There are many different types of cranes for a variety of applications. Some of the most common types are gantry cranes, jib cranes, bridge cranes, and forklift crane attachments.

Starting with the gantry crane, there are two basic types of this crane. There are fixed height and adjustable height cranes. You can also get these cranes made of steel or aluminum to meet the needs of your specific application and enviroments. Most gantry cranes have two uprights with a cross beam and casters to make them mobile. This type of crane can be used for a variety of purposes. one common use in the manufacturing industry is to move large molds or parts in and out of process equipment. Warehouse and other industrial applications often include moving materials over short or long distances within a work area. This type of crane usually has the following specifications in standard models, 500 - 8,000 pound capacities, spans from 8 - 20 feet, fixed height of 10' and adjustable heights of 7 - 16 feet.

The next style is a jib crane. The jib crane come in a very wide variety of styles to fit many applications. Jib cranes can be both portable and fixed position. Fixed position models are commonly used at a process workstation and used to move parts or products back and forth between the work bench and cart or pallet. Most jib cranes will have a single upright with a cross beam. This cross beam can be a fixed position, or there are models that will rotate 360 degrees to give the user more flexibility in moving items. This type of crane generally has a lift range of 8 - 14 feet and capacities of 500 - 6,000 pounds. Another type of jib crane can be a mobile crane. Commonly known as a counter balance floor crane this type is used when there will be a lot of movement of parts or products. Mobile cranes are great to enable the user to have the mobility of a cart with the lift of a crane. This type also comes in a wide variety of capacities and lifting ability.

Bridge cranes are used when there is a need for extremely heavy lifting in the same area. Bridge cranes are a stationary crane and commonly custom made to fit the users needs. Bridge cranes can be made to be attached to an existing building structure, or be self supporting with upright beams that are anchored into the floor. There are some stanard models that offer an economical option for a crane. Specifications really have no limitations.

The last type of crane we will cover is the forklift crane attachment. This type is commonly used in a warehouse to allow forklift opperators to move products and materials from one point to another. These attachments come in telescoping and pivoting models. With general lifting capacities of 1,000 - 8,000 pounds. These capacities vary with attachment type and also have to work with your specific capacities of the forklift used.

All of these crane types can be custom made for any special application or need. When trying to decide what type of crane style may fit your needs best, consult a manufacturer rep or distributor that can offer you a wide variety of styles as well as custom capability.