Planning a Machinery Move Inside a Factory
How to move heavy machinery inside or between factories in ICAD and Musaffah: crane vs heavy forklift, headroom, floor loading, and the order of work.
Short answer: inside a factory hall, headroom and floor loading decide the method more than the machine's weight. Heavy forklifts, skates, and jacking handle most moves under the roof. A mobile crane is used when the machine must come out through a roof opening, over a wall, or onto a truck in the yard.
| Situation | Usual method |
|---|---|
| Move within the same hall, good floor | Jacks and skates, or a heavy forklift |
| Load out through a large door to a truck | Heavy forklift to the door, crane or forklift onto the trailer |
| No door large enough | Crane through a roof opening or over a wall |
| Machine over 25 tons | Crane in the yard, skates or gantry inside |
| Suspended floor or mezzanine | Engineer's check first, then the lightest method that works |
Survey Before You Book
- ✓Weight and centre of gravity, from the manufacturer or the nameplate
- ✓Lifting points and whether the machine needs a spreader beam
- ✓Door width and height, and the route from position to door
- ✓Floor or slab capacity along the route
- ✓Where a crane could set up outside, and the radius to the pick point
The Order of Work
Disconnect power, compressed air, and fluids first, and drain anything that adds weight or could spill. Then lift or jack the machine, move it, set it down, and level it. Book the crane and transport for the same day so the machine is never left half-loaded. In ICAD and Musaffah this is common work for our 25 ton and 50 ton cranes and heavy forklifts. See equipment rental in ICAD for what we supply there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a crane to move factory machinery?+
Not always. Moves inside a hall are usually done with heavy forklifts, skates, and jacks. A crane is needed to lift through a roof, over a wall, or onto a trailer where a forklift cannot reach.
How heavy a machine can a forklift move?+
Heavy forklifts handle loads up to around 25 tons at their rated load centre. Above that, or for awkward shapes, a crane, gantry, or skates are used.
Related Pages
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