You’ve made the decision to invest in an overhead crane that will increase production and efficiency in your operation, now it’s time to sweat the details.

Overhead cranes themselves are highly customizable. Manufacturers offer a number of configurations so the lifting device can be fit specifically to your everyday operational requirements. It is critically important that you have already defined exactly what your lifting requirements will be for this application. To assist you with your requirements please refer to our previous blog post: Defining My Overhead Crane Lifting Requirements

The most common industry designs for overhead cranes are the single girder and double girder overhead crane styles. Box girder cranes and monorails are prevalent among a group of custom overhead crane configurations and will be discussed in future posts.

The major factors you should consider when making your decision on crane style are: lift height requirements, lift capacity requirements, facility requirements and your total budget.

The Single Girder Overhead Crane

The single girder crane style is the most popular among overhead crane alternatives, for its simplicity and cost effectiveness. This crane style involves a single bridge travelling along adjacent crane runways, where the hoist travels horizontally along the bridge.

The single girder style offers maximum facility coverage, a load capacity of up to 20 tons, and minimal set-up time, all at a comparably low cost.

The Double Girder Overhead Crane

The double girder overhead crane style is your perfect heavy duty lifting solution.  The double girder crane style involves two parallel bridges travelling along adjacent crane runways where the trolley and hoist travel above the bridge, allowing for maximum hook height.

For any application exceeding 20 tons your manufacturer’s product representative will generally recommend a double girder crane. Another popular instance where a double girder recommendation might be made is if you have special lift height requirements.

In terms of budget, the difference in prices comes from labour, materials and set-up cost. That being said, the double girder overhead crane continues to be a worthwhile long-term investment in efficiency and cost savings.

For More Information on crane styles please visit the choosing your overhead crane page on our website or locate an O`Brien`s product expert.