Enclosed-track systems stop at 4,000 lbs. A 5 to 40 ton building crane is the wrong tool for repetitive lifts inside one cell, and a workstation crane is the system that covers that rectangle, with bridge spans up to 34 feet. The trolley runs inside the track rather than on an exposed flange, which is what lets one operator push the load by hand.
We lay out and install these systems as an authorized Gorbel dealer from our shop in Acworth, on I-75 north of Atlanta, for plants across Georgia and the Southeast. The choice between a free-standing frame, a ceiling-mounted runway, and a jib is settled by the slab, the roof steel, and the shape of the work.
A Workstation Crane Shares the Bay With the Building Crane
A jib covers a circle around one fixed point. A workstation bridge crane covers a rectangle. Both use enclosed track, so the trolley runs inside the section rather than on an exposed I-beam flange, and the system stays light enough to move by hand.
The bridge and trolley roll manually. Only the hoist or lifting device needs electricity or air. Runways can be extended later, and additional bridges can be added, so a cell can grow without replacing the crane. Capacities on the Gorbel jib and workstation cranes we install run from 150 to 4,000 lbs. Bridge spans go up to 34 feet, and the runway can be as long as the work requires.
That is a different job from a 5 to 40 ton building crane. If the load is measured in tons, or the hook has to travel the length of a bay, the answer is one of the overhead crane systems, not an enclosed-track workstation. We have installed workstation cranes under existing building cranes for that reason: the big hook stays on the heavy moves, and the cell handles its own repetitive lifts.
Specifying a workstation crane starts with the heaviest load, including any below-the-hook tooling, and the rectangle the hook has to cover.
Free-Standing Systems Keep the Load Off the Roof Steel
A free-standing workstation crane stands on the floor. The columns and runways carry the load into reinforced concrete at least 6 inches thick, and the roof steel is left alone. That is the usual answer in a leased building, or in any plant whose roof was never designed for a suspended load.
A ceiling-mounted workstation crane hangs from the building structure and keeps the floor clear. It needs adequate overhead steel, and we review that structure before anything is quoted. If the steel will not take it, the proposal says so, and the job moves to a free-standing frame.
The slab matters as much as the roof. Free-standing systems put concentrated loads into the floor. We check thickness and condition, and we design a footing where the slab is not enough. Clearances get the same review: hook height, headroom, and hook approach against the lights, sprinkler mains, ductwork, and machines that are actually in the cell.
On jobs we have already completed, a two-ton free-standing workstation crane was installed in one working day. An assembly-line crane system has been installed in under five days, once the drawings and fabrication were finished. Many Gorbel cranes and components ship in about five working days. Custom systems take longer. The crane itself usually does not trigger a building permit in Georgia, but new foundations, supporting structure, and electrical work often do, and we confirm what the local jurisdiction requires. A workstation crane is also less disruptive to install than a runway for a building crane, which is sometimes the better reason to choose it.
A Jib Is the Cheaper Answer When One Station Is Enough
A workstation crane is the wrong buy when one machine needs circular coverage around a single point. An enclosed-track jib, typically up to about 1,000 lbs, covers that station without a runway or support columns, and it usually costs less for that reason. The comparison turns on coverage, not on capacity.
Skip the bridge entirely if the work is occasional and moves around the plant. A portable gantry rolls to the lift and leaves nothing bolted to the floor, which is the cheaper answer for maintenance work that happens at different machines a few times a year.
Skip the workstation class altogether when the load is 5 tons or more. That is overhead crane territory, with runway beams, a different duty class, and a different install. A heavier enclosed-track system will not get you there. The Gorbel enclosed-track line we install stops at 4,000 lbs.
If the cell has several stations, or the load has to travel a rectangle rather than swing through an arc, the workstation bridge crane earns its cost. That is the configuration we use on assembly lines and in tight production cells, including work fitted around a live vehicle assembly line, where a single rotating boom would leave part of the area uncovered.
Enclosed Track Is What Lets One Operator Move the Load
The reason a Gorbel workstation crane feels different on the floor is the track. The trolley wheels ride on an internal running surface that stays clean, so rolling resistance drops and the operator pushes the load instead of fighting the crane. Enclosed-track models in this class are designed to ANSI MH27.2. In a high-cycle cell, that low push force is the job a workstation crane is meant to do: take the lift off the operator and off the building crane.
For high-frequency, high-precision placement, a G-Force or Easy Arm lifting device can hang from the bridge, a monorail, a jib, or its own arm, in the 165 to 1,320 lb class, with a float mode for fine positioning. Stainless and specialty finishes are available when the cell is a washdown bay in a food, pharmaceutical, or chemical plant.
We handle the survey, the layout, the foundation work, and the crane installation on one contract, as a licensed Georgia commercial contractor, so there is no split between the dealer who sold it and the crew who sets it. After handover, crane inspection and service stay with the same company. New systems are inspected and load tested before first use, following OSHA 29 CFR 1910.179.
Send us the heaviest load, including any below-the-hook tooling, the span you need to cover, the clear height, and a photo of the bay. Call 770-529-0418. If a workstation crane is the right fit, we will walk the floor at your plant, check the slab and the roof steel, and return an AutoCAD layout with an itemized proposal for equipment, freight, and turnkey installation.
Power and Motion designs, sells, and installs these systems from 1720 Mars Hill Rd, Suite 120-375, Acworth, GA 30101, and works regularly across Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Mike is factory-trained through Gorbel Crane School. If the job is a bad fit, we will tell you that on the first visit.
