The Most Common Types of Crane Attachments

Overhead cranes are some of the most useful materials handling equipment in the world. Using simple principles of mechanical advantage, cranes allow us to hoist large loads that would be impossible to lift any other way.

While the lifting chains found on most cranes are versatile, they limit how cranes can be used. We navigate around this issue with crane lifting attachments.

Crane lifting attachments greatly diversify how and when cranes can be used. Expanding the versatility of overhead cranes allows us to lift more materials with greater consistency, improve efficiency and protect workers from harm.

In this article we’ll learn more about crane attachments and the most common types of crane attachments on the market.

What is a Crane Attachment?

A crane attachment is a lifting device that is used in conjunction with overhead cranes to improve the way goods and materials are hoisted, balanced and handled. Crane attachments are used to transport materials that would be difficult or dangerous to lift with standard crane hooks.

Crane attachments are a type of lifting device that expand the use of cranes. Most overhead cranes feature a single load point. This can be connected to a load using chains, slings and hooks, allowing the object to be lifted and transported easily. The challenge lies in the load itself. Large, heavy, unbalanced and unusually shaped loads are difficult to lift with a single load line. These items tend to shift and become unbalanced during lifting, which is dangerous to everyone on site. Using crane attachments allows standard load lines to lift almost anything, including loose materials like gravel. This greatly expands the use of overhead lifting devices and improves safety on worksites.

Common Types of Crane Attachments

Crane attachments are used in a huge range of industries across the world. From mining to manufacturing, warehousing, construction and beyond, crane attachments are an indispensable part of materials handling.

While lifting attachments come in hundreds of shapes and sizes, most devices fall into a few main categories:

• Materials bins and cages. Bins and cages are some of the most common types of crane attachments. These simple devices are enclosed bins that can be used to transport loose materials and products. Bins with sheet metal sides offer additional versatility, and can be used to lift materials such as dirt, gravel, rubbish and small parts.
• Lift bins. Lift bins are some of the most versatile types of crane attachments. They’re designed to simplify the process of lifting loose materials like gravel and rubbish.
• Man cages. Man cages (sometimes called personnel cages) are lifting attachments that allow cranes to transport humans. Man cages are often used in factories, mine sites and other worksites where personnel need to inspect equipment. A personnel cage may be fully enclosed, or they may be simple cages without a roof, depending on the application.
• Lifting cages. Similar to lift bins, lifting cages are simple boxes designed to lift loose goods and materials. They can feature sheet metal or mesh side panels, depending on the application.
• First aid cages. Similar to man cages, first aid cages are fully-enclosed crane attachments that are used to transport and lift injured personnel. First aid cages are sized to fit a larger number of people, and they may have enough room to support a stretcher.
• Crane Lifting beams. Lifting beams are the most versatile types of crane attachments. They consist of a single metal beam, or a cross-shaped beam, with attachments for chains and slings along its length. Lifting beams make it possible to lift large, awkward or unbalanced loads that would be impossible to handle with just a single lifting point.
• Spreader beams. Spreader beams are designed to spread the load of each lift across multiple points, improving balance and stability.
• Combination beams. A combination beam can be used as both a lifting beam and a spreader beam, reducing the need for multiple attachments.
• Pallet hook. Pallets are used in every industry across the world. While they’re often handled using fork trucks, cranes can also be fitted with pallet hooks. Pallet hooks consist of a pair of tynes attached to a load balancing lifting point that can be used to safely move palletised goods.
• Lifting frames. Lifting frames are similar to cloth slings, except they use a metal frame to provide support for rigid loads like IBC containers.
• Bag lifter. Bag lifting hooks ensure that bags filled with loose materials (such as grains and liquids) can be securely fastened to the crane during transportation.
• Drum handling. Liquid materials are often transported and stored in plastic, metal or fibre drums. These drums can weigh hundreds of kilograms when full, and they’re a challenge to shift manually. Cranes can be fitted with drum handling claws that safely latch onto standardised drums, allowing them to be lifted with ease.
• Drum and cylinder handling. Heavy duty cylinders used to store and transport gases are common on construction sites and factories. These cylinders can be heavy and require careful handling. With gas cylinder attachments, overhead cranes can be used to lift and transport gas cylinders under hook, without the risk of damaging the cylinder.

These are just a few types of crane attachments. There are dozens of other options available, and it’s common for worksites to invest in custom-designed crane attachments to perform specific lifting operations. If none of the attachments above are suited to your purpose, manufacturers like Bremco can design a custom solution.

The Benefits of Using Crane Attachments

Crane attachments provide three major benefits on the worksite:

1. Improved versatility. Crane attachments dramatically increase the versatility of overhead cranes. With the right attachment, a crane can be used to lift and transport almost any load with precision and ease.  You can greatly expand the use of cranes with the right attachments. Using attachments like cages, bins and pallet hooks, you can use cranes to lift loose materials, bags, pallets, drums, cylinders and much more.
2. Improved safety. Lifting unbalanced and awkward loads can be dangerous to personnel. By supplying the correct crane attachments, you encourage a safer workplace and provide the tools personnel need to protect themselves from unnecessary risk. Overhead lifting is one of the most dangerous tasks on site. Unsecured and unbalanced loads pose a serious risk to personnel. By providing crane attachments, you are greatly reducing the risk and helping to create a safe work environment.
3. Improved efficiency. Overhead lifting poses a serious risk to personnel and property. Improper lifting can cause injuries and damage, so each lift needs to be carefully balanced and monitored. This is a time-consuming process. Using crane attachments greatly speeds up each lift, improving efficiency and reducing expenses onsite. Using crane attachments eliminates the need for complicated rigging. This speeds up the lifting process, improves efficiency, and reduces your expenses.
4. Compliance. WorkSafe maintains strict compliance standards for cranes and associated lifting equipment. If you’re performing high risk work, or lifting personnel, you may need compliant attachments to meet the relevant regulations.

Keep Your Worksite Moving with Crane Attachments from Bremco!

Cranes are some of the most important equipment on the modern worksite. Not only can cranes move large loads with ease, they’re the ideal tool for improving safety and reducing manual lifting. If you want to expand the use of your cranes even further, talk to Bremco about crane lifting attachments!

Bremco is an Australian-owned and operated manufacturer of crane attachments. Our factory is based in Brisbane, but we supply crane attachments to clients throughout the country. If you work in transportation, construction, mining, warehousing or any other sector, we can supply crane attachments to suit your needs.

Our crane attachments are backed by decades of experience in design and manufacturing. Each attachment features fully-welded construction and tough coatings that are suitable for Australia’s harshest environments.

We offer an extensive range of off-the-shelf crane attachments. If you can’t find what you need in our catalogue, we are also equipped to manufacture custom crane attachments to your specifications.

Browse our range online, or contact Bremco if you’d like a quote on crane attachments for your business.

Brett Moody