Customer requires better lifting solution, and ELS delivers

A company that provides full-service rail-car maintenance wanted to improve the jib cranes installed in its outdoor rail yard. It turned to Engineered Lifting Systems & Equipment (ELS) for a safer solution that offered increased lifting capacity.

The challenge

The customer’s workers were using column-mounted jib cranes to hoist equipment in and out of tanker rail cars for cleaning operations. These workers had to manually rotate the 20-foot booms and push/pull the hoist trolleys over top of the rail cars. When weather conditions were windy, the cranes were buffeted in the wind, and workers found it difficult to keep them from drifting. In addition, the jibs were at their capacity threshold for the weight of the equipment being hoisted.

Since ELS had supplied and installed the existing jibs six years prior, the customer approached the company once again to explore options on how to improve the jibs. Refurbishing was not an option because the jib capacities needed to be increased, the booms’ reach needed to be longer, and the jibs were not easily modified for powered rotation systems.

The solution

ELS made three new identical weather-resistant jib cranes, each with controls for powered rotation (105 degrees either side of centre), and with a hoist trolley that can travel the length of the boom. By increasing the lifting capacity from one to 1.5 tons, and the reach to 22 feet, the workers can now easily position the jib booms over the rail cars and perform the required maintenance operation quicker and safer than before.

The manufacturer

ELS is a leading crane manufacturer that has been providing standard and custom overhead material lifting systems and equipment since 1971. The company has the expertise to design, manufacture and install crane systems that exceed customer expectations.

To learn more, contact Engineered Lifting Systems & Equipment.

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