Products
—Flexible Handling Without Fixed Infrastructure
Container terminals, intermodal yards, and heavy manufacturing facilities face a common problem: how to move containers and oversized loads efficiently when installing fixed gantry crane rails is impractical, costly, or operationally limiting. Rail-mounted gantry cranes (RMG cranes) are efficient for high-volume, fixed-layout operations but have drawbacks like locking in traffic patterns, requiring large civil works investment, and lacking adaptability to yard changes or expansions.
The Dafang Container Straddle Carrier fills this gap directly. It combines gantry equipment's lifting capacity with mobile handling's flexibility, handling containers or heavy components without fixed infrastructure on various surfaces.
Dafang Container straddle carrier is a tire-mounted heavy-duty lifting and handling equipment to replace general gantry cranes for oversized loads or containers. Its straddling load and spreader design enable seamless picking, transferring, and unloading. With a load capacity of 10-50 tons, a lifting height of 10-13 m, and a span of 18-35 m, it has three travel modes and is compatible with different pavements.
Clients commonly use it in ports, docks, railway hubs, road freight stations, and large warehousing facilities. It can transport cargoes or containers from a dock to a yard, stack and unload 2-3 layers of containers, and span container pillars and railway tracks, enhancing container handling efficiency.
Technical Configuration
Load Capacity: 10-50 tons (typical configurations for standard containers handling)
Span Range: 18-35 meters (accommodates 6-lane container stacking width)
Lifting Height: 10-13 meters (enabling 1-over-3 stacking in typical applications)
Travel Modes: Longitudinal, transverse, crab (diagonal) — full directional capability
Stacking Capability: 1-over-2 to 1-over-3 standard containers (20', 30', 40' compatible)
The container straddle carrier crane features a modular structure for reliability and adaptability, mainly relying on four core systems.
Vs. Rail-Mounted Gantry (RMG) Cranes
Straddle carriers remove rail foundation costs (usually 20-30% of RMG system investment) and allow flexible yard layout changes according to operational needs. They are suitable for facilities with variable traffic or multiple handling zones where RMG infrastructure is uneconomical.
Vs. Rubber-Tired Gantry (RTG) Cranes
Both operate without fixed rails, but straddle carriers combine horizontal transport and stacking in one operation, reducing equipment count and simplifying yard logistics. For facilities handling containers and non-containerized heavy components, their versatility eliminates the need for separate handling equipment.
Vs. Reach Stacker Cranes
Straddle carriers offer better stacking density (3-high compared to 2-high for most reach stackers), faster long-distance travel speeds, and better stability when handling tall loads or on uneven surfaces. For high-volume operations or facilities needing consistent stacking patterns, they provide better productivity.
| Lifting Capacity (ton) | 10 | 16 | 20/10 | 32/10 | 36/16 | 50/10 | |
| Span (m) | 18-35 | ||||||
| Lifting Height (m) | 10-13 | ||||||
| Speed (m/min) | Lifting | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.2/10.4 | 7.2/10.4 | 7.8/10.5 | 6/10.4 |
| Trolley | 43.8 | 44.5 | 44.5 | 41.9 | 41.9 | 38.13 | |
| Crane | 40 | 38 | 38 | 40 | 40 | 38 | |
| Motor | Lifting | YZR180L-6/17 | YZR225M-8/26 | YZR225M-8/26 YZR200L-6/26 | YZR280S-10/42 YZR200L-6/26 | YZR280M-10/55 YZR225M-6/34 | YZR280M-10/55 YZR200L-6/26 |
| Trolley | YZR132M1- 6/2.5*2 | YZR132M2- 6/4*2 | YZR132M2- 6/4*2 | YZR132M1- 6/4*2 | YZR132M1- 6/6.3*2 | YZR132M1- 6/6.3*2 | |
| Crane | YZR160L-6/13*2 | YZR160L-6/13*2 YZR160M1- 6/6.3*4 | YZR160L-6/13*2 YZR160M2- 6/8.5*4 | YZR160M2- 6/8.5*4 | YZR160L-6/13*4 YZR160M2- 6/8.5*4 | YZR160L-6/13*4 | |
| Weight (t) | Trolley | 9 | 9.5 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 24 |
| Total | 63.2-100 | 78-106 | 79-120 | 95-108 | 106-155 | 195 | |
| Wheel Pressure (KN) | 225-295 | 255-373 | 208-289 | 324-334 | 314-363 | 452 | |
| Steel Track | 43kg/m | 50kg/m | |||||
| Power Source | 3-phase A.C 380V 50Hz (According to your requirements) | ||||||
Surface Requirements
Straddle carriers operate on concrete, asphalt, or well-compacted crushed stone surfaces. Pavement must support wheel loads without excessive deflection, usually needing 200mm concrete or equivalent design. Uneven surfaces or soft spots cause stability issues and speed up tire wear.
Operational Space
Plan for turning radius and maneuvering clearances. A 30-meter span carrier needs about 12-15 meters of clear space beyond the stacking area. Tight-radius turning reduces the space requirement compared to traditional gantry equipment but can't eliminate it.
Power Infrastructure
Electric and hybrid carriers need charging infrastructure, such as stationary stations for opportunity charging or battery swap systems for continuous operation. Diesel units require on-site fueling and must meet local emission regulations.
Maintenance Access
Schedule preventive maintenance for tires, hydraulic systems, and spreader mechanisms. Straddle carriers in high-duty cycles need more frequent inspection than fixed gantry equipment because of travel system wear and dynamic loading. Budget for appropriate maintenance facilities and spare parts inventory.
Dafang Crane is the Top 10 port cranes manufacturer and provider in China. We manufacture container straddle carriers as part of port and heavy-handling equipment. With 20-year experience in container handling systems, our engineering team supports specification development, application analysis, and equipment configuration for your needs.
Standard configurations cover 30-50 ton capacities and 20-30 meter spans, suitable for most container terminal and intermodal applications. Custom engineering addresses non-standard requirements like extended spans, specialized spreaders, extreme-environment operation, or integration with existing systems.
Contact our technical team to discuss your container handling requirements, site conditions, and operational parameters. We offer application-specific recommendations, performance modeling, and detailed technical documentation for your procurement.
What is more, we also focus on offering high-quality overhead cranes, portable gantry cranes,jib cranes, electric hoists and so on. Do you have Interest? Please fill out the following form and contact us. We will offer you professional support and recommendation.
How does straddle carrier productivity compare to RMG cranes in container terminal applications?
Straddle carriers achieve 15-25 container moves per hour in general yard operations, lower than RMG systems (25-35 moves/hour) because of combined travel and stacking in one equipment. But total system productivity depends on facility layout and traffic patterns. For terminals under 150,000 TEU annually with multiple disconnected stacking areas, straddle carrier flexibility may bring better overall productivity than dedicating RMG infrastructure to each zone. Evaluate based on actual operational model, not generic productivity comparisons.
What maintenance intervals and costs should I expect for diesel-electric versus full-electric straddle carriers?
Diesel-electric units need engine servicing (oil, filters, coolant) every 500-750 operating hours and hydraulic system maintenance. Annual maintenance costs are 3-5% of equipment value. Full-electric configurations don't need engine maintenance but require battery management, with replacement costs every 5-8 years depending on cycle depth and charging practices. Electric units have 25-35% lower annual maintenance costs but higher battery capital replacement. Total cost of ownership crossover usually occurs at 8-12 years depending on duty cycle and energy costs.
Can straddle carriers handle non-containerized loads and what modifications are required?
Yes, with appropriate spreader modifications. Standard container spreaders can be replaced with custom lifting frames for precast concrete beams, structural steel, or other regular-geometry loads. The key constraint is load distribution. Straddle carriers work best with loads having defined pickup points within the span width. Irregular loads or those needing multiple rigging points are better for overhead gantry cranes. Discuss specific application requirements with the engineering team at the specification stage to confirm suitability.
Dafang supplies high quality overhead cranes, gantry cranes, jib cranes, electric hoists and crane spare parts etc. You can fill out the form below, and we will contact you as soon as possible
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