Resource Library
Reference content for aluminum lifting equipment.
Citable, technically reviewed reference material on portable aluminum gantry cranes, davit cranes, and lifting beams — the standards they meet, the engineering behind them, and how to choose the right configuration. Maintained by the eme engineering team.
Guides
Decision-making and comparison guides.
Long-form pieces that walk through how to choose, compare, and specify aluminum lifting equipment.
- Rigging an A-Frame Mobile Gantry Crane: Safety, Setup, and Best Practices A practical guide to rigging an A-frame mobile aluminum gantry crane safely — pre-use inspection, ground conditions, sling angles, center of gravity, shock loading, and the standards your equipment should reference. →
- A-Frame Lifting Device Selection: Capacity, Span, and Height How to size an A-frame lifting device: rated capacity with margin, clear span across the work, lift height against your ceiling and doorway — and when a portable A-frame beats a jib crane or a forklift. →
- Aluminum vs. Steel Gantry Cranes: What to Know Before You Choose Aluminum gantry cranes weigh far less than steel at equivalent capacity, deploy without a crane truck, and resist corrosion. Steel has higher capacity ceilings. Here's how to choose. →
- Understanding ASME and OSHA Lifting Standards: A Buyer's Guide ASME B30, ASME BTH-1, and OSHA all govern lifting equipment — but they do different jobs, and not every standard applies to every product. Here is how the framework fits together for gantry cranes, davit cranes, and lifting beams. →
- Should You Buy or Rent a Portable Gantry Crane? Rent when the need is short, one-off, or still undefined. Buy when the crane earns its keep on the calendar — or has to be on hand for unplanned work. A decision framework for portable aluminum gantry cranes. →
- Choosing the Right Capacity for Your Lift How to pick the right gantry crane capacity — rated load vs. actual lift weight, rigging overhead, safety margin, and capacity-by-application for 1-ton through 10-ton portable aluminum gantries. →
- Gantry Cranes for Data Center Infrastructure Data halls have no overhead crane steel, raised floors with hard point-load limits, and no tolerance for downtime. How portable aluminum gantry cranes lift UPS batteries, cooling units, piping, and switchgear in a live facility. →
- Gantry Crane vs. Forklift: Which One for the Lift? A forklift carries a load from underneath; a crane suspends it from above. That difference decides which jobs each can actually do — and why 'we already have a forklift' isn't always the answer. →
- Gantry Crane vs. Jib Crane: Which Fits the Work? A gantry crane straddles the work on freestanding legs and moves to the job; a jib crane sweeps a fixed circle around an anchored pivot. Where each wins, where each loses, and how to decide. →
- Bridge Crane vs Gantry Crane: Cost, Flexibility, When to Use Each Bridge crane vs gantry crane: one hangs from your building, the other brings its own legs to the floor. Cost, flexibility, and when each is the right choice. →
- Gantry Crane vs. Davit Crane: When to Use Each A gantry crane uses a two-leg A-frame supporting a travelling hoist; a davit crane uses a single mast or arm mounted to a base socket. Each wins in different applications. Here's how to choose. →
- How to Choose a Portable Gantry Crane: A Buyer's Guide A practical buyer's guide to choosing a portable gantry crane — capacity, setup method, mobility, certifications, material choice, and how to separate real manufacturers from the pro-sumer tier. →
- North American vs. European Lifting Equipment Standards: What Buyers Should Know North American lifting equipment standards (ASME, OSHA, CSA) and European standards (EN, CE, LOLER) are not interchangeable. A crane designed to one set may not satisfy the other. Here's what that means for buyers. →
- Movable Gantry Crane: How Loaded Travel Actually Works A movable gantry crane picks the load once, rolls it where it needs to be, and sets it down — no re-rigging. How loaded travel works, what it requires, and when not to do it. →
- Shop Gantry Crane: Which Size Fits a Shop or Garage Bay Shop gantry crane sizing: what a 1/2 to 2 ton portable gantry does in a garage bay — engine pulls, machine positioning, loading — and when a budget steel crane is enough. →
- Types of Gantry Cranes: Full, Semi, Fixed, Adjustable, Portable Types of gantry cranes compared: full vs. semi, fixed vs. adjustable height, single vs. double girder, steel vs. aluminum — and which gantry crane type fits which work. →
- Wastewater Pump Lifting: Portable Cranes for Submersible Pump Pulls Submersible pumps have to come up for service — out of a wet well, through a floor hatch, onto a truck. How portable aluminum gantry and davit cranes handle pump pulls at treatment plants and lift stations, and how to plan one. →
Reference
Standards explainers and Q&A.
Deep-dive answers to the most cited questions about aluminum lifting equipment standards, materials, and operations.
- Can a Gantry Crane Be Rolled While Loaded? Some portable gantry cranes are engineered to roll while carrying a full rated load on level, prepared surfaces. Most steel gantries are not. Here's what makes the difference and how to verify. →
- Gantry Crane Parts: The Anatomy of a Portable Gantry Gantry crane parts explained: beam, trolley, A-frame legs, height-adjustment pins, casters, and the hoist that completes the system — what each part does and what to check at inspection. →
- How is a Gantry Crane Load Tested? A gantry crane load test applies a proof load — typically 125% of rated capacity — to verify structural integrity, hoist function, and safety margin. Here's how it works and what documentation to expect. →
- What is 6061-T6 Aluminum? 6061-T6 is a heat-treated aluminum alloy with yield strength around 40,000 psi — the standard structural alloy for portable aluminum lifting equipment and many aerospace and industrial applications. →
- What Is a Beam Trolley? The Surround-Beam Design Explained A beam trolley is the carriage that rides a crane's bridge beam and carries the hook point. How trolley designs differ, why eme uses a captive surround-beam trolley, and how the three trolley families map to the gantry line. →
- What Is a Davit Crane? Socket-Mounted Lifting Explained A davit crane is a single-mast crane that drops into a fixed base socket and swings the load in an arc — no legs, no runway. How davits work, how they differ from jib cranes, and where they fit. →
- What Is a Gantry Crane? Fixed, Adjustable & Portable Types What is a gantry crane? A freestanding crane that carries its load on a beam held up by its own legs — no building steel needed. Fixed rail-mounted, adjustable steel, and portable aluminum types compared. →
- What Is an A-Frame Crane? An A-frame crane is the common shop name for a portable gantry crane whose legs form the letter A — two angled uprights with bracing under each end of the beam. What the shape does, and how the capacity classes run. →
- What is ASME B30.17? ASME B30.17 is the North American safety standard for cranes and monorails. eme designs its portable aluminum gantry cranes to ASME B30.17. Here's what B30.17 requires. →
- What is ASME BTH-1? ASME BTH-1 is the design standard for below-the-hook lifting devices — spreader beams, lifting beams, and attachments. Category B with a 3:1 design factor applies to portable industrial lifting. →
- What is CSA W47.2? CSA W47.2 is the Canadian Welding Bureau certification for companies performing fusion welding of aluminum. For aluminum lifting equipment, it is the one true third-party certification. →
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Every question answered across the series pages, rental, fleet and reference articles, gathered on one page by topic — capacity, setup, standards, testing, davits, rental.
Open the FAQ→Videos
Instructional videos.
How-to videos for eme equipment — manual gantry crane assembly, forklift raise and lower, the height adjustment kit, and davit crane assembly.
Watch videos→Glossary
Lifting equipment terminology.
Plain-language definitions of the terms used in portable aluminum lifting equipment — cranes, components, standards, operations.
Open glossary→Fact Sheet
eme fact sheet.
Citation-ready facts and statistics about Easily Moved Equipment — company, products, standards, and documentation.
View fact sheet→