Cranes have been used since the days of the Ancient Greeks, and they’re still among the most useful machines of the modern era too. They’ve changed and evolved over the years, with different materials and designs becoming popular as time has gone by, but today’s cranes actually have a lot in common with those used throughout history, and one of the simplest and most useful of all is the tool jib crane.
What Are Tool Jib Cranes?
A tool jib crane is a simple form of a crane, used for positioning and hoisting tools in a range of industrial environments. Available in both freestanding and wall-mounted varieties, they’re known for their versatility and wide range of applications, suitable for all kinds of light-duty lifting for those working in warehouses, automotive, construction, aerospace, manufacturing, and more.
One of the best things about tool jib cranes is just how flexible they are, giving users lots of different ways to play around with them. You can use them for anything from tool hoisting to assisting with vacuum lifting, welding wire feeding, pneumatic tool control, and so on, and there are many benefits to using them, as listed below.
Easy to Install and Use
When you think about the prospect of using a crane, you might imagine quite a complex and complicated procedure that requires extensive training and special skills. While this is true for many types of cranes, it’s not really the case when it comes to tool jib cranes, as they’re some of the easiest types of cranes to get to grips with.
As stated earlier on, they can be installed either in a freestanding position or mounted to a wall, and they’re quite small and relatively lightweight too, so getting them all set up is mostly a simple task. You don’t need any special foundations or frames; a sturdy wall or floor will suffice. Usage of these cranes is easy too, so it won’t take long for your teams to start working with them.
Small and Lightweight
Many cranes are huge and heavy, taking up large spaces and requiring extensive planning and preparation before even setting them up, but tool jib cranes are much smaller, simpler, and more lightweight. This means that they won’t take up too much space in your shop, factory, warehouse, or other working environments.
Wall-mounted tool jib cranes can be found under 100 lbs in weight, and even the heavier freestanding alternatives rarely exceed the 400 lb mark. This means that these frames can be installed pretty much anywhere, with the smaller models specially designed to fit in even the tightest of work cells. The wall-mounted models, meanwhile, won’t even take up any of your floor space.
Versatility
As explained earlier on, one of the big selling points of this specific type of crane when compared to others is just how versatile they are. You can find tool jib cranes in a wide range of weights, heights, and overall sizes, offering many different specifications in terms of lifting capacity, mount type, span, and so on.
There are even models with a range of unique features like portable bases and rotation locks too, and when it comes to using tool jib cranes, the sky’s the limit. They’re being used every single day in many different environments, hoisting tools in factories and warehouses and helping aerospace engineers perform their day-to-day tasks more easily and safely too.
Safety
One of the key reasons why you might like to invest in a tool jib crane for your own business or workplace is for safety reasons. A lot of injuries can occur in the workplace, especially when you’re working with big machinery and heavy tools, and statistics show that heavy lifting accounts for a huge percentage of such injuries.
Tool jib cranes are designed to decrease the risk of injuries in the workplace, making it easier, safer, and more convenient for workers to maneuver tools and hoist heavy items, reducing the strain on their own bodies and saving your company a lot of hassle and stress connected to injuries too. What’s more, when workers have these kinds of safety aids, they tend to be happier, more productive, and more engaged with their work as well.
Final Word
It’s clear to see from these benefits that tool jib cranes have a lot to offer. Not only are they exceptionally useful in many different industries, but they can even improve the working atmosphere and make the environment safer for employees too.