Crane Track

a rail along which hoisting cranes move. For bridge and wall-bracket cranes that are installed in industrial buildings or on trestles, the tracks are supported by steel or reinforced-concrete beams, which are mounted on columns with brackets. Ground-level tracks for light gantry cranes and tower cranes used in construction are mounted on a bed consisting of railroad ties and ballast. Tracks for heavy traveling cranes and bridge loaders are laid on reinforced-concrete foundation beams. Usually, railroad and special crane rails are used for crane tracks; rails made from rolled stock with a square cross section are used less frequently. Crane tracks must be level and parallel, and they must be strong enough to withstand the loads imposed by the crane wheels or by anticreep rail grippers.