Gantries are highly productive lifters

Over the past 30 years, J&R Engineering has evolved as a world leader in hydraulic boom gantry engineering and design. The J&R Lift-N-Lock gantry has become a rigging mainstay around the world, according to the company.

J&R Engineering client Duncan Machinery Movers was presented with a project that required the installation of a 412,000-pound industrial press at a manufacturing plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The scope was lifting the components during receiving, positioning and final setting of the press within a highly constrained manufacturing environment. The solution was a J&R Engineering T1102-4-32 Lift-N-Lock hydraulic boom gantry, equipped with side shifting Powerlinks.

Using a J&R Engineering T1102-4-32 Lift-N-Lock gantry, Duncan Machinery Movers installed a 412,000 pound industrial press in Louisville, Kentucky.

The project was completed over an 18-week schedule, utilizing the T1102 gantry to do tandem stacking and safely elevating, maneuvering and setting the press into its final position. Due to the size and weight of the equipment, careful coordination was required to distribute loads evenly and maintain stability throughout each phase of the installation.

One of the primary challenges encountered was navigating overhead obstructions within the facility while maintaining required clearances. , Despite these complexities, the project was executed without a single accident or injury, reflecting a strong commitment to safety, planning and field leadership.

The successful completion of this installation not only met the project’s timeline, but also exceeded the client’s expectations, according to Duncan Machinery Movers. The customer expressed a high level of satisfaction with the culmination of the project.

An ideal combination

The Lift Systems model 34FBG5400WT Power Tower is well known in the rigging industry as the ideal combination of lift height, capacity, modularity and low mobilization costs, according to the company. The 34FBG5400WT boasts a maximum capacity of 500 tons to 24 feet 6 inches and 400 tons to 35 feet. Standard features include Lift Systems’ patented Wedgelock system, integral drives with true mechanical freewheel, captured boom pins, double axles for smoother track joint transitions, fork pockets and lifting eyes for multiple handling options, convenient ladder access with work platforms with personnel tie off points, and power units that can be configured in propane, diesel or electric – with the ability to have two of those power options in the same HPU.

J&J Industrial Contracting sets a 2,500-ton Simpac Tandem press line with their Lift Systems 34FBG5400WTI Power Tower.

Adding the optional CARL Control System for synchronized control with touch screen puts machine data at the operator’s fingertips. All gantry systems configured with the CARL System still allow manual control to never leave the user stranded by electronics. Mobilization is simple with the ability to ship the system on either two standard flatbeds or two double drops depending on available support equipment. Other Lift Systems accessories include lifting links, side shift systems, load rotation devices, track elevation stands and lifting beams.

Logistics reduction

The Enerpac Super Boom Lift (SBL) 600 hydraulic gantry has a lifting capacity of 600 tons and maximum lifting height of 34.78 feet. Designed to reduce the logistics burden for heavy lift contractors, the three-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinder features a foldable boom allowing transportation on standard flatbed trucks without the need for special permitting and routing.

The SBL600 hydraulic gantry design includes a rectangular boom for increased capacity and lifting height with a first stage capacity of 674-ton, 562-ton second stage and 416-ton at the third stage. Its design is optimized for ease of transportation, significantly reducing the cost of deployment and set-up for this class of gantry, the company said. With a foldable boom, the transport height of the SBL600 is just 7.38 feet and the self-weight per leg 9 ton, allowing a flatbed trailer to transport two gantry legs rather than one.

The Enerpac SBL600 is known for ease of transportation and low deployment costs.

As standard, the SBL600 includes Enerpac Intellilift wireless controls allowing unobstructed views of the load. Built-in safety alarms are included to alert operator of unsafe conditions and stop gantry operations. Each gantry leg has a built-in hydraulic pump which eliminates trip hazards by removing the need to connect hoses and makes the equipment easier to set up.

Accessories for the SBL600 include header beams, skid track and side shift units to shift a load along header beams utilizing the Intellilift wireless controls. Enerpac electric powered, header beam side shift units allow a project team to customize the ‘below the hook’ distance. In this way, the space requirements above the header beam can be reduced to increase the available lifting distance below the header beam. Controls for the electric side shift are integrated within the gantry base units and wireless control system.

Superior uptime design

Mi-Jack Product’s Travelift RTG cranes are designed for superior uptime, customization and longevity for precast, steel, bridge, energy and manufacturing applications. Recently, Halmar International and the MTA used prefabricated construction and two custom 200-ton Mi-Jack Travelift RTG cranes to efficiently replace aging viaduct sections in active rail territory for Phase I of the Park Avenue Viaduct Replacement Project in NY, which helped the project conclude on time and under budget.

Two 200-ton Mi-Jack Travelift RTG cranes replace aging viaduct sections at the Park Avenue Viaduct Project.

The Park Avenue Viaduct carries 90 percent of all Metro-North train traffic across four main tracks into Grand Central Terminal. Spanning 1.25 miles and serving the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines, the structure is a critical link for commuter travel. This presented the challenge of how to efficiently replace the viaduct sections without completely disrupting commuter travel.

To perform this bridge replacement, the two Travelift RTG cranes required a complex erection procedure to straddle one of the busiest rail corridors in the Northeast, enabling the crew to maintain operations on half of the viaduct tracks throughout construction. Once in place, the two cranes lifted and positioned prefabricated bridge sections weighing up to 190,000 pounds with precision and control. Their high-capacity performance and maneuverability in tight, active work zones allowed fewer picks, improved safety and faster installation timelines.

The results were substantial. Phase I of the project was completed 21 months ahead of schedule and $93 million under budget, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining prefabrication strategies with advanced lifting solutions, the company said. Travelift cranes range from 30 to 300 tons of lifting capacity and come with a range of custom attachments for industrial applications, delivering versatility and dependability, the company said.

Dependable workhorse

Shuttlelift’s Double Beam (DB) Series rubber-tired gantry crane is widely recognized as a workhorse for efficient truck loading and unloading operations. Designed to lift, move and position heavy products directly from trailers, flatbeds and staging areas, the DB Series delivers dependable performance where safe material transfer and jobsite mobility are critical.

Shuttlelift’s DB Series is a go-to solution for truck loading and unloading applications, delivering strength, mobility and reliability, the company said.

As part of Shuttlelift’s gantry lineup, which includes the SB, DB, and SL Series, the DB provides an innovative lifting solution for facilities that regularly handle long, heavy, and/or awkward loads. The DB Series is well suited for loading and unloading products such as precast concrete components, steel beams, girders, modular assemblies and other oversized materials.

By combining lifting, transporting and loading into a single machine, the DB Series helps streamline truck-to-yard and yard-to-truck workflows. Operators can lift products off trailers, travel with the load, and place them in storage or staging areas without relying on multiple pieces of equipment. This reduces handling steps, improves labor efficiency and supports safer, more controlled loading operations.

Durability is central to the DB’s reputation. Built for demanding duty cycles and tough working environments, it offers long service life, straightforward maintenance and reliable performance for all types of product handling needs.