Eliminate workflow bottlenecks and protect high-value materials. Our Heavy-Duty Crank-Out Racks transform your storage from a static cost center into a dynamic part of your production line, enabling safe, immediate access with your existing overhead crane.
In any steel service center or metal fabrication shop, the movement of materials dictates the pace of production. For decades, the standard procedure for handling long, heavy items like pipe and tube stock has involved a complex and often inefficient reliance on forklifts. Operators navigate wide aisles, carefully maneuvering multi-ton bundles into static cantilever racks. This process is so common it's considered a standard cost of doing business. However, it introduces hidden drains on productivity, safety, and material quality that are no longer unavoidable.
The core challenge isn't just storing the material; it's accessing the specific bundle you need, right when you need it, without damaging it or wasting valuable time. The shift from a static storage mindset to a dynamic access system is where the most significant gains are found. This involves a fundamental change in workflow: bringing the material directly to your lifting equipment, rather than sending equipment deep into the racking aisles.
While standard racking provides vertical storage, its reliance on forklifts for access creates a set of persistent operational headaches. These issues go beyond simple inconvenience and directly impact your bottom line through wasted time and scrapped material.
Imagine your laser cutter is ready for a new job, but the required bundle of 316L stainless steel tubing is on the bottom level of the rack, behind two other bundles. With a traditional system, the workflow stops. An operator must first retrieve a forklift, carefully remove the top two "blocking" bundles, find temporary space for them on the floor, retrieve the target bundle, and finally, re-stack the blocking bundles. This process, often called "secondary handling" or "digging," can easily consume 15 to 25 minutes. During this time, your expensive machinery sits idle, and a skilled operator is performing low-value material shuffling.
For industries handling high-purity stainless steel, polished aluminum, or other sensitive materials, surface integrity is non-negotiable. A scratch is not a cosmetic flaw; it's a cause for rejection. When a forklift operator slides a heavy bundle of stainless pipe onto a steel cantilever arm, the metal-on-metal friction inevitably causes scratches and abrasions. This damage can compromise the passive layer of stainless steel, creating potential sites for contamination in hygienic applications. The traditional "slide-in, slide-out" method puts your most valuable inventory at constant risk, turning a handling task into a quality control liability.
A heavy duty crank out rack, also known as a roll-out cantilever, is engineered to eliminate these problems by changing the method of access. Instead of forcing a forklift into a confined space, this system presents the material out in the open, ready for safe and efficient vertical lifting by an overhead crane.
Each storage level is a fully extendable drawer. Using a simple hand crank or an electric motor, a single operator can smoothly roll out a fully loaded level—weighing thousands of pounds—into the aisle. The entire bundle of material is now 100% accessible from above, with no other stock blocking access. Your existing overhead crane, equipped with slings, magnets, or a vacuum lifter, can then descend directly onto the material for a straight, vertical lift. There is no dragging, sliding, or bumping against the rack structure.
This streamlined workflow completely eliminates secondary handling. Accessing any bundle, whether it's on the top level or the bottom, becomes a simple, repeatable 2-to-5-minute process. The time saved is not just a marginal improvement; it represents a massive boost in operational velocity. This ensures that your processing equipment—be it a saw, CNC machine, or welding station—is consistently fed, maximizing uptime and overall throughput.
Integrating a crank-out system is more than a storage upgrade; it's a step toward a more efficient and safer manufacturing environment. By removing the primary need for forklifts in storage aisles, you gain several strategic advantages.
| Feature | Traditional Static Racking | Heavy Duty Crank Out Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Access Method | Forklift (Horizontal Access) | Overhead Crane (Vertical Access) |
| Material Selection | Blocked access requires "digging" (LIFO) | 100% selectivity, any level is available |
| Average Retrieval Time | 15-25 minutes | 2-5 minutes |
| Material Protection | High risk of scratches from sliding | No-contact vertical lift protects surfaces |
| Aisle Space Requirement | Wide (4-6 meters) for forklift turning radius | Narrow (Load width + clearance) |
| Operator Safety | Higher risk from forklift traffic in aisles | Operator is away from the load, clear sightlines |
The compact footprint of these systems allows you to place raw material inventory directly beside the machines that use it. A heavy duty crank out rack next to a band saw or laser cutter acts as a high-density "magazine," holding all the necessary stock for a full shift. This drastically reduces travel time and keeps the entire production cell self-sufficient, a core principle of lean manufacturing.
Reducing forklift traffic is one of the most effective ways to improve workshop safety. By making the overhead crane the primary tool for material retrieval, you remove forklifts from storage aisles where personnel may be working. The crane provides better visibility, and the operator controls the load from a safe distance. The crank mechanism itself is designed for ergonomic use, allowing a single person to move tons of material with minimal physical effort, reducing the risk of strains and injuries.
A heavy duty crank out rack is a type of industrial storage system designed for long, heavy materials like pipe, bar stock, and structural steel. Its key feature is retractable arms or levels that can be extended (cranked out) 100% from the main frame, allowing an overhead crane to have unobstructed, direct vertical access to the stored materials.
Traditional cantilever racks require very wide aisles (often 4-6 meters) to accommodate the turning radius of a forklift carrying long materials. Because crank out racks are serviced by an overhead crane, the aisle only needs to be as wide as the material itself, plus a small clearance. This can reduce the space dedicated to aisles by over 50%, freeing up valuable floor space for production.
No. The manual crank mechanism is engineered with a gear reduction system that provides a significant mechanical advantage. This allows a single operator to extend a level loaded with several tons of material using minimal physical force, comparable to turning a steering wheel. For higher frequency use or extremely heavy loads, electric-powered versions are also available.
Yes. The primary cause of handling damage is the friction and impact from sliding materials on and off fixed steel arms with a forklift. The crank out system eliminates this entirely. The material is lifted vertically by the crane using soft nylon slings or other non-damaging attachments, ensuring there is no metal-on-metal contact during the retrieval process.
Any industry that handles heavy, long, or high-value bar-shaped materials will see significant benefits. This includes steel service centers, metal fabricators, aerospace manufacturers (for storing titanium and aluminum), heavy machinery producers, and companies handling high-purity stainless steel for the pharmaceutical or food industries where surface finish is critical.
