Jib Cranes are popular, durable, and versatile up and down lifting solutions. When you think of a crane, you’re often picturing a jib crane in your mind. Jib crane solutions are ideal for the workplace as they can be designed for light or heavy-duty lifting, and can be designed for smaller spaces. They’re also cost-efficient lifting solutions.

You can see jib cranes in operation in warehouses, manufacturing assembly, construction sites, and shipping. They can be constructed to operate in small workspaces to limit manual lifting, to larger work sites to move heavy loads. 

Jib Cranes – Get to Know the Terminology

When you’re searching for a side to side and up-and-down lifting solution, you’ll want to take a look at a jib crane. Here’s some terms that might be useful while you’re searching.

• Reach (or boom length) – horizontal beam that extends out from the main support column, carrying the load. Depending on the design and requirements, the boom can rotate a full 360 degrees. 
• Mast (or column) – the mast is a vertical pipe or beam that supports the boom. The mast is always mounted to a concrete floor or engineering support structure. 
• Hoist (chain or wire rope crane hoist) – the moveable lifting device attached to the boom – the role of the hoist is to lift and position loads.
• Trolley – the trolley is a device designed to move the hoist and load horizontally along the boom. 

Main Types of Jib Cranes

There are many types of jib cranes available to suit many needs.

• Freestanding jib cranes – freestanding jib cranes are one of the most common configurations. They can be installed indoors or outdoors, offering high-capacity load capabilities, long boom spans, and the greatest rotation. Freestanding jib cranes can be motorized for full power rotation. 
• Foundationless jib cranes – a type of freestanding jib that does not require a poured foundation. They are easy to install and can be easily relocated compared to freestanding jib cranes with a poured foundation. 
• Mast-type jib cranes – like foundationless jib cranes, mast-type jib cranes do not require a special foundation. These cranes require an overhead beam or support structure to operate.  Drop cantilever designs are ideal in areas with lower ceilings or overhead obstructions. Full cantilever designs can be employed in areas with no overhead obstructions.
• Wall mounted jib cranes – like the name says, wall-mounted jib cranes are mounted and supported by a structure wall or building support column. Because they are mounted against an existing structure, rotation on wall-mounted jib cranes is limited. Designs can be tie-rod supported with a wall bracket and tie-rod supporting the boom, or cantilever for the greatest clearance below and above the boom. Wall mounted jib cranes can be motorized for power rotation. 
• Wall travelling jib cranes – similar to a standard wall mounted jib crane, these cranes are mounted on the wall; however, like an overhead bridge crane, they mount to a set of runways to carry loads from station to station down the line via motorized end-trucks. These types of cranes are typically used in production environments.
• Articulated jib cranes – these crane designs feature two swivel arms to move loads around obstructions like columns and corners. 

Get to Know the O’Brien Lifting Solutions Jib Crane Lineup

O’Brien Lifting Solutions offers a complete “army” of jib crane solutions designed to meet your needs. Whether you prioritize lifting capacity, horizontal load movement, speed, rotation, or a combination of a few features, we offer jib cranes to meet your needs.

Our jib cranes can provide support for overhead cranes on production and assembly lines, or keep your terminals, machining stations and warehouses operating efficiently.

• Lancer jib crane – for speed in handling small loads up to 1,000 lbs. This is our articulating jib crane model. 
• Assistant jib crane – cost effective choice for simple operations with a light jib arm and low headroom cantilever design. Carries up to 4,000 lbs.
• Cadet jib crane – another great choice for simple operations and workstations, featuring a tie rod support able to move loads up to 4,000 lbs.
• Tie Rod jib crane – a general-purpose wall-mounted crane, with a cost-effective “bolt-together” design with capacities up to 6,000 lbs.
• Sergeant jib crane – this wall-mounted crane has a cantilever design suitable for low-headroom environments and able to support loads up to 20,000 lbs.
• Major jib crane – one of the best-selling freestanding jib cranes, useful for both indoor and outdoor jobs. Offers complete customization, flexible outreach ranges and rotation, and supports capacities up to 20,000 lbs.
• Boss jib crane – for the toughest applications, our freestanding Boss jib crane offers long boom lengths, higher lifting capacities, and carries loads up to 40,000 lbs.

Jib Crane Rotation

As we’ve hinted above, one of the reasons Jib cranes are so versatile is that they are not only up and down lifting solutions, they allow the load to be moved along the length of the boom, as well as rotating the load up to 360 degrees, depending on the configuration. Articulated jib cranes allow for even greater flexibility in rotating and moving loads. 

O’Brien’s Sergeant and Major jib cranes can have their rotation motorized for indoor or outdoor use as well. All power rotation options offered by O’Brien’s are VFD (variable frequency drive) controlled. This offers soft start and slow down motion, making the powered rotation easy to handle for operators. 

Request a Quote on Jib Cranes from O’Brien Lifting Solutions

For side-to-side, rotate around, and up and down lifting, you can count on O’Brien Lifting Solutions. We’ll consult with you to design standard or custom solutions to meet your needs. You can trust the quality of our product and expertise of our service. We’re committed to the success of your project, helping you maximize your productivity and minimize your downtime. Contact us today to request a quote. Follow O’Brien Lifting Products on Facebook or LinkedIn.