Bridge Crane

[imjustdave]

Hello everyone

In the planning stages of my shop and the idea of a bridge crane has come up. Been looking online and found Gorbel which seems like a legit option and idea.

But now i'm torn I unfortunately have a budget, so covering the entire I don't see happening, so I was thinking of covering a small area with the bridge crane and then maybe running a rail towards the storage area, so if I have something I need I can grab it.

But the idea of capacity has really hit now. 1000 lbs seems great but almost not enough. a 5.9 motor is 1100 lbs not that I would be using this a lot but im thinking a ton is more inline with real world needs, as I would be using this for automotive, 4x4 trucks, moving equipment ETC. VS production work.

shop goal right now is 40X60 yes I would be working with my engineer on the plans so no issues with the roof supporting my idea. Did I mention I'm thinking of ceiling mounted... VS floor supported.

More than likely .. I would build the shop first then get the lift at some point in time latter. but yeah.

So what is everyones thoughts?
Anyone have one of these Gorbel ?
Am I crazy?
should I really just consider a jib or something else?

 

[Steve from Socal]

A bridge crane of practical capacity for you is 2 or 3 ton?

I have a couple of 3 ton bridge cranes, the roof mounted cranes require special everything.

Cost wise it would be most effective if the metal building company could add haunches to the columns to mount craneways to. A 36' bridge is going to be rather massive but doable. If the building uses central columns then from one side to the center.

The cost to add these details is not high, the foundation to support a crane is far more complex and extensive than a building foundation alone. Depending on where you are and what you want is could easily double the dirt work and foundation cost.

The other issue with a crane is hook height, you really want at lest 12-13 feet under the hooks at minimum, that means the eaves need to be 16' or better.

Steve

 

[imjustdave]

yeah I think a 2 ton or maybe 3 would be plenty, haven't brought home anything that heavy yet. lots of sub 1000 items and a few heavy 1000+motors.

Are you saying the foundation when adding a smallish crane is drastic? or adding one after the fact and having it floor mounted is drastic? Dirt work wise I have that covered, just labor and mud and rebar but I already have real foundation needs in my area, some of the things I see on here scare me at how easy some of you have it.

Hook wise I'm already clearing 14 for the doors I will have room. good point to bring up.

Special everything? can you elaborate.

I suspect I will only cover a portion of the shop, due to designs, usage areas ETC, so I won't need crazy bridge lengths. still looking at that issue.

 

[matt_i]

Gorbel is a good solid system. I work in a plant with ~25 of their setups, most are bridge systems. Its freestanding (4 posts) which means it just bolts to the concrete floor.

They have systems to 2000 lbs. Keep in mind a new system is proof-tested to 125% of rated, so 1000# system must be capable of 1250# static.

Keep your eyes on HGR surplus (Cleveland), Gorbel systems come in and out of their inventory and you might find something lower cost than new. Not sure of your location, if you put it into your profile it helps everyone out.

Keep in mind you can setup a boxed area to have crane service. Yes it won't be clear-span across the entire building, but that is not trivial. Relative to clear-span, I've had all of the components except for the building steel to make a 25' x 40' x 3T for several years, I estimate it would take 5-7k in steel alone....me doing all of the fab, fitting and erection, wiring, controls, etc. If you paid for all of the engineering & labor...I'd guess $20k easily. The other downside of a building-mounted bridge is nothing can drop from the ceiling in the entire area as the bridge would strike it. So no conduits or cords, fans need clearance. Not trying to pee on your parade but when you consider all of the above, the Gorbel starts looking pretty good.

The other possibility for mortals is to bbuild or buy a gantry crane, can be rolling. That gives you all of the capacity & more at far lower cost. I would advise finding its parking spot as you design it, either over top of a workbench or over top of another machine, cabinets, etc. Build it with enough span that you can straddle over a trailer and unload it. I say design the parking spot up front because you don't need it very often. Mine stays parked 99% of the time.

 

[thickhead]

Spent plenty of time in shops with bridge cranes, but I think for a smaller shop I’d rather just have a capable forklift if you have enough ceiling height. I would use it a lot more than a crane too.

 

[sberry]

I have a gantry, designed it with its parking spot in the plan. A reak bridge is great but wayyyyy costly for the hobby crowd for occasional use, money can be spent elsewhere. There are different designs, built the first one for a bud, the second is mine.

 

[blazemaster83]

I also have a gantry, a wallace adjustable 3 ton. I wish I had a bridge crane instead but the gantry is much much cheaper. Sounds like you have the height. I would look at used cranes and see if you can alter it to fit in your building. I see them all the time on craigslist, and most of them sit because not many are looking for a bridge crane.

If i were you I would be looking at 2-3 ton. You haven't needed to lift anything that heavy yet, but you will find uses.

 

[bdbecker]

Gorbel is a good brand. Harrington is another brand worth looking into. We run both in the shop and I can't say anything bad about either one.

I'd choose a bridge crane over a jib every day of the week. I've yet to come across a jib that doesn't want to wander on you, even when the utmost care is taken to install them correctly. One thing to take into consideration when looking at jib cranes is if you are thinking of a base mounted crane, you'll also need to account for the cost of the footing. Not as big a deal since you are still in the design phase, but worth mentioning.

Another nice thing about bridge systems is that they can usually be expanded as resources allow, provided you take that into consideration when designing and installing the original system. I've done this a number of times at work - adding onto existing systems as we expand. The cost is often not as great either because you already have the bridge and hoist, only needing to purchase additional columns and rail.

I think you are wise for wanting a 1 ton system over the 1/2 ton. If you can already think of one example where you'd be over capacity, chances are you'll find a lot more once you start using it. Better to err on the side of caution. Nothing would be more annoying to go through all the expense and effort to install a system and to not be able to use it when you need it the most.

As far as free-standing vs. structure mounted, I'd be curious to see how tying it into the structure affects the overall building costs, especially if you are considering a 1 ton system. It would be worth talking to your engineer to find out for sure. You may find that its only a minor up-charge which makes your decision easy, or it'll steer you towards a free standing system. You won't know until you ask.

Once you have a good idea of what you'd like to see, don't be afraid to call some of the area hoist and crane companies that specialize in these systems. You should have some decent options given your location. If you aren't in a hurry, waiting for a used system to come up on the market would be a great way to save some money. Putting out some feelers with area reps is probably the best way to track something down.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Spent plenty of time in shops with bridge cranes, but I think for a smaller shop I’d rather just have a capable forklift if you have enough ceiling height. I would use it a lot more than a crane too.

I would also suggest to consider a fork lift or even depending on the size and property type you buy, a CUT with a FEL/pallet forks.

 

[nadogail]

A bridge crane is a really first class option.

 

[archtimb]

A bridge crane cannot be beat. Pickup anywhere in the shop and put anything anywhere. I also had a forklift and used the crane WAY more than the lift.

With the help of an engineer we placed I beams on 14' centers across the narrow part of the shop. Hung I beam tracks under these, then used push style trolleys to hang the bridge from the tracks. Similar to these https://tinyurl.com/rfsvb59. The tracks were hung off bolts to get them into place and get the crane off the clock. I then had a certified welder come in and spark everything together. I would shoot for 2 ton. In a push style crane this is as heavy as I would want to go. Fully loaded it can be a real bear to move the beam.

The beams across the shop also tied the long walls together. Placed trusses above these. I pretty much built a free standing bridge crane assembly, with a roof over it. Since I had a business, this made the entire building "equipment" rather than a structure, for tax purposes.

Alas, this was 35 years ago. We worked out of that shop for 30 years before we heading across the country to be near grandkids. I still miss that shop every day. Sigh.

 

[archtimb]

A couple more things to think about while you are planning. No overhead doors with a bridge crane. Rolling doors (terrible weather seal) or roll up doors. Roll up can get pricy subject to size, they do seal better than rolling doors on a track, but not the kind of seal for a building I am paying to heat or cool 24/7.

With a bridge you will also have costs for a double festoon cable system to power your hoist. For the first few years we dragged a power cord around. It was heaven when we finally got the festoon cable in place.

 

[tarmy]

Here is another solution...

 

[Steve from Socal]

yeah I think a 2 ton or maybe 3 would be plenty, haven't brought home anything that heavy yet. lots of sub 1000 items and a few heavy 1000+motors.

Are you saying the foundation when adding a smallish crane is drastic? or adding one after the fact and having it floor mounted is drastic? Dirt work wise I have that covered, just labor and mud and rebar but I already have real foundation needs in my area, some of the things I see on here scare me at how easy some of you have it.

Hook wise I'm already clearing 14 for the doors I will have room. good point to bring up.

Special everything? can you elaborate.

I suspect I will only cover a portion of the shop, due to designs, usage areas ETC, so I won't need crazy bridge lengths. still looking at that issue.

I don't know the particulars with the small free standing systems like Gorbal. A crane used in commercial settings is built with a 5-1 safety factor AFAIK all overhead lifting equipment is. That means the foundation piers for the columns have engineered cages at a minimum. The bridge is built for the span and a maximum deflection, the longer the span the more substantial the bridge. So for a 25' bridge you may use a 15-50, a 36' bridge may require a 20-66 or 18-70. That is a 1000 additional weight to factor in all the other components.

As mentioned above, the width of the bridge is a major factor in both size and cost of a crane. The length of the craneway(track) is not a significant expense in your size envelope. The cells or column spacing for a 70' crane would be 3 or 4 with 4 or 5 columns maybe 6 if they were really lightly speced.

I would not suggest a crane of 2 tons or greater to be unpowered. My cranes don't use festoon cables, my long craneway is 170' with coiled SO cord powering the bridges.

Underhung cranes(ceiling mounted) have engineered columns and roof beams. The wall columns and roof beams have to be cross braced and like the bridge span have deflection limits. The metal alone is 2-3X the weight for a ceiling mounted crane.

The actual crane and hoist could be the least expensive part of the deal. Instead of building a shop with a crane in it, you build a crane with a shop around it.

Steve

 

[Grimpala]

Check out these guys www.rmhoist.com , lots of hoisting options out there. I believe they still sell a 'kit' crane. When I was hawking OHB cranes these were the guys we used for small cranes and package deals.

 

[bazzateer]

Here is another solution...

Nice but only goes left/right not forward/back and well.

 

[Earp69]

I'm building one rated at 1 ton for my shop. The runway is 36 ft and it will span 14 ft. I picked up all the I beams for 300 dollars, I already have all the beams cut to length and baseplates/top plates welded to them. Just poured the concrete last week, lots of rebar for less worries.

 

[zkdiesel]

A bridge crane is not for someone on a budget!
Also a mostly dressed 5.9 isn’t really that heavy

 

[sberry]

I agree,,, this is for someone running a biz that needs it. First rigging tool a guy should get is HF cherry picker and see how much it will do and go from there.

 

[86turbodsl]

I hope you have DEEP pockets. You didn't say or i didn't see if you wanted a smaller span, but i have a 40' wide shop, and i looked at building a bridge crane in mine, full 40x64 footprint, and the size of the span beams and the weight of them took my breath away. I'm an engineer, and was running the actual load calcs. I planned a 1 ton system. Once figured out how big everything needed to be and how much it was going to cost, i scrapped the idea. I'll put a small jib over my machine tools, and everything else i need one for, will be using my tractor loader or a forklift. I'd rather spend money on my projects than my infrastructure.

 

[sberry]

I agree about the budget angle. Its not that they are not great or useful but the cost is astronomical and a guy dreams of all the used for it,,, he does a couple things and it often sits. Been a couple months since I hook on to something with my Aframe.
I use the engine picker 20 to 1 , maybe more. Does a lot I used to do with a forklift. Its my number 1 rigging tool among the 4 other ways I have to lift,,, that and common floor jacks. Save the money from the bridge so you got a little in the pocket for other things when you need them.
I am willing to put up with a little inconvenience for the rare events, I can make do but tend to tailor for the constant chores. This is duty cycle of sorts,,,, good to get a grip on the actual demand. Wiring, air pipe etc. Spend the savings on 50 wide, that you will use. Huge leap in elbow room. Auto hoist too.

 

[zkdiesel]

Work setup. Every 16.5 width by 50’ bay has rolling manual bridges. Two bays have two cranes in one bay. Handy as ****, but was stumped expensive install, and even more if they all had electric. Had to use both at once today to flip a cab

 

[My Old Tools]

I would love a bridge crane but settled for a one dimension traveler, 1 ton, 40 feet front to back.

 

[G-Ram]

A couple more things to think about while you are planning. No overhead doors with a bridge crane.

Not true



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[racerex]

In my opinion, a bridge crane seems a little over the top for a DIY shop...and expensive. When it comes time for my retirement home shop build, I plan on doing a simple fixed I-beam setup. I picked up two nice beam trolleys (free) from a power plant that my buddy demo'd (he has an industrial demo business). I'm currently using a HF gantry crane. I picked it up from a guy that purchased it for a body-off project, lost interest in the project and he never even assembled the crane. It's working out well for me. The welds are all pretty good, but I did replace all the hardware with Grade 8. From memory, I think I got it for $500, plus the cost of upgrading all the hardware. Since I work alone, it made removing the engine & trans and lifting the body off my C3 an easy one-man job. Yeah, it takes up space in my small shop, but once I drop the body back on the frame, I plan on taking it down and storing it in the corner.

 

[CJseven]

Here is a company I have been looking into using for a bridge crane.


https://hoistzone.com/shop/pwi-ultra-lite-freestanding-bridge-crane/

 

[Vinny]

Yeah, for home use do what racerex is suggesting. I have been in shops that have a bridge crane throughout the entire facility and they still mostly rely on a gantry. It's just easier to use and move around.

 

[Steve from Socal]

Yeah, for home use do what racerex is suggesting. I have been in shops that have a bridge crane throughout the entire facility and they still mostly rely on a gantry. It's just easier to use and move around.

How are manual gantry cranes easier to use than a powered bridge crane? I agree for a home shop a gantry is probably more realistic.

Steve

 

[Vinny]

How are manual gantry cranes easier to use than a powered bridge crane? I agree for a home shop a gantry is probably more realistic.

Steve

Don't have to clear the whole shop floor for safety. Don't have to wait for the crane to get there. Can even take the thing outside on the crane. It's good for moving pieces of equipment it can handle safely.

 

[matt_i]

The gantry's weak link is rolling with the load, due to the size of the wheels and possible imperfections in the concrete surface.

But for the ~10-25x increase in price to get a highly aligned (level and parallel) raised smooth steel surface to run on, us mortals can do a lot of work with a gantry.

~2-5x increase can potentially get a person into a used forklift, which does a lot of things well AND you get to sit down while you operate it

 

[Steve from Socal]

Well, you folks with gantry cranes have a better option than say an engine crane BUT, personally I will take my bridge crane. As far as moving stuff outside, I much prefer a forklift. As Matt stated, a gantry is only as good as the floor it rolls on AND the wheels/trucks it has.

I realize most are relating their own shop situation. If someone wants to incorporate a bridge crane into a shop build that is the time to do it. There are a lot of used cranes for sale, the prices are manageable. The issues are shipping and engineering, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the crane is part of the building frame. This is regarding a small shop say under 25K sq ft. For example my shop has a crane that is 38x 170, that part of my shop is 80X170 under roof. The crane runs from one side wall to the center columns. The wall is the crane columns with purlins to attach siding. The columns extend above the crane ways to roof beams.

A crane is a great asset IF you can justify it, absent that, a forklift is your best bet IMHO.

Steve

 

[dr_clyde]

Steve's thoughts mirror my own. I agree with everything he's said.

I've got a 5 ton powered bridge and two 1 ton 180° wall/post mount jibs over my main welding and machining area that extends to the overhead door. Mine is a P&H Hevi-Lift from the 70's. I lucked out and the shop building I'm in had it already here. The jib hoists are Wright-Way. Besides the hoists, the rest of the cranes (beams, bridge and trolleys) were built by Abell-Howe.

I've got around 13' of hook height, and I wish I had a couple more feet.

Whoever said you can't have an overhead door under a crane is wrong. Mine is. We load and unload trucks with the crane all the time. Steel truck backs in, we sling the load, crane it off to the side and they drive out. Beats a forklift in the rain/snow outside any day.

Cranes are simply the best and most efficient way to move most things. Paired with a good fork truck, you can move pretty much whatever you want.

Cranes WILL let you work faster and safer. Case in point, I bought a drill press a while back. Before, it would have taken me at least an hour, probably two, to unload the drill, move all the things out of the way, move the drill, put it all back, and this was with a forklift. With the crane, I just backed my truck into the shop, slung the drill, lifted it up above all the stuff in the shop and traversed right to where I wanted it. Took maybe 10 minutes, and I didn't need to move a thing.

I will say, they are a very expensive option that most guys either can't or won't want to pay for, and probably can't financially justify. In my experience, an engineered crane of sufficient size (new and installed) is going to set you back at LEAST 50k.

I would think a good forklift would be more than enough for most home shops.

That said, if you are thinking of making money with your shop, its an investment that can easily justify itself. But for a hobby, purely a luxury.

I know if I ever leave the building I'm in now, I will be throwing down for a crane. I can't imagine working without one now. They have transformed how we work, and have made my shop SO much more safe and efficient.

 

[BukitCase]

Cj7's link
https://hoistzone.com/shop/pwi-ultra-lite-freestanding-bridge-crane/

Caught my eye, has a cost calculator - heaviest they offer is 2 ton, when I plugged in 16' height(overall) x 20 wide x 40 long, came up with a bit over $8k, adding festooning ran it up to around $9k without hoist - that would cover a fair part of the 30x60 slab that'll be left over (in my NEXT shop) after i move 2 of my 40' hi cube containers into one side. (Welders/steel in one, machine and other tools in the other, for added security)

In my case (75, bad back, getting lazier) it doesn't sound bad. Add that with the gantry I already have, couple cherry pickers, machinery skates, etc, and I could probably handle anything I need to do (dump truck, 2 manlifts, backhoe, 2 tractors, etc)

Cranes are just ONE of the things I went into withdrawal over when I retired from heavy industry 8 years ago ... Steve

 

[sberry]

Ain't no doubt they are great but so far the op has a 5.9 engine to move. Even a forklift might be pricey and takes a fair amount of space to store. Doesn't take a lot of stuff to jamb up 40x60. Some of the realistic ideas in this thread for the op lend themselves to be built later. Couple of them could be done for well under a grand in steel, maybe less, maybe way less given some time to collect. Also don't require special engineering.

 

[archtimb]

That would be me, RE: overhead door. I stand by my statement about overhead segmented doors, after working with an underhung push bridge crane for 35 years. It looks like your doors open into track AWAY from the crane. In that case, yeah, sure. If one has to have the doors into the work space, then no. Also if your bridge is supported on top of wall mounted tracks, and you have a high enough ceiling, I could see where segmented doors could have the track above the crane. Since you probably want 15-16' to your hook that option seems like a lot of extra height to pay for. Just use roll up doors.

All I'm trying to do is help a guy in planning his shop. I have no idea what today's cost would be, but I had less than $55k in a 30 x 65 building, with a bridge crane 35 years ago. I'm with BukitCase above. Once you get used to a Sky Hook, there's no other way. I had the bridge crane before the forklift. The crane was indispensable inside. The forklift was great outside.

 

[Firebrick43]

We have several gorbels at work, maybe a linear mile of them with a bridge every 20’ or so on the lines and some free standing system. We had one stand alone set up that was a thousand pound capacity and 1042 lbs load. We were about to string up and engineer and while in the process of getting ammunition found that indeed as mentioned before they actually have a 1250 lbs load, sort of. The extra 250lbs is to account for and electric hoist weight. We even looked up the hoist weight and the engineers job was safe by 30lbs.

Why did we go through all of this. When the 1042 lbs load was lifted and the gantry was mid span between the support columns the load would bounce an 1-1/2” for a min or more so I would not recommend it.

 

[86turbodsl]

deleted

 

[LarryWP]

Hey Dave,

I just posted about the bridge crane I just installed in my 38 X 42 building. Found it on Facebook Marketplace. Got a great deal on it.

Here the link to my post

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=446998

 

[G-Ram]

That would be me, RE: overhead door.

****** picture, but here ya go. Definitely possible.





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[cbexpress]

Hello everyone

In the planning stages of my shop and the idea of a bridge crane has come up. Been looking online and found Gorbel which seems like a legit option and idea.

But now i'm torn I unfortunately have a budget, so covering the entire I don't see happening, so I was thinking of covering a small area with the bridge crane and then maybe running a rail towards the storage area, so if I have something I need I can grab it.

But the idea of capacity has really hit now. 1000 lbs seems great but almost not enough. a 5.9 motor is 1100 lbs not that I would be using this a lot but im thinking a ton is more inline with real world needs, as I would be using this for automotive, 4x4 trucks, moving equipment ETC. VS production work.

shop goal right now is 40X60 yes I would be working with my engineer on the plans so no issues with the roof supporting my idea. Did I mention I'm thinking of ceiling mounted... VS floor supported.

More than likely .. I would build the shop first then get the lift at some point in time latter. but yeah.

So what is everyones thoughts?
Anyone have one of these Gorbel ?
Am I crazy?
should I really just consider a jib or something else?

Hello, did you ever build your crane? I have a 30x50 shop and need advice on building an over head crane.