Girder Lifting Machine

A girder lifting machine is a gantry crane used to lift box girders during bridge construction. With the rapid development of high-speed rail in China, these machines are increasingly used in railway construction.

Rail-mounted machines save energy and cost less but have limited mobility; tyre-mounted machines have the opposite trade-offs. Small-capacity machines enable fast construction, flexible movement and reduced manual labour. Common-capacity machines cover a wider range of applications and fit high-speed or passenger railway construction. Ultra-large-capacity machines are used to lift or transfer thousand-tonne box girders and have enhanced performance parameters.

Application and selection should consider the overall requirements, making use of each type’s strengths and avoiding its limitations.