JIB CRANES normally come as floor mounted cranes, but they can also be attached to a wall or the side of a machine. So depending on the type, jib cranes can be classified into different types as describe below depending on the cranes structure and suitable and used in different environments and purposes.

1. Free Standing Jib Cranes

Free standing Jib Cranes are directly fixed on the floor without any support to keep it upright. To maintain it’s stability and not topple over it you fix it to a foundation of 3 to 5 feet deep and up to 4 to 10 feet square foundation base. The foundation depends on the load and reach. Advantage of this type of crane is it doesn’t need a support wall or structure and provides optimal range of span and control compare to wall mounted cranes and other types of Jib cranes. The picture here shows a 2 ton free standing jib crane used in a yard environment.

2. Wall Mounted Jib Cranes

Like the name suggests this kind of jib crane is fitted onto the wall. It requires very little headroom, so it can be fitted very close to the underside of roofs etc. to provide maximum lift for your hoist. The coverage like other types of cranes is circular and generally around 20 feet. But it requires a strong wall or column structure to fit it and degree of rotation is lesser than that of Mast style and Free standing jib cranes. This cranes is very efficient way to move material when floor space is not available and digging a foundation for the crane is not feasible.

3. Wall Bracket Jib Cranes

This crane is similar to wall mounted jib cranes but with a bracket. It’s a most economical means of providing hoist coverage for individual use in bays, along walls or columns of plants. The installation requirements and load and rotation is like the wall mounted crane. Used a lot for swinging around obstacles and over obstructions.

4. Mast Style Jib Cranes

This is similar to free-standing jib cranes but doesn’t need a special foundation making it more economical. But they do require mounting at the top and bottom. They also provide a full 360 degree rotation jibs depending on the manufacturer and maximum amount of lift with full use of available headroom and allows specific placement of boom to clear obstructions.

In addition to these there are some other types of Jib cranes too like the wall travelling, workstation cranes, portable jib cranes and articulating jib cranes.