it can keep upright. This point is determined through a calculation where the force is multiplied by the perpendicular distance between the force and the turning point.
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Auxiliary Hoist
The auxiliary hoist is a backup hoist that is used for moving objects at a higher speed. It usually has a lower load rating than the primary hoist.
This glossary of crane terms will be helpful to anyone looking to hire a crane for their business or worksite. For the best crane hire fleet in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, contact Surf City Cranes.
