What dimensions are important when purchasing a jib crane?

The most important dimension is the weight of the heaviest load to be carried. Starting from there, measure how far the load must be moved from the wall or base. That will be the reach of the jib crane. How high does the load have to be lifted? That is the lift height. While this sounds simple, there’s also a need for some margins on the design to allow machinery of the crane to fit in the space as well. Most jib cranes will have a hoist of approximately 24” height as well as a beam of approximately 12” height. In other words, the lowest obstructions above the required load height are 42” including hoist, beam, and required 6” safety margin. Further, because the load cannot be traversed along the beam all the way to the edge, a 3” must be left at the moving end of the beam and minimum 12” must be left at the stationary end of the beam to accommodate the post, bearing, hinge, wall, and any other obstructions.