Tower cranes are being used regularly for big building construction projects. They are required for the heavy lifting and placing of materials and equipment. Tower cranes offer a unique design that provides numerous advantages over more traditional cranes. These advantages include: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another design which is most typically associated with a tower crane. In this situation, a long horizontal jib is connected to a vertical tower. One end of the jib acts as a counterweight and the other end of the jib extends horizontally over the worksite. On the hammerhead crane, there is a trolley. This trolley holds the lifting cable and travels along the length of the jib. The tower crane can operate anywhere within the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are often assembled on site with the assistance of another crane. This provides a huge advantage in setup time and greatly saves time in equipment costs as well. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, even if there are some models that have an operator cab built onto the jib.
Self-erecting cranes are normally freestanding and this enables them the opportunity to be able to be moved around. There are several models which have a telescoping tower that enables the crane to work at multiple heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Normally, in urban work environments, there is not enough clearance or space for the jib to rotate freely without being blocked by existing buildings. A luffing jib tower crane is great for such tight areas. The majority of tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator can raise or lower a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.