Tower cranes are being used regularly for big building construction projects. They are necessary for the heavy lifting and placing of supplies and machines. Tower cranes provide a unique design which offers many benefits over more traditional cranes. These advantages comprise: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another design which is most often associated with a tower crane. In this situation, a long horizontal jib is attached 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 could travel along the length of the jib. The tower crane can operate anywhere in the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are normally assembled on site with the help of a different crane. This provides a huge benefit in setup time and really saves time in equipment costs as well. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, although there are some models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
Self-erecting cranes are generally freestanding and this enables them the opportunity to be able to be moved around. There are some models which have a telescoping tower which enables the crane to work at various heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Often, 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 ideal for such confined spaces. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator can lower or raise a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.