---
title: "Overhead Crane Installation: Steps, Load Test, Handover — Ervan Cranes"
description: "Overhead crane installation step by step: site preparation, assembly, 1.25 × static and 1.1 × dynamic load tests, handover documents. Plan yours with us."
url: https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/overhead-crane-installation-and-commissioning/
language: en
---

Overhead crane installation follows a fixed sequence: survey the runway, assemble and lift the bridge, fit the hoist, connect power and set the limit switches and overload device. The crane counts as commissioned only after it has passed a static load test at 1.25 × rated load or more and a dynamic test at 1.1 ×, both documented.

## What must be ready before installation starts?

Most delays on site have nothing to do with the crane itself. They come from a runway that is not finished, power that is not yet available or a mobile crane that cannot reach the lifting position. Agree on these points with the manufacturer before a delivery date is fixed:

- **Runway complete and surveyed:** runway beams, rails, rail clamps and end stops installed, with a survey report for span, straightness and rail level.
- **Power supply:** the agreed voltage and frequency available at the runway, with a lockable mains disconnecting switch and a protective earth conductor.
- **Access and floor space:** a route for trucks, firm ground for the mobile crane's outriggers and a clear area along the runway long enough to lay out and bolt up the bridge.
- **Lifting plan:** mobile crane size and position, component weights, lifting points and exclusion zone, prepared and approved by a competent person.
- **Permits:** work permits, working-at-height and hot-work permits, and a site induction for the installation team.
- **Overhead obstacles:** lighting, sprinklers, ducts and cable trays checked against the space the crane needs to travel.
- **Test loads:** who supplies them, how their mass is verified and where they will be stored.

The runway is usually part of the building and often built by others. If it is still at the planning stage, read our guide to [crane runway requirements](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/crane-runway-requirements/) first – its tolerances decide how smoothly the crane will run for years.

## Overhead crane installation step by step

The sequence below applies to most single and double girder cranes. Details vary with capacity, span and site, but no step should be skipped or moved.

1. **Runway survey.** Measure the span at several points, rail straightness and the height difference between the two rails; check joints, clamps and end stops. Deviations are corrected before the crane goes up, not afterwards.
2. **Delivery inspection.** Check every package against the packing list and look for transport damage to girders, coating, wheels and electrical equipment.
3. **Ground assembly.** Bolt the girder or girders to the end carriages with the specified bolts, tighten them to the specified preload with a calibrated tool and measure the diagonals to confirm the bridge is square.
4. **Lifting the bridge.** Lift the assembled bridge onto the rails as set out in the lifting plan, using the marked lifting points and tag lines, then secure it against rolling.
5. **Trolley and hoist.** Mount the hoist trolley on the bottom flange (single girder) or set the crab on its rails (double girder); check wheel contact, trolley end stops and buffers. If the rope was shipped separately, reeve it now.
6. **Electrical installation.** Install or connect the runway conductor line, the festoon for the trolley, the control panel and the pendant or radio receiver.
7. **Electrical tests.** Verify protective conductor continuity and insulation resistance in line with EN 60204-32, and check the phase sequence so that every motion moves in the direction marked on the controls.
8. **No-load function tests.** Run all motions at every speed step, confirm that the brakes stop and hold, and set the hoist and travel limit switches and the emergency stop.
9. **Overload device and load tests.** Set the overload device with a known load, then carry out the static and dynamic tests described below.
10. **Handover.** Hand over the documents, train operators and maintenance staff, and arrange the inspection before first use where national rules require it.

Girders too long to transport in one piece are designed with bolted splices and joined on site; these splices deserve the same care as the end-carriage connections. In halls a mobile crane cannot enter, the lifting method is planned case by case, and using the building structure as a lifting point needs the structural engineer's approval.

## Crane load test: how static and dynamic tests work

The load test is where the crane proves with real weight what its calculations claim. The Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC (Annex I, 4.1.2.3) sets the coefficients: a static test with at least 1.25 times the rated load for power-operated lifting machinery, and a dynamic test with 1.1 times the rated load. Because an overhead crane is only complete once it stands on its runway, these tests take place on site.

| Test | Test load | What it proves |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Function test | None | Directions, limit switches, emergency stop, brakes |
| Static test | ≥ 1.25 × rated load | Structure and hoist brake carry the overload without permanent deformation |
| Dynamic test | 1.1 × rated load | All motions and brakes work at rated speeds, including combined motions |

### Static test

The test load is lifted a short distance off the floor using the hoist only and held for the time set in the test procedure. The brake must hold without slipping, and the structure must show no cracks, loosened connections or permanent deformation. To prove the last point, the girder is measured before loading and again after unloading.

The overload device exists to stop exactly this kind of lift, so authorized personnel override it under controlled conditions for the static test. It is reinstated immediately afterwards and its trip function checked – a step that belongs in the test report.

### Dynamic test

With 1.1 × rated load on the hook, every motion is run – hoisting, lowering, cross travel and long travel – at the rated speeds, with repeated starts and stops. Where the controls allow simultaneous motions, the Directive asks for the test under the least favourable conditions, as a rule by combining them. The team watches brake behaviour, limit switch response, motor temperatures and any unusual noise.

## Which documents should you receive at handover?

A crane without its file is not ready for use, however good the test results. Ask for the following and check that the serial numbers match the crane on your runway:

- EU declaration of conformity, and CE marking on the crane's data plate
- Operating manual in the language of the country of use, with maintenance and inspection instructions
- Load test report: test loads, how their mass was verified, results of the static and dynamic tests
- Electrical test results and wiring diagrams
- Settings of the limit switches and the overload device
- Certificates for the wire rope and hook, and a spare parts list
- An inspection log book where national practice requires one

The legal background – the Machinery Directive, the Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 that applies from 20 January 2027, and the harmonized standards – is covered in our overview of [overhead crane standards in Europe](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/overhead-crane-standards-europe/).

## Operator training and the inspection before first use

Commissioning covers people as well as hardware. Operators should leave the training able to drive the crane smoothly, carry out the daily pre-use check and react correctly to a fault. Maintenance staff need the lubrication points, the brake adjustment procedure and the inspection intervals; our [periodic maintenance checklist](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/overhead-crane-periodic-maintenance-checklist/) is a practical starting point.

Before the crane goes into production, an inspection by a competent person is usually required. The rules derive from the EU Work Equipment Directive 2009/104/EC: Türkiye's İş Ekipmanları Yönetmeliği requires equipment whose safety depends on its installation to be inspected after installation and before first use, followed by periodic inspections – typically yearly for lifting equipment. In Germany, BetrSichV and DGUV Vorschrift 52 call for an inspection before commissioning and at least yearly inspections afterwards. Clarify early who will carry it out, so that it can follow the load test without a gap.

## Safety during installation

An installation site combines heavy lifts, work at height and electrical systems, often inside a running factory. These rules keep the risk under control:

- Fence off an exclusion zone under every lift; nobody stands or works beneath a suspended load.
- Stick to the lifting plan; a change of crane position, rigging or weights is re-assessed, not improvised.
- Use mobile elevating work platforms or guarded walkways, and anchor harnesses only to approved points.
- Isolate and lock out power before anyone works on conductor bars or panels.
- Hold a short briefing each morning with the plant's contact person: the day's lifts, closed areas and permits.

Outdoor lifts and lifts through roof openings also depend on the wind; the lifting plan should state the wind speed at which work stops.

## How Ervan Cranes handles installation and commissioning

At Ervan Cranes, the team that designs a crane also commissions it. Needs analysis, technical design, steel fabrication at our Torbalı facility, site installation, load testing, commissioning and technical support stay in one hand, so the people setting the limit switches know why the crane was designed the way it was. Every one of our [overhead cranes](https://ervancranes.com/en/products/overhead-cranes/) is engineered to its load, span, lifting height and duty class. Export projects follow the same sequence: our [40 t gantry crane for Egypt](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/egypt-40-t-gantry-crane-shipping-and-erection/) was shipped in parts and erected on site. The full scope is described under [manufacturing and installation](https://ervancranes.com/en/solutions/manufacturing-and-installation/).

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How long does overhead crane installation take?

There is no fixed duration. It depends on the size and type of crane, whether the runway and power supply are ready, site access, the lifting method and how far the work has to fit around production. A realistic schedule follows from a review of the site data or a site visit.

### Who provides the test weights?

This is agreed in the contract. Options include certified test weights, loads from your own plant weighed beforehand, or water bags combined with a calibrated load cell. Whatever is used, the mass of the test load must be known and recorded in the test report.

### Can production continue during installation?

Partly. The areas under each lift and around the assembly zone must be closed, but the rest of the hall can usually keep working. Heavy lifts are often scheduled outside production hours; agree this in the installation plan from the start.

### Does a relocated crane need new tests?

Yes. A crane dismantled and re-erected on another runway is a new installation: the runway survey, function tests and an inspection by a competent person are needed before use, and national rules may require further tests. Plan it like a first commissioning.

Planning a new crane, or an installation on a runway you already have? Send us your hall drawings, runway data, power supply details and any site constraints through our [quote request form](https://ervancranes.com/en/request-a-quote/), and we will prepare an offer that covers installation, load testing and commissioning.

[Related product ![Double girder overhead crane inside a factory](https://ervancranes.com/uploads/media/2026/10/a293fcb8c201c814c5d1d577-960.webp) Overhead Bridge Cranes View](https://ervancranes.com/en/products/overhead-cranes/) [Get a Quote](https://ervancranes.com/en/request-a-quote/?urun=overhead-cranes) [All articles](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/)

## Related articles

- [From the Field: a 40 t Gantry Crane for Egypt](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/egypt-40-t-gantry-crane-shipping-and-erection/): From the Field · 21 October 2026
- [Overhead Crane Capacity: What Changes from 1 t to 100 t](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/overhead-crane-capacities/): Technical Guides · 23 October 2026
- [Overhead Crane Inspection Requirements: Who, When and What Is Checked](https://ervancranes.com/en/blog/overhead-crane-inspection-requirements/): Maintenance & Safety · 23 October 2026