No matter where you live, numerous building projects are likely happening at any given time, from high-rise buildings to roads and shopping centers throughout suburbs and satellite towns. And an essential part of that work is cranes, so much so they have become a regular part of our cities' skylines and commutes.
Overhead cranes, also commonly referred to as bridge cranes, are pretty standard across industrial environments that require frequently moving heavy loads between set points indoors or out of doors. They function similarly to gantry cranes, except that the rails they move on are not located at the base, moving the entire crane structure, but rather the rails are generally incorporated into a building structure overhead of any workers, hence the name.
The hoist is a system of wire ropes you can see between the boom and the hook. These wires are part of the crane that creates lift. An electric or hydraulic motor works in conjunction with the wire drum and the cranking mechanism to raise and lower your load safely.
All types of construction equipment see heavy use and a lot of wear over the course of a project. It can be easy to be complacent around machines that have been reliable in the past. But the lack of prior safety concerns shouldn’t result in skipping routine inspections or repairs, especially on cranes.