When the roof is low and every centimetre of hook height counts, the machine hangs under the beam instead of sitting on it. We check what your beam can carry before anything is fitted.
An underhung — or underrunning — hoist is a lifting machine whose trolley wheels run on the lower flange of a beam, so the machine hangs below the beam rather than sitting on top of it. That arrangement keeps the whole assembly low and leaves more of the building height available as hook path.
Type routing
Both machines lift the same way. What differs is how much of your building they use up.
A top-running machine sits on a trolley above the girders. It carries the highest capacities and the longest hook paths, and it needs the height to do it.
An underhung machine hangs from the lower flange. The whole assembly sits lower, so in a short building the hook ends up higher than a top-running arrangement would allow. There is a second advantage that often decides it: an underhung machine can run on a beam that is already in your building, so there may be no separate runway to build at all.
The trade is capacity and hook path. Above a certain load and duty, the top-running arrangement is the one that carries the work.
This is the question that decides whether an underhung machine is possible at all, and it belongs before the hoist specification rather than after it.
The trolley wheels run on the lower flange, so three things about that flange matter: how wide it is, how thick it is, and whether the beam behind it can carry the load and the moving wheel loads that come with it. A profile that looks adequate can still be the wrong flange width for the trolley, or too thick at the tip for the wheel to sit properly.
We check the beam profile and flange width your building can take against the trolley before anything is fitted, and we say plainly when an existing beam will not do the job. Where a new runway beam is needed, that is far better established at quotation stage than on installation day.
Manufacturing
“From our plant to your beam”
Technical data
Read each value with its consequence — that is how the machine is actually sized for your building.
Our wire rope hoists cover 250 kg to 160 tonnes as a family, and the underhung mounting works in the lighter part of that band, because the flange it runs on sets a practical ceiling. Hoisting is stepless under inverter control, 3.5 to 8 m/min, set by the series, the reeving and the duty class, in two speeds, so the load travels quickly and then creeps for accurate setting, and the duty class is set per project across the FEM 1Bm–5m (ISO M3–M8) range. The capacity your beam will actually support is confirmed by calculation, not chosen from a table.
| Criterion | Underhung (underrunning) hoist | Top-running hoist |
|---|---|---|
| Where the wheels run | On the lower flange of the beam | On rails on top of the girder(s) |
| Effect on hook height | Assembly sits low — more height stays as hook path | Assembly sits high — uses building height |
| Runway | Can often use a beam already in the building | Needs a runway built for it |
| Capacity band | 250 kg – 6.3 t on the underhung selection table | Carries the top of the range |
| What has to be checked first | Beam profile, flange width and thickness | Runway beam and wheel loads |
| Typical reason to choose | Short building; hook height is the constraint | Heavy loads and long hook path |
| ABRA page | this page | double girder hoist |
| Parameter | Value | Consequence / note |
|---|---|---|
| Lifting capacity (SWL) | 250 kg – 6.3 t underhung; the hoist family runs to 160 t on other mountings | The flange the trolley runs on sets the practical limit |
| Duty class | FEM 1Bm–5m (ISO M3–M8), per project | Sized to load spectrum × running hours |
| Hoisting speed | Stepless, 3.5 – 8 m/min depending on series, reeving and duty class | Standard values from the selection tables; micro-speed for accurate setting |
| Trolley travel speed | 4–16 m/min to 2 t · 5–20 m/min from 3.2 t | Set with the capacity and the cycle |
| Series (underhung mounting) | BR23 · BR30 | The series follows capacity, reeving and duty |
| Lifting height (machine) | 4 – 28 m standard | Longer hook paths per project |
| Machine duty class | FEM 1Am (ISO M4) or FEM 2m (ISO M5) | Crane-level duty runs FEM 1Bm–5m |
| Brake | Spring-applied electromagnetic brake — closes when power is cut | Holds the load on power loss; release ≈ 0.3 s |
| Reeving | 2/1 · 4/1 · 6/1 · 8/1 · 12/2 | Sets drum length, rope life and hoisting speed |
| Beam profile it runs on | Checked per project | The trolley has to match the flange, not just the load |
| Flange width / max thickness | Checked per project | Decides whether an existing beam can be used |
| Hook path / lifting height | Per project | Follows clear height under the beam |
| Motion control | Inverter (VFD) | Soft start/stop, less shock into the flange |
| Overload protection | Overload switch + load cell, standard | The machine refuses a lift beyond its rating |
| Power supply | 380–415 V / 50 Hz (60 Hz for export) | Matches local and export grids |
| Protection class | IP54 / IP55 (motor + panel) | Dust and moisture protection for industrial environments |
| Ambient temperature | −10 … +50 °C | Cold-store to hot-process ranges |
| Control | Pendant / radio remote | Chosen by where the operator stands |
| ATEX version | Assessed per project | See Explosion-protected cranes |
| Standards | EN 14492-2 · EN 13001 series · ISO 4301-1 · FEM 9.511 (complementary) · EN IEC 60204-32 · CE · ISO 9001 | Duty class stated per project |
The speeds shown are standard values; other speeds are provided on request. Where a value depends on your site, it is written “per project” and confirmed with you.
Equipment
An overload switch and load cell come as standard on every product we build, so the machine refuses a lift beyond its rating.
Soft starts and stops on hoisting and travel, which reduces sway and takes shock out of the flange the trolley runs on.
Inverter-controlled from zero, so the load travels quickly and then creeps into place under micro-speed.
Hoisting and travel limits defined per project.
Running hours, condition and maintenance data from the machine itself; see Crane Tracking.
Pendant push-button or radio remote, chosen by where the operator needs to stand.
Applications
Underhung machines earn their place where the building is the constraint. Older workshops and converted buildings often have usable steel already in the roof but very little clear height. Machining and assembly buildings use them over a single station where a top-running arrangement would eat the hook path. Maintenance and service areas use them because the lift is occasional and the height is precious. And in a building with a main overhead crane above, an underhung machine on a lower beam handles the small, frequent lifts.
Project process
(load, hook path needed, clear height, the beam you have or the runway you are planning, how often it lifts) → 2. Engineering & quotation (we check the beam profile and flange against the trolley, confirm the duty class, and say plainly if the existing steel will not do it) → 3. Manufacturing & installation (machine built and load-tested in our plant, then fitted and tested on the beam) → 4. Maintenance & service (scheduled maintenance under an annual contract, spare parts and modernisation).
After-sales
Maintenance is agreed under an annual contract: scheduled maintenance (4 visits a year under contract), spare parts, modernisation and breakdown support across Türkiye within 48 hours of a call, and a 2-year warranty. We also service, supply parts for and modernise lifting machines from other makes. One number: Crane Contact Center 444 8 440.
FAQ
A top-running machine sits on a trolley above the girder; an underhung machine hangs from the lower flange and its wheels run along that flange. The underhung arrangement sits lower, so in a short building the hook ends up higher. The top-running arrangement carries higher capacities and longer hook paths.
Often, and that is one of the main reasons to choose one. It depends on the beam profile, the flange width and thickness, and whether the beam can carry the load and the moving wheel loads. We check all of that against the trolley before anything is fitted, and we say plainly when a new runway beam is needed instead.
Our wire rope hoists cover 250 kg to 160 tonnes as a family, and the underhung mounting works in the lighter part of that band because the flange it runs on sets a practical limit. The figure your specific beam will support is confirmed by calculation. Send us the load and the beam you have.
Yes, and it is usually the reason the arrangement is chosen. Because the machine hangs below the beam rather than sitting above it, less of the clear height is spent on structure and more of it stays available as hook path. In a low building that difference decides whether a lift is possible at all.
Get a recommendation
Send us the load, the hook path you need and the beam you have. An engineer checks the profile and flange against the trolley and confirms the duty class — no obligation.
Or call 444 8 440
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Designed and built to EN, FEM and ISO standards · CE marked · duty class defined per project (our build range: FEM 1Bm–5m / ISO M3–M8) · manufacturing in İzmir since 2004
