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Handling and lifting

Pipe layer

A concrete pipe held by the tool above a shored trench, ready to be lowered; the trench is empty and the workers stand back, behind the barriers.
Lower, line up, push home:
the three actions with no one sent down.
Synthetic image.

It lowers the pipe into the trench, presents it, then releases it.
What it avoids is simple to name:
somebody at the bottom, under a suspended load.

Other names for this tool: pipe layer, pipe-laying device, pipe placing device, laying grab.

The essentials
Family
Handling and lifting
Classes (t)
Depending on the size
Coupler
All, by plate
Power source
Depending on the version, mechanical or hydraulic — flow and pressure: we calculate it with you for your machine

Identify your coupler →

01 Use

What it is for

On the left, the pipe layer goes down and fits the pipe in, with nobody at the bottom of the trench. On the right, on the sling, the pipe tilts and turns above the trench. Computer-generated image.
the pipe layer goes down and fits the pipe in, with nobody at the bottom of the trench on the sling, the pipe tilts and turns above the trench
Left: the pipe layer goes down and fits the pipe in, with nobody at the bottom of the trench.
Right: on the sling, the pipe tilts and turns above the trench.
What sets it apart:
the action it removes is the third — the one that sends a person down into the trench.
Computer-generated image.

Laying a pipe calls for three actions:
lowering the pipe, lining it up on the one before, pushing it home.
The third is the one that sends a person down into the trench, and it is the one the tool has to remove.

The naming is loose in the trade:
pipe lifter, pipe layer and pipe grab often refer to neighbouring tools.
The useful question is not the name but the function expected — carrying the pipe, or laying it and releasing it at the bottom.

A laying tool does not replace trench shoring. It reduces the time spent at the bottom;
it does not make the trench stable, and it dispenses with no protection.
As long as the pipe is suspended, the operation is a lift:
suitable equipment, devices in working order, maximum load known.

02 What we check with you

On which machine?

It fits via a mounting plate on any coupler.
The machine class depends on the size of the tool: we calculate it with you for your machine.
The lifting capacity, at the front or on the side according to ISO 10567: we calculate it with you for your machine.

What the tool does

It grips and lifts pipeline pipes with a grab.
The grab's maximum load, its gripping range and the tool weight: we calculate them with you for your machine.

What is needed on the hydraulic side

Depending on the version, it is mechanical, with no power needed, or double-acting hydraulic.
For the hydraulic version, the flow and the pressure: we calculate them with you for your machine.

Figures taken from our models on the market.
Your study sets the exact value for your machine.

Don't have these figures?
A photo of the machine is enough to start.

03 Your study

Have your machine checked.

Describe the worksite:
nature of the pipes, range of sizes, depth, shoring, access.
Tell us too how you lay them today — that is what shows what there is to gain.

What we need to answer you
  • Your machine Its make and its tonnage.
  • The auxiliary circuit Its flow in l/min, its pressure in bar, single- or double-acting.
  • The coupler in place Its system and its class.
  • The work The use, and the material.

Without these details, the study still begins: we will ask you for them.

Send my photos

or describe your need

Book an appointment with the specialist

Or call 01 84 16 55 49 · our lines are open 7 days a week, from 7h to 22h.

Written study within 3 working days, once the file is complete.

Not to be confused
  • Pipe clamp Principle — jaws that fit around the pipe and clamp it through a hydraulic function.
    Use — it holds and orients the pipe during transport and jointing, by machine.
04 Choice

What determines the choice

  • 01 — The gripping method Outside clamping, inside bearing, strapping:
    each suits one type of pipe and one condition of pipe.
  • 02 — Release at the bottom This is the action that justifies the tool.
    If someone has to go down to unhook, nothing has been solved.
  • 03 — The range of pipes covered A utility worksite rarely lays a single size.
  • 04 — The control Mechanical or hydraulic:
    the second assumes a line available and a control device in the cab.
05 Check

What is checked before ordering

  • The nature and range of the pipes Described, not boiled down to one word.
  • The depth and shoring of the trench They govern the access, the reach and the manoeuvre.
  • The load chart at the laying reach Laying is done over the trench, and therefore far from the machine.
  • The interface and any line needed Coupler designation or pin dimensions, and a hydraulic line if the version is controlled.
The same family of grip
Before laying
Lifting safely
To go further
A question about an attachment? 01 84 16 55 49 Send my photos