I picked up a Harbor Freight 2-ton folding shop crane and a 1-ton “gantry-type” crane on the cheap. A buddy wants the gantry crane. I’m trying to think of a task I might perform where the gantry would be better than the folding one. I don’t have any lifting capability inside my shop so either of these would be an improvement. My shop only has an 8' ceiling so the greater lifting height of the gantry would only be an advantage outside. I service my TLB outside on a concrete pad next to my shop. Currently, I use a fixed setup outside for marine service (large outboards, moving watercraft from trailer to dolly, etc.) I only paid $300 for the pair and originally planned on keeping both but if the folding crane would serve my needs I’ll let him have the gantry. Does anyone use either of these in TLB service or repair?
My neighbor is rebuilding an old mid-sized bulldozer and he picked up a 1-ton gantry crane by trading some work for it. He's used it to lift a bunch of the heavy metal plates off but is only willing to run it up to 500 lbs or so anywhere out on the arm. I think that would be something to keep in mind, and it was somewhat of a pain to install. He dug a hole about 8' square and about 6 feet deep and filled it with concrete to anchor it. Welp, I'm a turd, and I just looked up a gantry crane to make sure I understood what I was talking about. He's got a jib crane. I would think anything that is nearby and handy that can lift heavy things is good, if you've got the space...
I bought the 2 ton folding lift about a year and a half ago to rebuild a couple of excavator final drives. I used it in the closed up heavy lift position and it worked OK. What was nice is that the wheels were good enough to still be able to move the unit around with a load on the boom. So far it has worked out good enough for things too heavy for me to move around by myself. I'm sure it takes up a lot less room when stored than the gantry unit.
I let my bud have the gantry crane. I would have had to leave it outside because my shop doors aren't tall enough to move it in and out. The jib will actually lift higher in my shop since it doesn't require a separate hoist.
A hook with a ball-bearing swivel is indescribably handy and useful for positioning anything hanging from it. I bought one with a 2 ton capacity, on ebay for about $80.00 US.
I think from a safety stand point, a gantry crane is better because they generally use a chain hoist to do the lifting and can't creep or fall like a hyd. cylinder lift can. The shop crane can get in some tight places that the gantry crane can't.