Custom Engineered Cranes & Hoists

Overhead cranes, or bridge cranes, are elevated cranes that move material across industrial environments. The overhead crane consists of three main parts: parallel runways, a hoist that lifts material up and down and carries material left to right, and a bridge that connects the runways and moves the hoist forward and backward. Many industries, including mining, steel, automotive, aviation, aerospace, marine, railroad, and utility, use overhead cranes for their manufacturing and maintenance operations.

If efficiency and downtime are critical factors in your material-handling facilities, consider the following types of overhead cranes:

Top Running Bridge Cranes

Top running cranes include a rail installed on top of each runway, and the bridge wheels move on the rail instead of the runways. These cranes are supported by the building structure or floor columns.

They are ideal for moving extremely heavy loads, and they can be designed in single-girder or double-girder configurations. Both configurations are equally reliable and durable. However, the double-girder top running crane is ideal when extremely high hook height is necessary.

Additionally, each configuration has unique benefits and is equipped to handle different load capacities, spans, and types of service.

Under Running Bridge Cranes

Under running cranes, which are often called under running bridge cranes, allow you to maximize your facility’s floor space for production and storage because they are supported from the ceiling trusses or the roof structure.

Like top running bridge cranes, underhung cranes can be designed in single-girder or double-girder configurations. However, underhung cranes are ideal for moving lighter loads generally, so the double-girder configurations are typically used to move only loads of maximum capacity, which is around 10 tons.

Features & Options:

Capacity: All capacities.

Service: All applicable CMAA classes.

Environment: Indoors, outdoors, corrosive, dirty, and hazardous available.

Types: Top running single or multi-box girder, lattice girders, and gantries with special configurations using single and multiple trolley hoists.

Hoists: Piedmont PE and CE hoists meet all specifications, duty, and environmental requirements. All with closed loop encoders, parallel shaft helical reducers with carburized gears, and AGMA 10 or better gear sets. CE trolleys are fully-decked.

Bridge Motors / Brakes: Base-mounted or flange-mounted with a continuous duty rating, Class F or H insulation, thermostats, and show or disc brake sized per individual application.

Trolley: Modified pre-engineered and application based custom engineered trolley hoists, rotating axle, lifting lugs. Customer may choose component brands.

End Trucks: Structural or fabricated tube truck with hardened alloy steel wheels from blanks or forged. Rotating axles supported by spherical roller bearings in PHC MCB capsule.

Bridge / Trolley Drives: SA-1, A-4, or 2X A-4 CMAA. Base-mounted or shaft-mounted helical, parallel shaft gear reducer with carburized minimum AGMA 10 with base-mounted or flange-mounted shoe or disc brake.

Standard Limit Switches: Each Piedmont hoist is provided with a weight-operated upper and a rotary upper and lower limit. Over-capacity protection is provided through the variable frequency drive (VFD). Load cell protection is optional.

Lower Block: Heavy, one-piece steel weldment. Sheaves are enclosed and fully guarded for added operator safety. A spring-loaded safety latch is also provided.

Sustainability: Most components readily available directly from component manufacturer. Original equipment numbers supplied.

Controls: Standard Piedmont hoists, bridge and trolley controls are UL 585 certified. CMAA, OSHA, ANSI, NFPA, IEEE, ASME, AIST, and AGMA regulations.

Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices: Grabs, buckets, spreader bars, magnets, semi-automation and full automation, below-the-hook rotation and clamping lifters.

Additional Options: Radio control, horns, strobe lights, operation indicators, lights, fall protection and walkways, auxiliary hoists, hardened drums and sheaves, centralized lube systems, outdoor and hazardous locations, weigh systems, power-limit switches, base-mount design, stainless wire rope, rotating and multi-hook hoists, rotating and special lower blocks, anti-sway reeving and controls, operator cabs and pulpits, mill-duty brakes, hook rotation locks, hydraulic bumpers, custom forged hooks, hand railings, coupling guards, anti-skew, level indication, factory automation interface, programmable load summing and positioning controls.

Contact a Crane & Hoist Specialist to learn more
about our Custom Engineered Cranes and Hoists!