What’s a Crane Winch?

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A crane hoist is a large reel of cable attached to a gear drive unit capable of lifting heavy loads. The crane winch contains a steel cable with a hook or coupling device attached to lift loads. The crane’s boom is a steel lattice structure that may or may not use a jib to extend the reach of the machine. The crane winch is typically powered by a power take-off (PTO) shaft. The crane’s winch allows a large steel bucket to be dropped into a pond, lake, or river and then pulled to the bottom.

A crane hoist is a large reel of cable attached to a gear drive unit capable of lifting very heavy material loads. Positioned at the bottom of the crane boom, the crane winch contains a steel cable heavy enough to travel the length of the crane boom and back down to the ground, with extra cable wrapped around the winch reel. The crane winch typically has a large hook or coupling device attached to the end of the cable that allows the crane to attach and lift loads. It is common for a crane to have two or more winches, with one winch operating the hoist wire while another operates and positions the boom itself.

A machine often fitted with tracks, a crane uses a very high boom to reach high positions and deliver building materials and supplies. The boom is commonly a steel lattice structure that may or may not use a jib to extend the reach of the machine from the boom. A large crane winch contains and controls the cable that runs to and through the boom. The crane winch is typically powered by a power take-off (PTO) shaft which runs from the engine and also uses a clutch and brake to control the descent of the cable from the winch spool.

Although a crane’s boom may be very high, this does not mean that the crane can lift a very heavy load with the boom in a horizontal position. The length of the boom is simply to allow the crane to reach higher altitudes. The crane reaches outboard locations by using the crane’s winch to extend the boom, or smaller boom, located at the top of the boom. When fitted with a boom, the crane winch can hold up to three separate reels of cable, with each reel using an independent PTO drive shaft to control the release and retrieval of its cable.

On some types of crane, such as a dragline, the crane’s winch allows a large steel bucket to be dropped into a pond, lake, or river and then pulled to the bottom. This drag, obtained by winding the cable back onto the crane’s winch, fills the bucket with earth, gravel and water. Once the bucket has reached the end of the drag area, it is lifted out of the water by spooling the line back onto the winch spool. The crane pivots on its frame and empties the bucket into a pile or truck and completes the process again or until the correct water depth has been reached.




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