Tower cranes are being utilized often for large building construction projects. They are essential for the heavy lifting and positioning of materials and machinery. Tower cranes offer a unique design which offers many advantages over more conventional cranes. These benefits include: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
The hammerhead crane is usually associated with a tower crane. The long horizontal jib is attached to a vertical tower, in this situation. One end of the jib extends horizontally over the worksite and the other end of the jib acts as a counterweight. There is a trolley on the hammerhead crane. This trolley holds the lifting cable and can travel along the length of the jib. The tower crane could operate anywhere in the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are normally assembled on location with the help of another crane. This really saves time in equipment costs and provides a huge advantage in setup time as well. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, even though there are some models that have an operator cab built onto the jib.
Self-erecting cranes are generally freestanding and this allows them the opportunity to be able to be moved around. There are several models which have a telescoping tower that allows the crane to work at various heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
The majority of urban work environments do not have enough clearance or space for the jib to rotate freely without existing buildings blocking its movement. A luffing jib tower crane is great for such confined spaces. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator is able to lower or raise a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.