What is the difference between a chain lever hoist and a hand chain hoist? If you’re not an expert in the world of hoists, it can be easy to get confused.  Both are manual chain hoists, meaning the lifting power is provided by the operator vs. supplied by electricity. While electric hoists and pneumatic hoists (or air hoists) are excellent at the repeated lifting of the heaviest loads, manual chain hoists are ideal for their combination of portability and affordability. What’s in a Name? Searching for information on hoists can be confusing, as they’re called by many different names. While ..read more

Commercial overhead door solutions come in many different shapes and sizes – from rolling steel doors, to roll-up counter doors. When it comes to commercial overhead door solutions, O’Brien does it all with a wide selection, professional installation, and ongoing maintenance and service – all at an affordable price. If you’re looking for a supplier for commercial overhead doors in the GTA or Golden Horseshoe, contact O’Brien Lifting Solutions for a commercial overhead door quote today. Rolling Steel Doors – Low Maintenance, High Efficiency Rolling steel doors are some of the most common commer ..read more

Crane training is essential for safety, reduced liability, increased productivity, and compliance with safety regulations.  O’Brien Lifting Solutions offers hands-on crane training customized for your unique processes and operating equipment. With our in-depth understanding of Ontario crane operator regulations, we’ll make sure your crane operators meet compliance requirements and understand everything they need to know to follow Ontario guidelines and laws. Unlike other crane operator course providers, O’Brien trains your people on the equipment they use every day, helping ensure they kn ..read more

A chain hoist is one of the most common hoist types. While a wire rope hoist is made of strands of metal wrapped tightly around a core, chain hoists are made of single chains linked together to form, well, a chain. In a previous blog, we discussed the advantages of a wire rope hoist, and they are many – durability in harsh environments, high lifting capacity and lift heights, and the ability to operate at faster lifting speeds. Chain hoists have many of the advantages of their wire rope counterparts, however they are better suited for lighter weight lifting applications. The key advantages of ..read more

To a layman, on first glance a gantry crane might look a lot like an overhead crane. The most noticeable element of each crane is the large beam (girder) that supports the lifting mechanism, with a trolley that allows movement of the load perpendicular along the length of the beam. Both types of cranes can be designed to lift extremely heavy loads and move those loads over distances.  So, the choice of which crane is best for your business – a gantry crane or overhead bridge crane – may not be as simple as it seems. Luckily the crane experts at O’Brien Lifting Solutions can work with you ..read more

Commercial door installation is one of the key areas of expertise at O’Brien Lifting Solutions – though you might not guess it from our name! For more than 60 years, O’Brien has offered customers in the GTA and Golden Horseshoe and beyond innovative product solutions to help make businesses more efficient and profitable. Whether designing the ideal overhead bridge crane solution to optimize your production capabilities, or helping you choose the best industrial door and dock equipment to maximize your loading bay setup, you can count on the experience and expertise of O’Brien Lifting Solutions ..read more

Whether you are looking for a gantry crane, jib crane, overhead crane, or workstation crane, O’Brien Lifting Solutions should be your first stop for lifting solutions. We offer a wide selection of cranes perfect for almost any commercial or industrial application, and 24/7 crane services if you need crane maintenance or repair. If you’re not sure what type of crane would be best for your facility, try our blog: Types of Cranes – Pros and Cons.  If you know you need a gantry crane and want to know the differences between a single and double-girder crane, read on! Which is Better, a Single ..read more

While the dead of winter is not the best time to be planning commercial door installation, it can be a busy time for commercial door repair. Whether it’s salt corroding commercial door parts, the cold weather and moisture freezing up hinges, rollers, tracks and springs, or the worst – trucks sliding on ice and damaging your doors, winter weather can take a toll on your facility’s doors. Luckily so far this winter has been mild, but at O’Brien Lifting Solutions, we’re still getting lots of calls from our customers for commercial door repairs. And we know commercial door installation requests wi ..read more

If your industrial garage door goes up, then doesn’t come down, you need to contact the industrial garage door installation and repair experts at O’Brien Lifting Solutions. Our expert technicians are available 24/7. We’ll get a team out to assess your problem, and get you back up and running quickly to minimize downtime and maximize your productivity. Whether you need quality industrial garage door and dock solutions or need a trusted partner for dock equipment maintenance and repair, you can count on O’Brien Lifting Solutions. We are industry leaders in dock solutions, offering a huge range o ..read more

An industrial gantry crane is a crane typically used in industrial sites – like manufacturing, construction, and warehouses. Full and semi-gantry cranes are a cost effective solution for material handling. A gantry crane is a crane built on top of a set of legs, or a single leg, moving along a set of wheels or wheels on the ground. They’re ideal for when you need a portable lifting solution, or if you don’t have a proper supporting structure for an overhead crane.  But portable doesn’t mean “lightweight”. While some gantry cranes are designed as small shop lifting solutions, industrial ga ..read more