Summary: No matter how big or small your hoisting project is, you need to make sure you’ve answered these 4 questions first.

When it comes to industrial hoisting, you don’t have the luxury of using the wrong tools. So, before you begin any type of hoisting project, you need to make sure you’re prepared — by asking yourself these 4 questions:

1. Is my gantry crane long enough?

Since these cranes can slide equipment from side to side — instead of just lifting it up and down — a gantry crane almost always needs to match the length of the area you’re working on. So, if you’re working on a building, you need a gantry crane that’s as long as the building. That way, you can hoist materials anywhere they need to go, without moving the base of the crane all over the place.

Even if you’re working on a smaller project, you need to be aware of the length of your gantry crane. For example, if you’re going to be lifting engines out of cars, you need to make sure that your gantry crane is longer than the hood area.

2. Do I need a hoist trolley or a beam clamp?

A hoist trolley works very similarly to a beam clamp, but instead of remaining in a fixed location, it has wheels that allow it to slide along the length of your beam. And, like a beam clamp, a hoist trolley is only a temporary fixture that locks into place. A good hoist trolley will come with wheels that are permanently lubricated, so that they’ll always be easy to slide around.

3. Does my telecrane have enough controls on it?

A telecrane is a fancy name for a remote control that works with either a crane or some other type of hoisting equipment. There are different telecrane transmitters for different-sized machines, and you’ll pick your transmitter based on the equipment you need to use it with. Some telecranes are designed to work with simpler machines, so they only have a couple of buttons, while others are much more advanced — and come with much more complicated controls.

Once you have your telecrane picked out, you’ll need to program it so that it’s on the proper radio frequency. If it’s not, all the controls in the world won’t help you!

4. Are my tools part of the Coffing Hoist line?

Coffing Hoist is one of the biggest names in industrial hoisting. The company offers everything from electric hoists, to sturdy stainless steel equipment, to trolley hoists. So, if you’re looking for quality equipment with a solid guarantee behind it, you’ll get it from Coffing Hoist.