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ComponentEnd Carriage and Wheel Assembly
The assembly that sets the crane's travel behaviour and its load on the building.
Wheel load and the building
The crane's own weight, plus the load it carries, transfers through the wheels to the runway and from there to the building's columns and brackets. That's why wheel loads are the single most important figure given to the building in a crane project.
When adding a crane to an existing building, these values are checked against the structure's capacity. If it can't carry them, a lighter crane, reinforcement, or a separate legged runway comes into play.
What flange wear tells you
If wheel flanges are wearing from rubbing against the sides of the rail, the crane isn't travelling straight on the rail. The cause is usually span deviation, misalignment, or a wheel diameter difference between the two sides.
Replacing just the wheel only postpones the fault. A lasting fix requires measuring and aligning the runway.
What gets checked
| Check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Wheel flange | One-sided wear, notching, deformation |
| Wheel diameter | The difference between the two sides — a common cause of drift |
| Travel gearbox | Oil leaks, noise, overheating |
| Travel brake | Air gap, lining thickness, stopping distance |
| End carriage diagonal | Deformation or an installation error |
| Buffer | Damage, looseness, missing parts |
Technical terms
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| End carriage | The section at the end of the main girder carrying the wheel and travel assembly. |
| Flange | The rim that keeps the wheel on the rail. |
| Wheel load | The load each wheel transfers to the rail and the structure. |
| Skewing | The crane advancing at an angle to the runway. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I replace wheels one at a time?
Not recommended. A diameter difference causes the crane to drift; wheels on the same axis need to be assessed together.
Are flangeless wheels an option?
Some applications use flangeless designs with horizontal guide rollers. The decision depends on runway geometry and crane class.