Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices
Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices
What Are Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices?
Below-the-hook lifting devices are essential for the safe transport and movement of loads by cranes and hoists. They are engineered to attach the load to the crane or hoist and ensure it remains secure until it is placed at its final destination. Given this critical function, they must be able to support and stabilize heavy loads without the risk of breaking. Otherwise, employees and equipment are at risk of injury/damage from falling materials.
Examples of common below-the-hook lifting devices include:
- These devices provide one or more lifting points to the load. Types available include lifting beams and spreader beams.
- These devices allow for the lifting and transport of coils and other similar materials through their inner diameter.
- These devices attach to the hook of the crane or hoist and grab/secure the load.
- Pallet lifters. These devices have claws that grab the material.
- Sheet lifters. These devices have forks that lift and support pallets from below.
- Lifting magnets. These devices carry ferrous materials without the use of electricity.
Features of ACECO’s Below-the-Hook Lifting Devices
At American Crane & Equipment Corporation (ACECO), we specialize in the design and manufacture of material handling equipment and systems. We offer a range of lifting products to accommodate various customer applications, including below-the-hook lifting devices. This product line includes standard to custom lifting beams and grapples, all of which are built to ASME BTH-1-2011 standards.
Our engineers can design and manufacture a variety of standard and custom below-the-hook lifting devices to meet different customer requirements, including:
- Lifting beams in 1-ton or 2-ton variations
- Lower blocks in 1-ton to 500-ton variations
- C-hooks in 1-ton to 500-ton variations
- Clamshell buckets in 1-ton to 500-ton variations
- Coil grabs in 1-ton to 500-ton variations
Custom Capabilities & Special-Purpose Grapples
We offer lifting devices that are custom-engineered for a variety of specialized problems. In the past, we’ve manufactured the following devices in 1-ton to 300-ton capacities:
- Magnet and rotating magnet beams
- Motorized telescopic lifting beams
- Container grabs and nuclear waste container grabs
- Crane scale systems
We work closely with the customer when making any custom device. By taking into account their equipment requirements and restrictions and the load’s size, shape, and center of gravity, we ensure the lifting solution fully meets their needs. For example, our special-purpose grapples can be custom-engineered with a stainless steel or carbon steel construction suitable for:
- Most existing crane and hoist systems
- NUREG 0554 and NUREG 0612 heavy lift systems
- Industrial and nuclear applications
- Remotely operated mechanical and electrical applications
- Seismically qualified applications
Common Applications of Below-the-Hook Devices
Below-the-hook lifting devices are used in a variety of material handling operations. Typical materials they lift, move, stack, and retrieve include:
- Concrete blocks
- Metal bars and girders
- Metal coils and wire rope coils
- Pipes and tubes
- Pallets
- Drums and other containers
- Loose bulk materials (e.g., sand and grain)
