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The Strength and Durability of Industrial Grade Beam Trolleys
A beam trolley is used to suspend a hoist from an overhead beam, enabling it to travel up and down the beam with ease. They are mainly used in industries where heavy loads need to be transported from one side of a warehouse to another whilst simultaneously minimalizing the degree of sway.
Different types of beam trolleys
Beam trolleys come in several different variants depending on the size of the load you need it to support. Light duty beam trolleys tend to be push trolleys. These are powered manually, and movement is achieved through pushing against the load. For heavier loads, geared trolleys are more typically used. Geared trolleys are typically operated with a standard 15-foot hand chain drop although other hand chain drops are available. You can also get electric powered beam trolleys. These are powered by an electric motor and operated through a pendant control. They are particularly useful if you need to transport loads over greater distances.
Safety factor
Industrial grade beam trolleys are graded on their safety factor which determines how much extra capacity beyond their expected load they are able to carry. Industrial grade beam trolleys are typically designed with a safety factor of 5:1. This means they can carry up to 5 times more capacity than their predicted load and are suitable for both manual or powered hoists.
Selecting a beam trolley
The type of beam trolley you opt for will depend on the weight of the load you need the hoist to carry and the overall width of the beam. You will also need to know the distance the trolley will be expected to travel as well as the minimum curve radius. The trolley wheel tread should be able to run smoothly and negotiate every curve of the beam with ease. Motorized trolleys are also available in standard as well as special speed configuration of . They are rated in feet per minute travel.
If you require extra protection for your beam trolley, then corrosion or spark resistant versions are available. Anti-drop plates also ensure extra durability and act as wheel guards preventing excessive damage when contacting end rail stoppers.
Beam trolleys such as this one from Corso are popular purchases
Image Source: https://www.liftinggeardirect.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/o/corso_push_pic_5x5.jpg
Purchasing beam trolleys through Lifting Gear Direct
Here at Lifting Gear Direct, we offer a variety of industrial grade beam trolleys suitable for a wide range of applications and environments including standard units through to corrosion resistant trolleys ideal for damp/wet applications. If you need any help or advice choosing the appropriate product for your application, please give us a call on 01384 76961. Alternatively, you can get in touch through our contact us page.
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General Data Protection Regulations 25th May 2018
Regulations are changing and your security is very important to us. Information regarding what data we keep, its storage, security, access and retention can be found in our Privacy Policy. Please also see our Letter of Authority which can be found below. We would kindly ask that you complete and return these to allow us to hold and process your data for the purposes of current and future trading with your organisation.
Please remember that you can withdraw your consent and for updates to the uses of your data any time.
Your contact if you need any further information or would like us to remove any existing data we have is Stephen Shaw.
LGD GDPR Letter of Authority
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Lifting Gear Inspections – What are they Exactly?
Lifting equipment is used in a whole range of industries, from construction to engineering and shipping to mining. Regardless of the sector that it is being used within or the purpose it is being used for, it will be subject to a high degree of stress, strain and pressure.
The equipment is designed for situations such as this, and is built to be long-lasting. Made from tough metals or other materials, and designed in the most modern and innovative way, your equipment will certainly stand the test of time.
It’s important to regularly inspect your equipment
That being said, all equipment, whether it’s for the lifting industry or not, will suffer natural wear and tear over its service life. For this reason, lifting gear inspections are vitally important.
Why carry out lifting gear inspections?
There are two primary reasons that you’ll need to carry out lifting gear inspections. The first we have touched on above; your equipment is naturally going to degrade in quality during its usage for more updates click here . While it is designed to be long-lasting, no equipment can last forever!
Abrasion, corrosion, and constant usage are just some of the examples of things that your gear will face during its service life. Many of these things happen gradually over time, and lifting gear inspections help to ensure that you can spot these things before they become a serious problem.
But secondly, inspections are also required by the law too. You will find this referred to in the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), and the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), which both fall under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Obviously, this is an important piece of legislation!
Familiarise yourself with all relevant guidelines
Both of these pieces of legislation require that all lifting operations are properly planned, and this involves using the right equipment that has been properly tested and inspected. As PUWER says, all equipment must be;
”safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and inspected to ensure it is correctly installed and does not subsequently deteriorate.”
So, to ensure that you stay on the right side of the law and don’t face any unnecessary legal damages, you’ll want to regularly inspect your equipment! But, more so than this, you want to do it simply to keep your workers safe. Faulty equipment can cause serious, or sometimes fatal, harm, and lifting gear inspections are one of the best ways to prevent this.
The two types of inspection
There are two types of inspection that you must carry out on your gear. Firstly, inspections by yourselves. We recommend that you do this before each use, as this ensures that your operation will be as safe as possible.
However, your gear is required, by law, to have a more thorough check every so often too. This should be done at least every six to 12 months, depending on the type of equipment that you have. Generally, loose lifting equipment such as shackles and eyebolts will be every six months, while all other equipment is every 12 months. It is recommended that this is done professionally, after which you will receive a certificate which deems the equipment suitable until its next inspection.
We are able to perform this task for you, using our LOLER and LEEA approved engineers to carry out expert, professional checks and inspections. Should any problems arise during these lifting gear inspections, we will also be on hand to service the equipment or replace the parts.
Give your gear a longer service life
To ensure that your equipment passes its inspections, it is important that you keep it in a good working order at all times. There are some ways that you can help to prolong its service life:
- Always follow all guidelines given to you by your manufacturer
- Most important of these guidelines will be the safe working load (SWL) of your equipment, which you must never exceed
- Ensure that you only use your equipment in environments that are conducive to their longevity. For example, steel equipment is more likely to corrode outdoors than steel over a long period
- Store your equipment safely and in the right conditions
- Make sure that all equipment is used in the right way and by competent persons
- Handle your equipment with care and patience!
These are just some of our top tips, but if you’re looking for more advice, please find our contact details below.
Looking for more information?
Want to know more about lifting gear inspections? Interested in hiring the help of the professionals? Just fancy a chat? We’re here to help you with everything that you need. Please feel free to reach out to us here.
Image credits: geralt and Geisteskerker
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Welcome to Lifting Gear Direct Ltd
Jib Crane & Gantries Hoisting Equipment Lifting Clamps Slings & Components
Load Restraints Plate Lifting Hydraulics Lifting Accessories
Beam Attachments Drum Handling Fork Lift Attachments Load Moving
Load & Force Calculation Winches Wire Rope Products Height Safety
Lifting Gear Inspections Shop By Brand Lifting Equipment Videos
Not just a Supplier - We manufacture too, and offer other lifting equipment services
Here at Lifting Gear Direct we do not only supply a vast array of premium quality lifting gear and lifting equipment that's suitable for any professional application; we also manufacture certain lifting equipment, bespoke to us such as lifting gantries, jib cranes, lifting beams and lifting dogs etc. All comply to necessary industry standards. We also have our own team of qualified engineers for breakdowns, repairs and inspections on any lifting equipment.
We pride ourselves on our extensive range of lifting equipment, stocking nearly a thousand different products. We have everything from smaller loose tackle and lifting accessories such as eyebolts and shackles, to items equipped to physically lift heavier loads such as chain blocks, electric hoists, air hoists and lever hoists; these make up part of our hoists & hoisting equipment range. We also manufacture Crane & gantry systems like Jib Cranes and mobile lifting gantries as well as supplying workshop floor cranes and lightweight aluminium lifting gantries. Whatever your lifting requirements are, we have the solution.
Our expert team have years of experience providing lifting gear and lifting equipment throughout the UK to a wide variety of trades and industries. Find out more on our about us page.
With a team of in-office customer support agents, sales personnel and electrical and mechanical engineers, we can help you through every part of the process. This includes from the initial discussion on the equipment that you will need, right through to installing, servicing and inspecting your lifting gear.
UK Suppliers of Lifting Equipment
We like to ensure that all of our customers get expert advice when required. It is just as important to us, as it is to you that you get the most suitable equipment for your intended task, so - whether by email, fax or phone a member of our team will always respond to your request as soon as possible. In this competitive market, we always aim to supply quality lifting equipment at the most competitive prices possible and are often unbeaten on many of our products.
With a price guarantee and discount options often available, we can ensure that you will get the best deal on the market for your lifting gear and lifting equipment. Our mechanical and electrical engineers are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure that no matter when you have a problem, we can be there to help. So make us your one point of call for all your needs
We stock both our own range of products, which we manufacture at our on-site facility, as well as robust and reliable equipment from top branded industry leaders such as Gunnebo and Yale.
Using Our Website.
The term lifting equipment covers a monstrous range of products and it can become very confusing when trying to find exactly what you are looking for, especially when a website has so many products on offer like Lifting Gear Direct. This is often because products are broken down and listed under sub-category headings, so unless you know the right term it can be difficult to find.
We have taken this into consideration and hope you find our website easy to navigate, many of our customer have said they like the layered, structural layout.
In short there are just a couple of main categories, lifting equipment, material handling, height safety and Servicing & inspections, the smallest category. Material handling has the next fewest sub-categories including forklift attachments, load moving equipment such as skates and pallet trucks, and also includes drum handling equipment which includes drum lifters, drum trucks and forklift truck mounted drum handling equipment.
Our largest category is for lifting equipment which is sub-divided into smaller segments with options for beam attachments, for items like beam clamps and trolleys; plate lifting equipment for lifting magnets, and plate clamps; Other Lifting Clamps & Grabs; Hydraulics for products including bottle jacks, cylinders and pumps. Other sub categories include load and force calculation equipment, wire rope products and winches.
The above are just a few examples; to find the full list hover over our mega menu at the top of the page in the blue banner where you will see the main sub categories, click to choose. You can also use the left side navigation menu, once you have clicked to a page the full sub-category menu will display on the left. Please contact us if you have difficulty finding a particular type of product, we will help you to navigate the site.
As well as our range of products, we offer servicing and maintenance on all equipment, site inspections, testing and the initial setup of equipment, as well as delivery using our well-connected distribution network. As we are perfectly placed in the centre of the United Kingdom, based in the West Midlands, we can provide swift and efficient delivery and repairs to all corners of the UK. We also offer advice and information on vital things to consider within the lifting gear and lifting equipment industry, such as height safety and its rules and regulations.
Our Videos
Some pages of our website already have videos incorporated with more in the production process. We now also have our very own You Tube channel where you can view all of our videos in one place.
We have videos about eye bolts and swivel eye bolts, lifting gantry systems, Lifting Slings, Load Restraints, electric hoists and many more.
Be sure to check it out by clicking on the link below, and like our videos which are all filmed and produced completely by a member of our team.
Keeping up-to-date with Lifting Gear Direct
We’re regularly sourcing new equipment, assessing our work processes, exploring new developments in the market or even expanding our own company. Make sure to keep up with the latest updates, news and insights into the lifting gear industry from us at Lifting Gear Direct here. You can see the latest posts from us on the right-hand side, and be sure to follow us on our social channels by following the links at the bottom of the page.
Have a question about lifting equipment?
If you’re interested to know more about the lifting gear industry, have a question about a particular product or service that we offer, or just want a chat, please do get in touch with us here or call us on 01384 76961.
Lifting Gear Direct Ltd – The Name That Carries Its Weight!