Tower cranes are being utilized regularly for large building construction projects. They are needed for the heavy lifting and positioning of supplies and machinery. Tower cranes provide a unique design that provides numerous advantages over more traditional cranes. These benefits consist of: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
The hammerhead crane is frequently associated with a tower crane. The long horizontal jib is connected to a vertical tower, in this case. 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 can travel along the length of the jib. The tower crane is capable of operating anywhere in the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
A self-erecting crane is capable of completely assembling itself at the jobsite without any help from another crane. This really saves time in equipment costs and provides a huge benefit in setup time too. 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 that have a telescoping tower which enables 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 space or clearance for the jib to rotate freely without existing buildings blocking its movement. A luffing jib tower crane is great for such tight areas. The majority of tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver can raise or lower a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.