Motorised gantry cranes for lifts too heavy to push
Powered travel, powered hoist, pendant or radio control. A motorised gantry does the same lift all shift without anyone pushing a loaded frame across the floor. Designed to your capacity, span and height, on wheels for a flat floor or on rails for a fixed route, indoors or out. Built in our own works, fitted by our engineers, load tested and LOLER certified.
POWERED TRAVEL & HOIST
The lift is heavy, or it happens all day.
A portable gantry is pushed by hand and tops out at 5 tonnes. Above that, or when the same lift is repeated through a shift, pushing a loaded frame is slow and unsafe. A motorised gantry puts a drive on the wheels and a powered hoist on the beam, and the operator stands clear with a pendant or radio.
- Loads above 5 tonnes
- Repeated lifts on a fixed route
- Long travel distances
- Precise positioning of the load
- Outdoor yards on rails
- Where a building cannot carry an overhead crane
Every motorised gantry is designed to the job.
There is no catalogue model. We take the load, the route and the building and design around them.
| Choice | Options | How we decide |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | Typically 2 to 20 tonnes; more by design | The heaviest load you will lift, plus the hoist and lifting gear |
| Travel | Powered wheels on a flat floor, or powered bogies on rails | Wheels for flexibility; rails for a fixed route, outdoor yards and heavier loads |
| Hoist | Electric chain hoist to 5t; wire rope hoist above | Capacity, lift height and duty class |
| Structure | Steel A-frame, braced or bracing-free, fixed or adjustable height | Headroom, the opening you need under the beam, and span |
| Controls | Pendant, radio remote, or both | Where the operator needs to stand to see the load |
| Safety | Overload protection, travel limits, warning klaxon, anti-collision | Site risk assessment and how many people work around it |
| Environment | Painted or galvanised, ATEX-rated for hazardous areas | Indoors, outdoors, coastal, or zoned areas |
Standards: BS 2853 for runway beams, BS EN 1993 for steel structures, BS EN 1999 for aluminium. Every gantry is load tested and supplied with its declaration of conformity.
Yards, depots and halls with no overhead crane.
A motorised gantry gives you the control of an overhead crane without the building steelwork. It is the usual answer for yards, for buildings that cannot take runway loads, and for routes between two bays.
- Steel stockholders and fabricators
- Precast concrete yards
- Rail and bus depots
- Boatyards and marine
- Timber and building products
- Test and assembly halls
- Waste and recycling
- Utilities and pumping stations
Lighter, heavier or permanent?
Portable gantry
Steel or aluminium A-frame on castors. Two people assemble it in minutes and roll it to the job.
Portable & mobile gantriesGoliath crane
Rail-mounted, single or double girder, with the hoist and controls of a full overhead crane.
Goliath cranesOverhead gantry crane
Runs on rails fixed to the building and reaches every point in the bay.
Overhead gantry cranesFrom enquiry to a certified motorised gantry.
Tell us the lift
Load, lift height, span, the route it travels and the floor or ground it runs on.
Site survey
We measure up, check the floor or rail bed, and agree the controls and safety devices.
Design and build
Drawings for approval, then built in our West Midlands works with the hoist and controls fitted.
Install and certify
Delivered, assembled and commissioned by our engineers. Load test, LOLER certificate, operator handover.
Motorised gantry questions.
An A-frame gantry crane with powered travel on its wheels or rails and a powered hoist on the beam, controlled by pendant or radio. It does the lifting and the moving; the operator stands clear.
When the load is above 5 tonnes, when the same lift is repeated through a shift, when the travel distance is long, or when the load needs precise positioning. Below that, a portable gantry pushed by hand is cheaper.
Wheels on a flat, sound floor give flexibility indoors. Rails give a fixed route, suit outdoor yards and carry heavier loads. We advise after seeing the site.
Yes. Rail-mounted motorised gantries are the standard choice for outdoor yards, painted or galvanised, with weatherproof hoists and controls.
Typically 2 to 20 tonnes. Beyond that we usually recommend a goliath crane, which is the same idea on a heavier structure.
Yes. A thorough examination at least every 12 months. We supply the first certificate and carry out the inspections after that.
Need a motorised gantry?
Send us the load, the route and the site. We will survey, design and quote.
