European Single Girder Overhead Crane
A European single girder crane does the same job as an LD-type machine with the hoist packed into a much smaller body. The girder is a lighter section, the hook comes closer to the girder, and the whole crane hangs 20–30% less weight on your runway. That is not a trim level — it is a different set of engineering trade-offs: you pay more for the crane and less for the runway, the columns and the electricity bill.
- Capacity1–20 t (32 t on request)
- Span7.5–25.5 m standard; wider engineered to order
- Lifting height6–18 m
- Duty classA5 typical (FEM 2m / ISO M5)
- HoistLow-headroom compact wire rope hoist, VFD hoisting and travel
- ControlPendant, radio remote, or pendant plus remote
What actually differs from an LD-type crane
Three things change. The girder is a welded box section sized by fatigue rules rather than by habit, so it is shallower and lighter for the same span and capacity. The hoist is a compact low-headroom unit — drum, motor and gearbox laid out to be short and low rather than long and tall. And VFD control comes as standard on hoisting and travel instead of being an extra.
The first thing you feel is headroom: the hook comes within a few hundred millimetres of the girder, which buys 300–800 mm of extra lifting height in the same building. The thing your building feels is wheel load — 20–30% lower than an LD-type crane of the same capacity and span. On an existing structure that is often the difference between installing a crane and strengthening the columns.
Be clear about the cost, because we will be. A European crane costs roughly 20–40% more than the equivalent LD-type machine. It pays back through lighter runway beams and foundations, less installed power, lower wheel and rail wear on a crane that runs all shift, and — in buildings that cannot be reinforced — by being the only machine that fits at all.
Where the extra cost earns its money
Existing buildings with a load limit. This is the most common reason we quote European cranes. If the columns or the floor cannot take a heavier crane and reinforcing them is disruptive or impossible, a lighter crane is not a luxury, it is the answer.
Low roofs. Old workshops are often 6–8 m to the eaves. An extra 300–800 mm of hook approach often decides whether the crane can lift over a press or a machine at all.
High-cycle work. Stepless speeds, no swing on start and lower starting current show up in gearbox life, brake life and the operator's back. A single-shift plant doing occasional lifts in a new building with plenty of headroom gets better value from an LD-type crane — we will quote that instead and say why.
What we fit, and what we leave out
Standard: VFD hoisting and travel, forged wheels, forged hooks with safety latches, upper and lower hoist limiters, travel limiters, overload limiter and phase-failure protection in the panel.
Worth adding: anti-sway where loads must be positioned precisely; radio remote with a spare pendant for operators who walk with the load; energy chain or conductor busbar instead of flat festoon cable on long travel; hot-dip galvanizing for humid or coastal sites; a second brake on the hoist for hot metal, ladles or loads passing over walkways; IP55 motors and sealed bearings for dusty plants.
Usually unnecessary here: a full cabin, dual hoists and very high travel speeds — those belong on a double girder machine, and paying for them on a single girder buys weight without the benefit.
Testing and documents before dispatch
We are a supplier, not the factory: your crane is built by one of our long-term partner factories in Changyuan, and we tell you which one. That is exactly why the inspection step exists — we watch the machine being built and tested rather than forwarding a catalogue.
- Girder dimensions, camber and weld appearance checked against the approved drawing
- No-load and rated-load test run: bridge travel, trolley travel, hoist up and down, travel limiters, hoist upper and lower limiters
- Overload limiter set and demonstrated; brake gap and torque checked on hoist and travel motions
- VFD parameters and speed ramps set and tested, not left at factory defaults
- Photographs and video of the test run, the finish and the loading, sent before the container is sealed
- Documents in the container: packing list, product certificate, test report, O&M manual, installation drawings
Specification range
| Capacity | 1 t, 2 t, 3 t, 5 t, 10 t, 16 t, 20 t (32 t on request) |
|---|---|
| Span | 7.5 m – 25.5 m standard; wider spans engineered to order |
| Lifting height | 6 m – 18 m (rope length to your requirement) |
| Duty classification | A5 typical (FEM 2m, ISO M5); A4–A6 on request |
| Hoist | Low-headroom compact wire rope hoist, VFD hoisting and travel |
| Hoisting speed | 0.5–8 m·min⁻¹ stepless with VFD |
| Bridge travel speed | 20–40 m·min⁻¹ with VFD depending on duty |
| Trolley travel speed | 15–30 m·min⁻¹ with VFD |
| Wheel load | 20–30% lower than an LD-type crane of the same capacity and span |
| Power supply | 380 V / 50 Hz standard; 400 / 415 / 440 V and 60 Hz on request |
| Control | Pendant (IP54) standard; radio remote, or pendant plus remote |
| Paint | Two coats primer + two coats finish; hot-dip galvanizing or heavy epoxy optional |
The table shows the range we normally supply. Your offer states the exact capacity, span, lifting height, duty class and voltage for your site — and where a figure in this table differs from the offer, the offer prevails. Send us your requirement and we will confirm each line in writing before you order.
European Single Girder Overhead Crane: questions we are asked
Your LD page mentions a European hoist as an option — is this the same thing?
No. On the LD page the European hoist is an option fitted to a traditional girder: you get the compact hoist, but the girder and the wheel loads stay those of an LD-type crane. This page is the full European machine — lighter girder, compact hoist and VFD together — which is a different crane at a different price. If your only constraint is the hoist, for example very low headroom over a machine, the retrofit option is usually the cheaper answer and we will quote that instead.
Can it go into a building that cannot take heavier wheel loads?
Usually yes, and that is the main reason buyers choose it. Send the bay drawing, or the existing crane's nameplate and wheel loads, plus column and runway details if you have them. We calculate the wheel loads of the European crane at your span and compare them with what the structure can take. If the margin is tight we say so and propose the lightest configuration that works, not the one easiest for us to sell.
Is VFD worth it, or is two-speed enough?
For occasional lifting in a workshop, two-speed is honest value and we will not push you. VFD earns its money when the crane is used often or positioned precisely: stepless slow speeds for setting a load down, no swing when the hoist starts, lower starting current, and far less shock to the gearbox, the brake and the building. If the crane runs all shift, specify VFD.
Which hoist is fitted, and can I get spares later?
Compact low-headroom hoists from our partner factories, and brand-name European hoists where the application justifies the price. The offer names the exact hoist and its origin, so you are never surprised after the order. We supply spares — brake shoes, limiters, ropes, wheels, panels, remote controls — while the hoist model is in production, which is why we avoid obsolete models even when they are cheaper.
How long does delivery take?
Standard capacities and spans are typically 30–45 days from approved drawing to ready for shipment; non-standard spans, dual brakes and special voltages add time, and we state dates in the offer rather than after the deposit. Shipping to Southeast Asia is usually 7–15 days on top, and we plan the transport split so the crane fits the container without cutting the girder on site.
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5–450 t · compact trolleyAsk about the european single girder overhead crane
Send capacity, span and lifting height and we will reply with a specification and a price within 24 hours.
Supplier, not factory — and we say which factory
We quote from 4–5 long-term partner factories in Changyuan, Henan. You will know which one is building your crane, our inspectors test it before shipment, and the drawings, test report and manuals travel with the machine. More about how we work →