For large building construction projects, tower cranes are utilized rather often. These machinery are quite essential for heavy lifting as well as positioning supplies and equipment. Tower cranes offer a different configuration which provides many 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 usually associated with a tower crane. The long horizontal jib is attached to a vertical tower, in this case. 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 can operate 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 a secondary crane. This provides a huge advantage in setup time and really saves time in equipment expenses too. Self-erecting cranes are usually remote-controlled from the ground, although there are several 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 allows the crane to work at various heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
The majority of urban work settings do not have enough clearance or space for the jib to freely rotate without existing buildings blocking its movement. A luffing jib tower crane is ideal for such tight spaces. The majority of tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver is able to lower or raise a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.