For big building construction projects, tower cranes are used quite often. These equipments are quite needed for heavy lifting as well as positioning materials and equipment. Tower cranes provide a unique design which offers many advantages over more traditional cranes. These advantages consist of: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another design that is most typically associated with a tower crane. In this case, a long horizontal jib is connected to a vertical tower. One end of the jib extends horizontally over the worksite and the other end of the jib acts as a counterweight. On the hammerhead crane, there is a trolley. This trolley holds the lifting cable and can travel 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 help of another crane. This provides a huge benefit in setup time and greatly saves time in equipment costs too. 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.
The self-erecting crane is usually freestanding to enable them the opportunity to be moved around. There are several 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 areas. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator is able to lower or raise a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.