A combination crane hangs its whole load on your building. Eight on-site stages, suspension point loads from 0.125 to 2 tonnes, the track and switch tolerances that decide whether a trolley binds, 2026 installed cost ranges, and the load test that closes the job.
A combination crane system takes 3 to 10 working days to install, once the roof structure above it has been checked and reinforced. The installation labour is the cheap half of the project. What decides whether the system still runs smoothly in five years is the building above it, the suspension point loads you put into that building, and the alignment of the track joints, curves and switch sections.
This guide is written for the plant engineer who signs the installation contract and will be the one calling somebody back in eighteen months. It covers the eight on-site stages for a modular workstation crane system, how big suspension point loads actually get, the track tolerances that decide whether a trolley binds at a switch, 2026 cost ranges, and the load test that closes the job.
One thing worth saying early, because it catches people out: a combination crane is usually not one machine. It arrives as track sections, trolleys, hoists, brackets and hangers, and it becomes a machine on your floor. That changes who is legally responsible for it, and we come back to that at the end.
A single overhead crane is one structure hanging in one place. A combination crane system is a track network. Straight runways, curved sections, switch sections that let a trolley move from one line to another, and several hoists working the same network without getting in each other's way.
That difference is what makes the install long. On a normal bridge crane you level a runway and put a bridge on it. On a modular system you are setting out a layout, and every joint, every curve and every switch is a place where the trolley either rolls through cleanly or wears itself out.
There is also a building conversation that does not exist on a floor-mounted crane. Everything in the system hangs off your roof or your ceiling structure. The track dead weight, the trolley, the hoist and the rated load all arrive at the roof as concentrated point loads through the hangers, not as uniform load. Roof structures are usually designed for uniform load. That mismatch is the single most common reason a combination crane project gets expensive halfway through.
| Scope item | Who normally supplies it | Where it goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Track sections, curves, switches, trolleys, hoists, end stops | Crane supplier | Track ordered before the layout is frozen, then a curve lands where a roof beam is |
| Hanger rods, brackets, suspension fittings | Usually crane supplier, sometimes site fabricated | Threaded adjustment runs out and the fitters start packing shims |
| Roof or ceiling reinforcement, purlin strengthening | Structural contractor | Nobody prices it, because nobody checked the purlin capacity |
| Free-standing frame, columns, floor anchors (if no roof is usable) | Crane supplier or steel fabricator | Slab thickness only discovered after anchor drawings are approved |
| Energy feed: festoon cable, conductor rail or energy chain | Crane supplier plus electrical contractor | A branching layout cannot be served by one straight festoon run |
| Load test, commissioning, declaration of conformity | Installation contractor, often the crane supplier | Test report never written, so the file is incomplete at the first audit |
Three to ten working days on site once the structure is ready and the track is on the floor. The bigger number is not the installation. It is everything before it, and that is where most combination crane projects lose two weeks without anyone noticing.
| Stage | Typical duration | Usually done by |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Layout survey, roof structure check, suspension point positions marked | 0.5-1 day | Owner plus crane engineer |
| 2. Track system design freeze: sections, support spacings, curve and switch positions, project drawing | 3-10 days (office) | Crane supplier engineering |
| 3. Roof or ceiling reinforcement, purlin strengthening, cast-in or chemical anchors | 3-15 days | Structural contractor |
| 4. Brackets and hangers fitted, height adjustment threads set to the survey marks | 1-3 days | Installation crew |
| 5. Track assembly: straight sections joined, splice plates torqued, curves and switch sections fitted | 2-5 days | Installation crew |
| 6. Trolleys, hoists, end stops, buffers and anti-derailment guides installed | 1-2 days | Installation crew |
| 7. Energy feed installed and terminated: festoon, conductor rail or energy chain | 1-3 days | Electrical crew |
| 8. Alignment survey, switch transfer test, load test, commissioning and handover | 1-2 days | Commissioning engineer |
Add those up and you get 10 to 20 working days from first survey to handover. What surprises people is stage 3. A 1 tonne workstation system that hangs off an older portal frame roof can need more reinforcement days than track installation days, because the purlins were never sized for a point load and now somebody has to prove that they are, or fix them.
This is the number that should start the project, not the crane capacity. The suspension point load is what arrives at the building at each hanger, and it is not the rated load. It is the rated load plus the hoist and trolley dead weight, multiplied by a dynamic factor, split between the two hangers either side, plus the share of track weight.
For a light crane, the horizontal forces that reach the roof are much smaller than the vertical ones, which is the main reason articulated hangers are used. In the KBK Aluline system documentation, the horizontal force transmitted to the support structure is limited to a maximum of 10 percent of the trolley load for cranes, and 5 percent for single and double girder runways. That limit only holds because the hanger is articulated. Replace it with a rigid welded bracket and that assumption leaves the building.
| Hoist capacity | Trolley load K (kN) | Per hanger at 4 m spacing | Per hanger at 6 m spacing | Per hanger at 8 m spacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.125 t | 2.3 | 1.8 kN | 2.1 kN | 2.4 kN |
| 0.5 t | 8.1 | 4.7 kN | 5.0 kN | 5.3 kN |
| 1 t | 15.7 | 8.5 kN | 8.8 kN | 9.1 kN |
| 2 t | 30.9 | 16.1 kN | 16.4 kN | 16.7 kN |
Read that table twice, because the pattern in it is counter-intuitive. Going from 4 m to 8 m hanger spacing adds less than 7 percent to the load on the worst hanger. The trolley load dominates, and it does not care how far apart the hangers are.
So spacing is not set by hanger strength. It is set by track deflection and by how much bounce the operator will tolerate. The usual design basis for light modular track is a deflection limit of L/500 with a natural frequency not below 2.8 Hz. A track that meets the strength check but sags 25 mm over 6 m will feel wrong every single lift, and no amount of extra anchor bolts fixes feel.
| Design check | Typical limit | Why it exists |
|---|---|---|
| Vertical deflection, cranes and runways | L/500 | Keeps the load from rolling downhill toward midspan |
| Natural frequency of loaded track | Not below 2.8 Hz | Operator comfort and positioning accuracy |
| Horizontal force on the support structure | Max 10% of trolley load K for cranes, 5% for runways | Only holds with articulated hangers, not rigid brackets |
| Dynamic factor on trolley load | 1.25 to 1.4, per duty group | Covers hoisting and travel oscillation |
| Approach to end stops and internal buffers | Not approached in normal operation | Buffers are a last resort, not a working position |
If a supplier sends you a quotation for a suspended system without a suspension point load drawing, the quotation is not finished. Ask for it before you sign anything, because your structural engineer cannot check a roof against a number nobody has calculated.
Two rules cover most of it, and both are easy to break by accident.
First, a track joint must not sit on or beside a suspension assembly. Splice plates need room to be tightened and inspected, and a joint next to a hanger puts the bending moment in the worst possible place. The same applies to the overhang past the last hanger, which has a permitted maximum length in the supplier's documentation. If the layout forces a joint under a roof beam, move the joint, not the roof beam.
Second, hanger adjustment is a budget, not a free variable. Articulated hangers with threaded connections give you roughly 25 to 50 mm of vertical adjustment depending on the fitting. Set out the brackets so the thread sits near the middle of its range, then use that range for final levelling. Fitters who bracket everything to the same nominal height find out on day three that the roof structure itself is out by 40 mm across the bay, and there is nothing left to adjust.
Practical sequence for a suspended system: survey and mark, bracket and hanger first, then hang the first straight section, then build outward from it joining one section at a time. Do not assemble the whole track on the floor and lift it. Light modular track is stiff enough to fight you, and you will chase misalignment for the rest of the week.
Enclosed track and open profile track behave differently here. An enclosed steel or aluminium track resists torsion and carries the trolley inside the profile. An open profile section is more sensitive to twist, so the hangers have to do more work and the joint alignment matters more. If you are comparing options, the combination crane system page lists the track types and capacities we build, and the sizing guide below covers choosing between them.
Tolerances are where a "finished" installation either becomes a smooth-running system or a permanent complaint. The numbers below are the ones a commissioning engineer should be holding a level and a straightedge against.
| Check | Tolerance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Running surface continuity at a track joint | Within +/-1 mm, vertical step and lateral offset | ASME B30.2 / B30.17 practice for underhung and monorail track |
| Relative elevation, two parallel rails or tracks on the same line | Maximum 1/8 in (3.2 mm) at any point along the runway | ASME B30.17 |
| Elevation difference at the same line, stricter European basis | +/-1.5 mm | FEM 9.341 / ISO 12488-1 |
| Track straightness in plan over any 2 m | +/-2 mm | Common light system specification |
| As-built survey record before load test | Elevation, position and gauge recorded at 2 m intervals | Required for load test certification and later trend analysis |
| Alignment re-check under rated load | Tolerances must hold loaded, not only empty | Runway deflection can add several mm under load |
That last row is the one people skip. A track that measures perfectly with nothing on it can go 8 to 12 mm out of level under a full load if the structure above deflects unevenly. Survey it empty, survey it loaded, and keep both records. When the system starts binding two years later, the difference between the two surveys tells you whether something has moved.
Straight track is forgiving. Curves and switches are not, and a combination crane exists precisely because it has them.
A curved section changes the way load gets into the hangers. As the trolley rolls through the curve it applies a lateral component, and that component tries to twist the track section. Hangers around a curve therefore need to be closer together than on a straight run, and the curve itself needs support on both sides so it cannot open or close under load. If you see a curve hanging off a single hanger in the middle, that is a design error, not a simplification.
Switch sections, sometimes called turnouts or transfer sections, are where a trolley crosses from one line to another. They are the most maintenance-hungry part of any modular system, and they are where a poor installation shows up first. Two things have to be right. The switch must align both tracks so the running surfaces line up within the same +/-1 mm step tolerance as an ordinary joint. And the interlocking that stops a trolley moving when the switch is not fully set must be checked as a function, not just visually. ASME B30.17 devotes a clause to interlocking systems for underhung cranes for exactly this reason.
Test every switch with rated load, in both directions, at slow speed, before you accept the job. A switch that transfers an empty trolley and binds with a load on it is not installed.
One more rule that gets ignored: buffer stops and end caps must never be a normal operating position. The layout should be dimensioned so the trolley does not reach them in routine use. If operators are parking the hoist against the end stop every cycle, either the track is too short or the stops are about to become the most replaced components on the system.
On a single straight runway this is simple. On a network with curves and switches it is a real decision, and it is the part most often left until the electrical contractor arrives and asks a hard question.
| Option | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Festoon cable on trolleys | Short straight runs, one hoist per line | Cannot follow a trolley through a switch without a second festoon run |
| Conductor rail with collector shoes | Long networks, multiple hoists, curves | Needs insulated joints at switch sections and a single deliberate earthing point per branch |
| Energy chain inside or beside the track | Clean environments, high duty cycles | Chain must be guided through curves or it will wear against the track |
| Cable reel | Single long straight travel, simple layouts | Reel spring tension often set wrong and wires the cable |
Rough rule from our own project work: a branching layout with two or more switches usually ends up on conductor rail, because per-branch festoon runs multiply the cable, the trolleys and the fault points. It costs more in material and less in the years that follow.
The honest answer for a modular system is that it depends on your roof more than on the crane. Below are 2026 ranges from SIEC quotations and typical site labour, FOB for the equipment and local currency for the work. Treat them as a budget frame, not a quotation, because two identical layouts in two different buildings are two different projects.
| Cost item | 2026 range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Track and components, 0.125-2 t, per hoist | USD 900-8,500 | Enclosed steel track at the lower end, aluminium and long spans higher |
| Track, per running metre | USD 90-260 / m | Section size and capacity dependent |
| 90 degree curve section | USD 220-650 each | Radius dependent, plus extra hangers either side |
| Switch or transfer section | USD 900-3,200 each | Manual lower end, powered and interlocked higher |
| Motorised trolley instead of manual | Add USD 600-2,200 per trolley | Worth it above roughly 40-50 lifts per shift |
| Brackets, hangers and suspension fittings | USD 60-180 per suspension point | Articulated fittings cost more and are usually the right choice |
| Roof or purlin reinforcement | USD 1,500-9,000 | Highest variance of any line in the budget |
| Installation labour, per hoist, structure ready | USD 700-3,500 | Longer for multi-hoist networks with switches |
| Energy feed, controls and electrical | USD 900-4,500 | Conductor rail over a branching layout sits at the top of the range |
| Load test and commissioning | USD 350-1,200 | Includes the as-built alignment report if you insist on it |
| System size | Typical installed total, 2026 | What drives the number |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hoist, single straight runway, 6 m | USD 3,500-12,000 | Capacity, span, manual or motorised trolley |
| 2 hoists, one curve, one switch, about 20 m of track | USD 11,000-28,000 | Switch count, energy feed choice, extra hangers |
| 3-4 hoists, branched network, 40 m plus track | USD 22,000-55,000 | Conductor rail, several switches, controls and interlocking |
| Any of the above with a free-standing frame instead of roof suspension | Add 25-60% on the track package | Columns, base plates, floor anchors, slab preparation |
Notice where the money goes in a low-capacity system. A 1 tonne hoist is a modest piece of equipment. The track network around it, the switches it crosses, the structure above it and the electrical work that follows it are all bigger line items. This is why the cost question and the layout question are the same question. Anyone who quotes you a combination crane per tonne of lifting capacity is quoting the smallest part of the job.
Light crane systems are reliable machines. The complaints that come back in year one are almost always about the interface, not the hoist. The distribution below is an approximate pattern we see across light track installations, and it is useful mainly because it tells you where to spend your commissioning time.
| First-year issue | Approximate share | Typical root cause |
|---|---|---|
| Building or structure complaints | 28% | Purlin local bending, hanger movement, cracked finishes near brackets |
| Trolley binding at joints or switches | 24% | Step at a joint above 1 mm, or switch not fully set when the trolley passes |
| Energy feed faults | 18% | Festoon cable chafing at a curve, collector shoe wear, wrong earthing |
| Hoist brake or limit switch | 16% | Normal wear on a high-cycle station, or upper limit set too close |
| Track alignment drift | 14% | Hanger threads not locked, or structure settled after the first heavy season |
Two of those five are cured before handover, and both are cheap to cure: torque the joints and lock the hanger threads. The other three are design decisions made months earlier.
A combination crane system is a machine, and machines get proof tested before they go into service. For underhung cranes and monorail systems the reference is ASME B30.17, which carries its own inspection and testing clauses, with the familiar 125 percent static and 110 percent dynamic pattern. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.179 sets the same structure for overhead and gantry cranes.
| Test | Load applied | What you are proving |
|---|---|---|
| Static proof load test | 125% of rated load, lifted just clear of the floor | Track, hangers and structure carry the load without permanent deformation |
| Dynamic operational test | 110% of rated load through the full working cycle | Hoist, trolley travel, brakes and every track section behave loaded |
| Switch transfer test | 100% rated load, both directions, slow speed | Trolley crosses every switch without binding, interlocking proven as a function |
| Brake holding test | 100% rated load, stop from full hoisting speed | Load holds without slip |
| Loaded deflection measurement | 100% rated load at the worst midspan position | Deflection within L/500 and the track still runs level |
| Limit and stop function check | No load, then rated load | Upper and lower limits, travel end stops, anti-derailment guides |
Write the results down. A load test without a signed report behind it is a story, and when a customer asks for the file or an insurer asks a question, the report is the only thing that counts. If the system is assembled from several hoists on one network, test each hoist and test one worst-case combination with two or three units loaded at the same time.
This is the list we work through before we call a combination crane system handed over. It takes an hour and it prevents most of what we described above.
| # | Item | Acceptance point |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension point load drawing issued and matched to site | Every bracket position on the drawing exists on site |
| 2 | Structural reinforcement signed off by a structural engineer | Written confirmation, not a verbal OK |
| 3 | Hanger threads locked after final levelling | Each hanger checked by hand for movement |
| 4 | Track joint step and lateral offset within +/-1 mm | Measured, recorded, at every joint |
| 5 | Alignment survey completed empty and under load | Two records in the file, at 2 m intervals |
| 6 | Every switch and curve tested at rated load, both directions | No binding, interlocking proven |
| 7 | End stops, buffers and anti-derailment guides fitted and functioning | Not reachable in normal operation |
| 8 | Electrical installation earthed, tested and certified | Insulation and earth continuity records |
| 9 | Load test report signed with measured values | 125% static and 110% dynamic figures recorded |
| 10 | Operator training and maintenance documentation delivered | Includes daily inspection points specific to switches |
This question catches out more buyers than any technical issue on the list, and the answer changed recently.
A modular crane system that ships as track, trolleys, hoists and brackets is not a complete machine. Under the EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, components supplied for assembly into a machine are "partly completed machinery", and they come with a declaration of incorporation rather than a CE mark for the finished system. Whoever assembles those parts into a working crane becomes the manufacturer of the resulting machine. In crane documentation this shows up as an explicit split: a system delivered ready for operation is treated as a complete machine and gets an EC declaration of conformity, while the same parts delivered loose for on-site assembly leave that duty with the assembler.
In plain terms: if your maintenance team bolts the track together and adds the hoist, your company may be carrying the manufacturer's obligations, not your supplier. Most buyers do not want that, which is why they buy installation as part of the package.
| Situation | Who is the manufacturer | Documentation expected |
|---|---|---|
| Supplier delivers, installs, tests and hands over | Supplier | Declaration of conformity, CE marking, operating instructions |
| Supplier delivers components, owner assembles | Owner, as assembler of the complete machine | Declaration of incorporation from supplier, risk assessment and own declaration from owner |
| Existing system extended with a new branch or hoist | Whoever modifies the machine | Re-assessment, updated file, often a new load test |
| Any of the above entering the EU after 20 January 2027 | Unchanged in principle | EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 replaces the directive and adds digital documentation duties |
If you are buying a system that will be installed before 2027 into a plant that must stay compliant afterwards, settle this in the purchase order now. The cheap version of this conversation is a sentence in the contract. The expensive version is a rebuild of the technical file three years later.
If you would like the suspension point loads, track layout and installed cost for your own floor plan rather than a generic range, send us the layout or a sketch with the roof structure. That is the input that turns a catalogue into a system.
Three to ten working days on site for a typical suspended workstation system, or up to twenty working days from first survey to handover including design, reinforcement and commissioning. Two hoists with a curve and a switch usually land at four to six days on site. The variable that moves this number most is not the crane, it is how long the roof reinforcement takes.
Sometimes, and you cannot know until somebody works out the suspension point loads. Roof purlins are designed for uniform load, while a crane hanger applies a concentrated point load to one spot on one member. A 1 t hoist puts roughly 8.5 to 9.1 kN into each hanger depending on spacing, with horizontal forces kept low by articulated hangers. If the purlin cannot take local bending at that load, it gets strengthened, and that line item typically runs USD 1,500 to 9,000.
It is the force each hanger delivers into the building. For our light systems it is rate load plus hoist and trolley dead weight, times a dynamic factor of about 1.25 to 1.4, split between the hangers either side, plus the track's own weight share. In practice it ranges from about 1.8 kN per hanger on a 0.125 t system at 4 m spacing to about 16.7 kN per hanger on a 2 t system at 8 m spacing. Our combination crane range covers 0.125 to 2 t per hoist, and the exact figures come with the layout drawing.
For a single-hoist straight runway of about 6 m, installed cost runs USD 3,500 to 12,000. A two-hoist system with a curve and a switch over roughly 20 m of track runs USD 11,000 to 28,000. A branched network with three to four hoists and 40 m plus of track runs USD 22,000 to 55,000. Roof reinforcement, switch count and the choice between festoon and conductor rail are the three variables that move the total most.
With a static proof test at 125 percent of rated load held just clear of the floor, followed by a dynamic test at 110 percent through the full working cycle, following ASME B30.17 for underhung cranes and monorail systems and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.179 for overhead and gantry cranes. On a modular system you also test every switch and curve at rated load in both directions, measure loaded deflection against L/500, and confirm the interlocks work as functions. Ask for the signed report.
Whoever assembles the parts into a working machine. Track, trolleys and hoists supplied loose for on-site assembly are treated as partly completed machinery under EU Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and arrive with a declaration of incorporation. If your own team assembles the system, your company takes on the manufacturer's obligations for the finished crane. Buying installation as part of the package keeps that responsibility with the supplier, which is the arrangement most plant managers prefer.
Send us your floor layout, roof structure details and lifting requirement. Our engineering team will produce the track layout, suspension point load drawing and an installed cost breakdown you can take to your structural engineer.
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