Used Overhead Bridge Cranes for Sale
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About Used Overhead Bridge Cranes
An overhead crane is a bridge that travels on runway beams and carries a hoist along that bridge. It covers a bay. A gantry crane has legs and can be moved. A jib covers a circle around a column. This machine is the bridge. Span is the center-to-center distance of the runways. Capacity is the bridge rating, and the hoist on that bridge has to be at or under that rating. A 5-ton bridge with a 3-ton hoist lifts 3 tons. Putting a larger hoist on it does not make it a larger crane.
Runway length is how far the bridge travels. The building usually owns the runway. A used bridge often leaves the beams behind, and then you are buying a bridge that must fit a runway you already have, or you are buying a building project. Single-girder and double-girder are the structure. A double girder lifts higher for the same building because the hoist sits between the girders. Lift height of the hoist, the pendant or the radio, and the speed of the bridge and the trolley are the daily operation. A crane that is too slow for the bay becomes the bottleneck.
Wheels, rails, the hoist brake and the wire rope or chain are the wear. A wheel flange that is thin, or a rail that is peened, is years of misalignment. A hoist brake that slips is a load that drifts. End trucks have to be square or the bridge skews and chews the rail. Electrical collectors, festoon or a bar, have to match the runway you will put it on.
A used overhead crane should be inspected as a structure, not as a yellow paint job. Measure the span against the runway. Read the bridge rating and the hoist rating separately. Confirm whether the runway, the electrification and the pendant are included or are still in the building. A bridge without a place to run is a fabrication project. Have someone who rates cranes look at the wheels and the rope before it lifts a real load.
How to Choose a Used Overhead Bridge Crane
How to Size an Overhead Crane
Measure the bay before you read the capacity. Span is the distance the bridge must cover between runways. A crane from another building will not stretch or shrink to fit. Capacity is the bridge rating, and the hoist on that bridge cannot exceed it. Lift height has to clear the work. Then ask whether the runway beams, the rail and the conductor are in the listing or still in the old building. End trucks have to match the rail. Voltage is plant three phase. A single girder bridge is the pattern on this group. A gantry on casters is the other group if you do not have a runway at all.
Single Girder and the Runway
A single girder bridge crane carries the hoist on one beam. That is the overhead crane in this set. The runway is the pair of beams the end trucks ride, fixed to the building. Some listings include that steel and some are the bridge alone. A bridge without rails is not a crane you can use until the runway exists. Pendant or radio control should be named. Duty, occasional or production, tells you how hard the last plant worked it. Do not shop a brand list here. Shop span, capacity and whether the runway ships first. The gantry group is the portable A-frame if the building cannot take a runway.
Overhead Bridge Crane Specs to Compare
| Spec | Typical range | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Span | The bridge has to match the bay. A wrong span will not sit on the rails. | |
| Capacity | The hoist cannot outrate the girder. Use the lower number. | |
| Girder | This group is the one-beam bridge. A two-girder crane is a different structure. | |
| Runway | A bridge without rails is not a working crane until the runway is solved. | |
| Lift and control | Span does not tell you how high the hook goes or how you run it. | |
| Power | Plant three phase, often 460 volts | Bridge, trolley and hoist all need that circuit, plus a conductor or festoon. |
Span
The bridge has to match the bay. A wrong span will not sit on the rails.
Capacity
The hoist cannot outrate the girder. Use the lower number.
Girder
This group is the one-beam bridge. A two-girder crane is a different structure.
Runway
A bridge without rails is not a working crane until the runway is solved.
Lift and control
Span does not tell you how high the hook goes or how you run it.
Power
Typical range: Plant three phase, often 460 volts
Bridge, trolley and hoist all need that circuit, plus a conductor or festoon.
What to Inspect on a Used Overhead Bridge Crane
Measure the bay span
Compare it with the bridge span. A mismatch will not land on the rails.
Read bridge and hoist tags
Capacity is the lower of the two. Note single girder on the bridge.
See if runway is included
Rail, beams and conductor may be a separate pile or not in the sale.
Check end trucks
Wheels and trucks have to match the rail size in your building.
Note lift and controls
Hoist lift height, and whether the control is a pendant or a radio.
Read voltage
Bridge, trolley and hoist power, often 460 volts, three phase.
Look at the girder
A bent girder or a damaged truck is not a paint issue.
Related Equipment
- Cranes & Hoists
Gantry, hoist and bridge choices together
- Gantry Cranes
A floor crane when the building has no runway
- Hoists
The lifting unit that rides the bridge
More in Plant & Material Handling
Common Applications
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an overhead crane on this group?
A single-girder bridge crane that rides a runway in the building. It is not a portable gantry. Span is the distance between the runways, and capacity is the bridge rating with the hoist at or under that number. The runway steel may or may not be included. There is no brand list to shop, because the makes do not repeat. Measure your bay first. A crane that fit the last building will not adapt to a different span.
Does the runway come with the bridge?
Sometimes. A listing can be the bridge, the end trucks and the hoist, with the runway still bolted to the old columns. Another listing includes rail and beams. Ask. An overhead crane without a runway is a bridge in storage until you have rails, supports and a way to get power along the bay. Conductor bar or a festoon may be separate too. Photos of steel on the ground are not the same as steel that fits your columns.
How do I size span and capacity?
Span has to match the bay, center to center of the runways. Capacity is the bridge rating, and the hoist cannot exceed it. Lift height has to clear the work under that bridge. End trucks have to fit your rail. Voltage is plant three phase. A single girder is the pattern here. Write span and capacity before you look at the paint. A heavier hoist on a lighter bridge is not a bargain. It is an overload.
Single girder or a gantry?
A single girder overhead crane needs the building. A gantry stands on the floor and rolls. If you have a runway or you are ready to install one, stay on this group. If you need a crane you can move between presses and you do not have columns for a runway, use the gantry group. The hoist questions, lift and speed, still apply on either frame. The span question is a bay question only for the overhead crane.
What should I inspect on a bridge crane?
The girder for straightness, the end trucks and wheels, the hoist, the controls and the tags. Note pendant or radio. Read voltage. Confirm what runway steel is actually in the lot. A bent girder or a seized truck is structural, not cosmetic. Photos should show the whole bridge and any rail piled beside it. Duty, if the tag states it, tells you whether this was a maintenance crane or a production crane. Ask before you plan the hang.
Who hangs an overhead crane?
A rigger who can set runway beams, rail and the bridge, and an electrician for the conductor and the three-phase feed. The crane does not hang itself, and the listing does not include that work. Know whether you are buying a bridge for an existing runway or a pile of steel that still needs columns. Span and rail size have to be settled before that crew arrives. Inspect the bridge before you book them.
