Lifting capacity

Today in the column "Crane Dictionary" we will talk about the lifting capacity - the main characteristic of the crane, which is the first thing you pay attention to when buying or choosing equipment for construction and assembly and unloading/loading jobs.

The lifting capacity is the maximum weight of a load that a crane can lift while maintaining its strength and stability. For boom-type machines, the lifting capacity refers to the weight that the crane can lift at the minimum outreach. Accordingly, the greater the outreach, the less weight the boom can support.

The load capacity is largely determined by the load moment, which is calculated as the multiplication of the outreach in meters by the weight of the load, measured in ton-meters. The length of the outreach is determined from the vertical axis through the center of gravity of the load to the rotation axis through the gantry or the support.

Also, net lifting capacity and useful load capacity are distinguished, which refer to the mass of cargo lifted by the crane with and without taking into account the load-carrying equipment (rigging equipment), respectively