As you must have seen somewhere in the past, there are various different types of heavy lifting equipment that you will see outside of and inside of buildings being used on a day to day basis. These usually comprise of forklifts, winches, hoists, cranes, and vacuum lifts.
In Britain, all of these machines use a particular mechanism to move large and heavy objects; a number of these machines move objects up and down or from side to side, as well as a combination of both movements. In most cases, a company will purchase or hire heavy lifting equipment based on what their specific industry requires it for.
Getting What You Want Moved and How
Crane
- The humble crane is the most famous of the heavy movers and uses an angled boom to either move items up and down, or from side to side.
- Of all the types of heavy lifting equipment, cranes are the most versatile and if you are seeking crane hire in Manchester make sure to use a trustworthy and experienced company.
- Cranes can come in small and large sizes, all depending on the size of the job.
- Most cranes will allow the lift to turn fully horizontally to ensure the easy moving of heavy objects in practically all directions.
Vacuum lifts
- These use high pressure air vacuums to adhere to any item which needs lifting. These lifters are extremely useful when lifting oddly-shaped items, like panes of glass.
- They are also utilised for lifting heavier objects, such as cargo containers, making sure that waiting ships at docks can easily be loaded and unloaded.
Forklifts
- Easily one of the most commonly viewed lifting devices used by many smaller companies.
- Easy to drive and similar to a small car, a forklift’s front end has two long metal protrusions that slide easily into a wood pallet so as to move products around warehouse environments.
- The forked front end can raise items up into tall storage areas in a safe manner.
More stationary lifting equipment
Winch
The winch makes use of a wound rope and pulley to raise an object up, such as during towing. Winches are usually fixed into a stationary position near a wall or on a heavy truck, where a worker can attach the winch’s hook to another vehicle allowing for it to be towed.
Hoist
Hoists are used to pull heavy items upward using a pulley and rope. Heavy objects must be moved to the hoist for lifting, with forklifts often being used in tandem with hoists to move objects into place.
Purchasing or Hiring?
Naturally, buying a lift can certainly work out to be rather costly, and in most cases, companies hire professional lifting devices will depend on a business’s requirements. Hiring is easy and can be for a day, week, month or year.
Should you be looking for experts in lifting, have a chat and consult with professionals in the business and tell them exactly what you need it for and they’ll be able to help sort you out.