Did All Of Your Forklifts Give Out? How Various Heavy Lift Cranes Can Help With Your Shipping Business

In the world of shipping and freight, forklifts are typically responsible for picking up the heavy loads and putting them on the trucks or hauling them into the cargo bays of ships. If, on any given day, your forklifts are not fully charged or are completely dysfunctional, do you have a backup plan? If not, consider some of the following heavy lift cranes and how they can help you with your shipping business.

Overhead Cranes

Overhead cranes can be installed quickly, but if you do not want one for long-term use, you can also buy or rent a mobile overhead crane for palleted loads that are not very tall or wide. The fully installed cranes can only move heavy loads along a single axis, so be sure to set your non-mobile crane where it will most benefit your shipping company and its docks. A mobile overhead crane also lifts and moves goods along one access, but the crane's supports are attached to casters so that you can push or wheel the crane with the lifted goods anywhere you want to go in the warehouse or onto the trucks. (You will also need some cables to help secure the palleted goods to the overhead crane, regardless of which kind you use.)

Sidelift Cranes

If your shipping and freight business utilized forklifts to help move cargo boxes and shipping containers onto boats, then you can try sidelift cranes instead. Sidelift cranes can pick up an entire cargo container the same shape, size and appearance as a semi trailer and carry it onto the ship's hold before setting it down. Additionally, these sidelift cranes can lift the cargo containers up, transport them and then set down onto train cars where the cargo boxes can be shipped via railway to their destination.

Carry Deck Cranes

If a lot of your shipping activity is restrained to moving heavy loads in confined spaces, then you might want to consider a carry deck crane in place of your old forklifts. Not only can these cranes lift heavy loads up and out of tiny spaces, but also place and slide loads into very cramped spaces. They are called "carry decks" because they have a flat deck panel that slides under the loads and then lifts everything from beneath. If you are not sure you want to buy one of these cranes, or if you would like to return to your forklifts once they are repaired, then you can rent a carry deck crane and try it out for a few days. Contact a business, such as the Lockwood Brothers Inc, for more information.