How to choose the right gantry crane: a complete guide for industrial buyers

Gantry cranes are the core material handling equipment in factories, ports and other scenarios, and they are relied upon for the transfer of heavy parts, container stacking and other operations. The right equipment for the right conditions can ensure smooth operations and avoid material backlogs and schedule delays.

This guide is not an obscure technical manual, but a practical reference that combines years of industry experience. The purpose is to help buyers clarify the selection of ideas, avoid common misconceptions, according to their actual needs to make informed decisions, selected to meet the current operational needs, but also adapt to the future development of the gantry crane.

 clear your application needs

 Indoor use vs outdoor use

The use of the scene is the basis for selection, indoor and outdoor work on the gantry crane requirements are significantly different. Outdoor need to face the wind, rain, extreme temperature and humidity and other natural environmental tests.

Open area (such as ports, yards) wind load will affect the stability of the equipment, need to strengthen the wind design to prevent swaying and tipping; rain, snow, ultraviolet rays are easy to corrode the structure and electrical components, outdoor equipment protection level needs to be higher.

Indoor environmental stability, combined with plant height, column spacing and other space constraints to determine the span and lifting height. Electrical protection, indoor can be adjusted according to the standard of dust, humidity, outdoor need to use waterproof, dustproof, low temperature resistant electrical components, to protect the normal operation of bad weather.

Load characteristics

Load is the core basis for selection of gantry cranes, and its type, weight and size directly determine the core parameters of the equipment. Conventional handling load weight needs to be based on the actual maximum load, not empirical estimation, which is the key to determine the rated lifting capacity.

Load size is also critical, such as handling large plates, long steel components, need to match the spreader adaptability and operating radius, to avoid exceeding the effective operating range of the equipment.

Long, irregular or eccentric loads are prone to center of gravity shift, affecting the stability and force balance of the equipment. If such loads are handled frequently, additional stabilizers and adapted spreaders are required to ensure operational safety.

Working frequency and working cycle

The working frequency of the gantry crane directly affects the loss and life of the equipment. Light load conditions, short operating time, low load frequency, the structural strength of the equipment and components of low wear resistance requirements.

Heavy-duty working conditions, the need for long continuous operation, frequent start and stop, equipment component wear and tear intensity. If you choose light load level equipment, it is prone to premature failure of components and frequent failures.

Work frequency is also associated with maintenance costs, heavy-duty equipment requires more frequent maintenance, replacement of wear parts. Procurement selection needs to plan ahead for this part of the long-term investment, to avoid only focusing on the initial procurement costs and ignore the subsequent maintenance pressure.

Henan Mine rail-mounted container gantry crane

choose the right type of gantry crane

Single girder gantry crane vs double girder gantry crane

The core difference between single girder and double girder gantry cranes is in the structural design, which directly determines its load capacity and applicable scenarios. Single girder main girder is a single steel girder, simple structure, light weight, low cost, suitable for small and medium-sized lifting capacity, low operating frequency scenes, such as small and medium-sized factories, material handling, warehouse loading and unloading.

The double girder main beam consists of two steel beams, which has a more stable structure and stronger carrying capacity, and is suitable for large lifting capacity and high working level operation, such as harbor and heavy machinery factory heavy load handling. However, it weighs more, occupies more space, and costs more for procurement and subsequent installation and maintenance.

In terms of maintenance, single girder structure is simple, troubleshooting and parts replacement are convenient, and maintenance cost is low; double girder structure is complex, with many parts, and maintenance of lifting and traveling mechanism requires professional technology, which takes longer time and costs more. Purchasers need to combine their own load demand and budget to weigh the choice.

 Full Gantry Crane vs Semi-Gantry Crane

Full gantry cranes are equipped with outriggers on both sides, relying on the ground track support, the operating range is not limited by the space on both sides, suitable for open yards, large workshops and other open spaces, the advantage of strong stability, a large operating radius, and all-round handling of materials.

Semi-portal cranes are equipped with outriggers on one side only, and the other side runs on the track relying on the columns or walls of the plant, which is suitable for the space-restricted scenarios such as obstacles on one side of the workshop and insufficient width of the site, and it can fully utilize the existing site without large-scale reconstruction.

Selection needs to be combined with the site layout and the scope of operation: the site is open without obvious obstacles, the need for a wide range of operations, choose the full gantry; site restrictions, choose the semi-gantry is more suitable, but also saves site costs.

The MGB semi-gantry crane manufactured by Henan Mine

Rail-mounted gantry crane (RMG) vs. tire-mounted gantry crane (RTG)

The core difference between rail-mounted (RMG) and tire-mounted (RTG) gantry cranes is in the way they travel, which directly determines operational flexibility. The rail type runs along a fixed track with a fixed route, which is suitable for scenes where the operation site is stable and does not require frequent position adjustments, such as fixed yard areas in harbors, and special corridors for production lines in factories.

Rail type has stable operation, strong load bearing, high precision, controllable energy consumption and maintenance cost, but lack of flexibility, difficult to adjust the operation range after the track is laid, and high cost of subsequent site modification.

Tire type does not need a fixed track, can be moved freely, high flexibility, suitable for multi-area handling, temporary work site and other scenes. However, its carrying capacity is slightly lower, the stability of operation is greatly affected by the level of the ground, tire wear and tear, maintenance costs are relatively high.

Henan Mine’s  double girder gantry crane

Define the key technical parameters

 Lifting capacity

Lifting capacity is the core technical parameters of the gantry crane, selection needs to be clear about the relationship between the rated lifting capacity and the actual workload, the actual operation can not be long-term full-load operation, need to reserve a safety margin.

For example, if you often move 8 tons of load, it is recommended that you choose 10 tons and above to reduce loss and improve safety. At the same time, we need to consider the future expansion of production capacity, reserve load capacity in advance to avoid short-term repeated purchases.

Do not blindly pursue high rated lifting capacity, otherwise it will increase the procurement cost, improve the site infrastructure requirements, resulting in waste of resources. Need to combine the current load and future planning, reasonable determination of lifting capacity parameters.

 Span and lifting height

The span and lifting height should be determined in conjunction with the site layout and operational requirements. Span is the distance between the legs at both ends of the main beam, which should be adapted to the width of the site, the width of the material stacking and the operating radius.

Lifting height is the limit distance between the top and bottom of the hook, which needs to consider the height of material stacking, working platform and the structure of the equipment itself.

Selection requires on-site measurement of the site dimensions, combined with the operational scenarios to accurately determine the parameters. Too big or too small parameters will affect the efficiency.

Working level (A5-A8)

Gantry crane working level (A5-A8) is divided according to the working frequency and load duration rate, which directly reflects the operational strength and durability. The higher the level, the stronger the structural strength, wear resistance, etc., suitable for long-time high-intensity operation.

Grade A5 is suitable for intermittent light to medium operations in small factories; Grade A6-A7 is suitable for continuous operations of medium to high intensity such as harbor loading and unloading and production lines in machinery factories; Grade A8 is suitable for frequent operations of high intensity such as steel ladle transfer in steel mills.

 Hoisting, trolley and large vehicle running speeds

Lifting, trolley and large vehicle running speed are directly related to operational efficiency and safety.

Selection should be combined with the load characteristics and operational requirements, balancing speed and safety.

The MN Multi-Function Gantry Crane manufactured by Henan Mine

Environment and special working conditions

Environmental factors have a great impact on the life of the gantry crane and operational safety, and different working conditions need to match the corresponding protective capacity in order to ensure the stable operation of the equipment.

Outdoor operations need to focus on the wind load, open, high-altitude scenes need to strengthen the wind-resistant design and equipped with windproof devices; extreme temperature environments, the need to use electrical components and oils suitable for high and low temperatures, to prevent component failure.

Seaside, chemical plants and other corrosive scenes, need to use stainless steel, weathering steel and other corrosion-resistant materials, and anti-corrosion coating on the surface of the equipment to slow down the corrosion of components.

High dust, high humidity environment need to strengthen the equipment sealing protection, selection of high protection level components and increase the frequency of cleaning and maintenance; flammable and explosive environments need to use explosion-proof equipment, explosion-proof standards to prevent safety accidents.

 standards, certification and compliance

Production and use of gantry cranes need to comply with international and industry standards, with certification qualifications, which is a prerequisite for quality and safety, buyers must pay attention to.

Common international standards such as CE, ISO, FEM, etc., the domestic follow the GB standard, are on the structure of the equipment, load, safety and other key aspects of the clear requirements, to meet the standards in order to ensure quality and safety.

Export equipment needs to be adapted to the target market access requirements, such as exports to Russia and the CIS need EAC certification, exports to North America need to comply with ANSI standards, buyers need to confirm in advance to avoid delivery risks.

Design drawings, inspection reports, certificates of compliance, operation and maintenance manuals and other complete technical documents, is the key basis for acceptance and subsequent maintenance and repair, the buyer needs to require the manufacturer to provide complete.

MC Electromagnetic Gantry Crane

Evaluation of gantry crane manufacturers

Manufacturing capacity

Manufacturer’s manufacturing capacity directly determines the quality of equipment and delivery cycle, buyers need to focus on assessing its factory size, production capacity and production equipment.

Factory size and production capacity directly reflects the supply capacity, large customized cranes need to have sufficient space and capacity to ensure that the manufacturer on time delivery.

At the same time need to pay attention to the manufacturer’s quality control system, such as whether the ISO9001 certification, whether the production process of raw materials, semi-finished products, finished products, such as the whole process of inspection, perfect quality control system is the equipment to meet the standards and design requirements of the guarantee.

 Engineering design and customization ability

Most industrial scenarios have special needs, and standard models are difficult to fully adapt, which requires manufacturers to provide personalized solutions in combination with project requirements.

To assess the customization ability, the core of the engineering team strength.

At the same time, we need to refer to the manufacturer’s past customization cases, focusing on whether there are successful projects in similar industries and working conditions.

 Industry and project experience

The manufacturer’s industry experience and project cases directly reflect its technical strength and service level. Purchasers should give priority to manufacturers with extensive experience in their own industry, such as port operations to choose manufacturers with experience in port cranes

When evaluating project experience, in addition to the type of customer, project size, but also need to pay attention to the geographical coverage, especially to confirm the manufacturer in high temperature, high corrosion and other special scenarios of successful cases.

 installation, logistics and after-sales service support

Gantry crane procurement is not only the choice of equipment, but also need to take into account the subsequent logistics, installation and commissioning and long-term after-sales service.

Logistics, crane beams, outriggers, etc. are oversized pieces of transportation, requiring professional vehicles and programs.

Installation and commissioning is the key to the normal operation of the equipment, the need for professional teams, specialized equipment and meet safety standards.

After-sales service is related to the long-term stable operation of the equipment, buyers need to understand the manufacturer’s service system, including local service outlets, spare parts warehouse, 24-hour emergency repair and spare parts supply cycle.

Henan Mine’s MG double girder gantry crane

 cost considerations and full life cycle value

Procurement of gantry cranes, cost is an important consideration, but also need to comprehensively assess the full life cycle value, taking into account the initial investment, operation and maintenance costs and equipment life.

Initial investment includes procurement, transportation, installation and commissioning costs, which is the most concerned part of the purchaser.

Long-term operating costs including energy consumption, labor, etc., different types of cranes vary greatly. Such as rail gantry cranes with low energy consumption, tire gantry cranes with high tire wear costs; high working level equipment, although the purchase price is high, but the operational efficiency is high!

Selection needs to be integrated into the initial investment and long-term costs, not blindly chasing low prices, and prioritize the selection of cost-effective, high life-cycle value of the equipment.

gantry crane selection of common misunderstandings and avoidance methods

Purchasers who do not know enough about the technical parameters of the gantry crane and the demand for working conditions are prone to fall into the selection of misunderstandings, resulting in poor equipment suitability and even lead to safety risks.

Common misconceptions are excessive lifting capacity or insufficient designation, to avoid the need to accurately account for the actual load, combined with the future planning of a reasonable set of parameters, reserved safety margins do not blindly chasing high loads.

Neglect of environmental conditions is also a common problem, buyers only focus on the load and efficiency, easy due to lack of adaptability of the equipment, resulting in rapid aging and frequent failures.

Underestimation of after-sales support needs can easily lead to equipment delivery, installation and commissioning lag, fault maintenance is not timely, affecting production. Avoid the need to pay attention to the manufacturer’s after-sales capabilities in the selection, to confirm that it can provide perfect installation, commissioning, maintenance and spare parts supply services.

Henan Mine’s MG double girder gantry crane

Conclusion: Selection of gantry cranes to support long-term development

Gantry crane selection is a systematic project, need to take into account the application requirements, equipment types, technical parameters and other aspects, not a single decision.

Selection needs to avoid common misconceptions, do not blindly chase the low price, do not ignore the environment and service needs, combined with the actual assessment of the value of the full life cycle of the equipment, and it is crucial to establish long-term cooperation with reliable suppliers.

Professional suppliers can provide high-quality equipment, customized solutions and perfect after-sales, to help avoid procurement risks.

Henan Mine Crane Factory supply is a professional manufacturer and service provider of cranes and material handling products, integrating research and development, design, manufacturing, sales and service, providing customers with total solutions and full life cycle services. If you need to contact us at any time

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