Jib Cranes

Choosing Jib Cranes for Your Workstation

Jib cranes fill the gap between a hand-operated pallet truck and a full bridge crane: a fixed or rotating arm that carries a hoist or trolley through a defined work envelope, usually serving one machine tool, assembly bench, loading dock, or truck bed. Vovlift's catalog covers that range with All Lift Cranes floor mounted, wall mounted, and articulating models from 1/8 ton up to 3 ton capacity, plus Vestil portable and truck-mounted jib cranes built for jobs that move.

Floor Mounted vs. Wall Mounted vs. Foundationless

All Lift Cranes' L-Series and H-Series are floor mounted jib cranes, meaning the mast is set into a foundation and carries the full moment load through a base plate and anchor bolts. The L-Series is rated for light duty work at 1/4 ton capacity, while the H-Series steps up to heavy duty use at 1/2, 1, 2, and 3 ton capacities for shops running heavier tooling or repeated cycles. CW-Series and TRW-Series jib cranes mount to an existing wall or column instead of a floor foundation, which saves floor space and foundation cost where a suitable wall or column already exists with enough structural capacity — CW-Series covers 1/4 ton through 3 ton, TRW-Series covers 1/2 ton through 2 ton. For sites without a foundation or a rated wall, the FL-WS and FL-FAR Series are foundationless designs (1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 ton) that use a heavy base rather than embedded anchors, letting the crane be relocated if the work cell changes.

Articulating vs. Fixed-Boom Jib Cranes

A fixed-boom jib crane rotates as a single arm around its mast, giving a simple circular work area. An articulating jib crane — All Lift Cranes' MC-FAR, FL-FAR, and CW-FAR Series — adds a second pivoting section so the hoist can reach around obstructions, into corners, or closer to the mast than a straight boom allows. Articulating designs are available in the same 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 ton capacities as their non-articulating counterparts, so the choice usually comes down to the shape of the work envelope rather than the load itself.

Portable and Truck-Mounted Options

Not every lifting job happens at a fixed station. Vestil's Portable Jib Cranes and Portable Offset Jib Cranes sit on a steel base (with an empty or concrete-filled option) that can be moved between work areas without anchoring to floor or wall. The Multi-Station Transportable Jib Crane uses a base socket system so one boom can be shifted between several mounted sockets placed around a shop. For loading and unloading trucks and trailers, Vestil's Hitch-Mounted Truck Jib Crane fits a standard trailer hitch receiver, and the Winch Operated Truck Jib Crane (WTJ) line — rated from 1,000 to 5,000 lb across its models — uses a hand winch instead of a powered hoist for vehicle-side lifting. The Vestil Power Lift Jib Crane is a powered version of the same truck-mounted concept.

Matching Capacity and Reach to the Job

Capacity, hub height, and span all interact. On the All Lift Cranes L-Series, for example, an 8 ft hub height model is available with spans from 6 ft to 16 ft, and the same span options repeat at a 10 ft hub height, so the same basic crane can be configured for a low-clearance work cell or a taller one without changing capacity. As span increases at a given capacity, the boom and mast see higher bending loads, which is why manufacturers rate specific hub-height/span/capacity combinations rather than treating reach as unlimited — always confirm the exact model's rated combination rather than assuming a longer span is available at full capacity.

Standards, Hoists, and Operator Considerations

Jib cranes are typically paired with a separate wire rope or chain hoist, and OSHA 1910.179 addresses design, inspection, and operating requirements for overhead and gantry cranes and related hoisting equipment used in general industry. ASME B30.16 covers overhead hoists that are commonly mounted on jib crane booms, and CMAA Specification No. 74 addresses jib crane design and terminology specifically — check the hoist and crane documentation together, since the jib structure and the hoist are usually sold and rated as separate components that must be matched for capacity. Buyers commonly underestimate headroom loss: hub height is measured to the underside of the boom, and the hoist, trolley, and rigging all reduce usable lift height below that number, so confirm hook height at full boom extension before ordering.

Installation and Site Prep

Floor mounted jib cranes need a foundation sized for the crane's overturning moment, which is driven by capacity and span together, not capacity alone — this is engineering work best confirmed with the manufacturer's foundation drawing for the specific model rather than a generic slab. Wall mounted units depend on the host wall or column having adequate rated capacity, which should be verified by a structural engineer before installation. Foundationless and portable models trade some of that setup complexity for a heavier base and, in most cases, a lower maximum capacity, which is why Vovlift's foundationless and portable lines top out at 1/2 ton to 1 ton versus 3 ton for the floor mounted H-Series.