How to Plan and Build My New Metal Building Kits – Part 12 – Cranes

In this segment of our series is we will discuss Cranes for your new pre-engineered metal building kit.

For some purchasers of metal buildings having a crane (or more) incorporated is a requirement. Overhead cranes typically run lengthwise in one bay of the building.

These cranes run on a rail system that is mounted on beams called crane beams. Often these beams are installed on brackets that are attached to the main support columns for your metal building.

As with attached mezzanines, the loads required for cranes must be included in the initial engineering of your building. There are a number of questions that need to be answered in order for the crane loads to be engineered properly.

 

Some these may include:

  1. Starting frameline
  2. Stopping frameline
  3. Module or bay in which the crane is to be installed
  4. Number of cranes in this bay
  5. System Type – Top hung, Underslung, Monorail
  6. Class - Light, Moderate, Heavy
  7. Control type – Pendant, Cab
  8. Number of cranes
  9. Pricing options (for the building manufacturer) – Brackets, Runway beams, Separate support column
  10. Centerline to centerline of rails
  11. Runway beam depth
  12. Base of column to top of beam distance (height)
  13. Distance from to of rail to underside of rafter (clearance)
  14. Clearance from rail to inside flange of column
  15. Tonnage
  16. Bridge weight
  17. Hoist weight
  18. Wheel Spacing
  19. Crane manufacturers recommended rail weight
  20. Distance between cranes (if applicable)

     

Once this information has been acquired, the manufacturer’s engineers can design the structure for the imposed loads of the crane(s).

If a crane may be required in the future, you might be best to include for the capacity and brackets at the initial design stages. It can be very costly to re-engineer the building for cranes afterwards – even if you plan to install separate support columns.

 

Part 13 Planning and Constructing Metal Building Kits – Placing the Order - coming soon!



What to Do Next

· Watch for the next installment in our series.

Check out the other articles relating to metal building kits and residential building packages on our Metal Building Kits Articles Map