Davit Cranes

Davit cranes are renowned for their flexibility, versatility, and ease of use, providing heavy-duty lifting and positioning that can be steadily relied upon to improve the efficiency and safety of many material handling operations.

Often referred to as davit lifting systems, there are a variety of davit crane styles available, from stationary davit cranes with fixed arms, to portable davit cranes that are made to be quickly assembled and disassembled. Davit cranes come in a variety of different sizes and are configured to handle loads of varying natures and load capacities, and can be custom built to suit appropriate hoisting tasks as required.

What are davit cranes used for?

Owing to their lightweight construction and ease of use, and ability to custom-build the crane system to meet specific application scenarios, davit cranes are popular in many industries where a reliable lifting and positioning device is required.

Davit cranes can commonly be seen in use across the following industries:

• Water and wastewater


• Manufacturing


• Construction


• Bulk handling and logistics operations


• Oil and gas


• Mining


• Theatre productions.

Specialist davit cranes can also be seen on the front and sides of ships for the launching of tender craft and lifeboats, lifting of heavy equipment on and off the fore and aft decks, and even can be found employed with the use of harnesses to retrieve crewmembers who have fallen overboard.

Advantages of a davit crane system

Davit cranes are highly versatile lifting devices that can be tailored to suit the task at hand, and davit crane manufacturers often list several advantages on their davit cranes for sale. 

Many of these advantages relate to the size of a davit crane system in relation to its lifting power. Davit cranes are built to support its weight, with both sections, arm and cables, made to last, precision engineered and featuring durable, hard-wearing materials designed to weather the elements and withstand extreme environment factors.

Davit cranes are also able to turn in a 360 degree arc, making them perfect for loading and unloading of goods - they are often seen in loading bays where they are used to load and unload materials onto flatbed trucks.

Another advantage of a davit crane system is the ability for users to quickly set up and lift loads as required, while maintaining safety at the highest standard, giving operators a stress-free, cost-effective lifting solution, and helping to drive outputs through efficiency.

Finally, portable davit cranes have an additional (and somewhat obvious) advantage in their portability. Comparatively lightweight by design, portable davit cranes allow operators to bring the lifting capability to the lift site in question, rather than the reverse, further increasing safety and increasing productivity.

A safety note on the installation and operation of davit cranes

Given the inherent risks involved, davit cranes should be operated by qualified lifting crane operators. These operators should be competent in the usage of lifting equipment and crane systems, and aware of safety regulations and operational procedures.

Administer regular inspections and maintenance as required on all your crane mechanisms and ensure the load weight does not exceed the recommended capacity.

Let us do the heavy lifting for you

Davit cranes can play an important role in many material handling operations, but, as with all heavy machinery, care must be taken to ensure that the proposed usage meets the appropriate application and does not exceed technical limitations.

Our knowledgeable team of problem solvers can help you to choose the correct davit crane setup for your situation, improving the efficiency and safety of your material handling operation by ensuring you have the & right tool for the job.