Jib cranes are somewhat unique in the world of overhead cranes. While most overhead cranes are supported on both sides by walls or legs, the beam or girder on a jib crane is only supported at one end. Freestanding jib cranes have a floor-mounted pillar with a long steel beam at the top that sticks out horizontally from the pillar. This beam is known as the jib. In most cases, it can rotate freely around in a full circle, with the pillar at the center of the circle.
There are also wall-mounted jib cranes available. These cranes also have a horizontal jib (grua horizontal pluma). The primary difference is that they are mounted to the wall rather than being attached to a freestanding pillar. As a result, they can only rotate about 180° before they can’t go any further because of the wall.
One question that people often have has to do with which style of jib crane is the most popular. That question is a little bit hard to answer since it depends on the industry.
Businesses that use assembly-line production, for instance, often prefer wall-mounted jib cranes (gruas banderas). These lightweight cranes can be mounted over workstations so that employees can use them to make their jobs a little bit easier.
Some manufacturing companies use small freestanding jib cranes instead. Typically, these cranes are installed near individual work areas so that workers can take advantage of their lifting capabilities. Depending on where they are located, they are either used to move objects around a single workstation or between different workstations as the materials make their way through the production line.
Post-mounted cranes are also sometimes used in these situations. These cranes are somewhat like a hybrid between a freestanding crane and a wall-mounted crane. Instead of being mounted to the wall or attached to a pillar on the floor, they are mounted to one of the structural support posts of the building.
Large freestanding cranes are popular in the shipping industry. You can often find cranes like these installed on docks or near railways. These heavy-duty cranes are used for loading and unloading cargo from ships or train cars. The jib on dock-mounted cranes is usually long enough that it extends out over the water. This allows it to lift items up off of the decks of boats that are docked nearby.
You can also find hitch-mounted or truck-bed-mounted jib cranes (pluma con columna). These small, lightweight cranes are designed to help people load heavy items like engines or equipment into the back of their truck or onto an attached trailer.
What it really boils down to is that there is no easy answer when it comes to figuring out which type of jib crane is the most popular. It really depends on the industry. Cranes that are extremely popular for one application may be impractical for another. If you are shopping for a jib crane, you should think about how you plan to use it to determine which model is the most suitable for your specific type of application.