Piling cranes or piling rigs are fundamentally used in the construction industry to drive steel sheets deep into the ground in order to stabilise foundations and protect from land shifts.
A piling crane is similar to a mobile lattice boom crane in style in that they are mobile and sit on caterpillar tracks rather than wheels. This gives them much more stability and the ability to move over rougher terrain. They typically have a rotational body for better positioning. The tall leader pole/frame guides the steel pile in a stable, vertical position, then with the use of steel wire ropes to raise and lower the hammer or other tools driving piles deep into the ground. The hammer may be an impact type or a vibration type depending on the crane and type of pile driving being carried out.
Wire rope provides a lot of muscle during the operation of a piling crane. They continuously lift and lower the hammer (the hammer line) whilst the main hoist ropes handle the pile, typically on a powered hoist.
Using the right wire rope is critical to safe operation; for example the hoist rope must have anti-rotation properties to prevent out of control spinning.
The hammer line can go through thousands of lift-and-drop cycles in a single session. Each cycle puts the rope under sudden shock loads as the hammer is released. This repeated stress causes fatigue, which gradually weakens the wires.
Piling cranes typically have two ropes – the main hoist rope and the pile/pipe/hammer handling rope. Find a brief description of each below or head to the documentation area above where you can download the full specifications in PDF format.
This selection of galvanized steel wire ropes have anti-spin properties therefore spinning out of control is prevented. The compacted nature of the rope construction ensures smooth passage over drums and sheaves whilst providing ultimate strength and abrasion resistance to the wires. This compaction of the strands enables smaller diameters to be used with the same minimum breaking load strength as non compacted ropes.

This construction boasts anti-spin properties and is suitable for piling crane hoists given that it will not spin out of control when under load. Its compacted design affords good crush resistance when coiled in multiple layers on the hoists drum. Diameters from 8mm up to 22mm available. 1960 MPa strength

These compacted wire ropes with rotation resistance are come in diameters from 24mm to 44mm. This is a high strength steel rope with 1960 MPa making it ideal as a main hoist rope on piling cranes.

The 28x7 rope boasts features including a Warrington steel core, rotation resistance and compacted strands. Available in diameters ranging from 10mm to 17mm.

This wire rope is perfect for high rise lifting tasks, thus ideal for piling crane hoists. Featuring a Warrington steel core. 18mm to 26mm diameters available.

The 35x7 is a flexibile rope ideal for hoisting on a piling crane. Its compacted design, means good crush resistance and is stronger than equivalent diameter non-compacted ropes. 28mm to 48mm available.

35x26 rope for use on piling cranes as a hoist rope. 68mm, 70mm & 72mm diameters available in 2160 MPa strength rope. Featuring compacted strands with a Warrington steel core.

Our 35x31 rope for piling crane hoists comes in diameters from 68mm up to 72mm. They are good for high rise lifting. 2160 MPa strength, a Warrington core and compacted strands.

35x36 wire rope is one of our larger non-rotating, compacted hoist ropes with a Warrington steel core. ideal for piling cranes. Available in large diameters from 93mm up to 109mm in 2060 MPa strength rope

The largest diameter 49x36 piling crane hoist rope comes in sizes from 113mm to 125mm in 2060 MPa high strength rope. Boasting compacted inner and outer strands with a Warrington core provide a high resistance wire rope.
The wire ropes in this section are plastic impregnated (PIR). The plastic sits between the outer and inner strands to provide cushioning against abrasion whilst improving the ropes behaviour during repetitive lifting cycles. These ropes are also compacted for even greater abrasion resistance and strength.

This plastic impregnated wire rope cements the outer and inner cores together, decreasing internal pressure and abrasion. The rope is more manageable, flexible and crush resistant as a result. Available in diameters from 6.5mm up to 15mm.

This rope has 8 outer strands made up of 26 wires plus an independent wire core. The addition of plastic impregnation much improves handling, strength and flexibility. Available in diameters from 16mm to 32mm.

Ideal for heavy duty applications including pile handling tasks on a piling crane, this plastic impregnated hoist rope comes in diameters from 34mm up to 58mm.

With 60mm to 65mm diameters available, our largest PIR pile handling rope is ideal for fleet angles and repetitive lifting cycles.
Due to cranes coming in various formats and typically utilizing more than one wire rope it is usually the case that different rope constructions will be required. One size does not fit all! Lifting Gear Direct have a vast selection of wire ropes suitable for use on all types of cranes such as container cranes, overhead cranes, harbour cranes, tower cranes and more. Ropes can be supplied that are suitable for main hoist ropes, AUX ropes, boom or trolley ropes. Get in touch if you require any guidance.