Tower cranes are being used often for huge building construction projects. They are needed for the heavy lifting and placing of materials and machinery. Tower cranes provide a different design which offers numerous advantages over more conventional cranes. These benefits comprise: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
The hammerhead crane is usually associated with a tower crane. The long horizontal jib is connected 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 travels 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 location with the assistance of another crane. This provides a huge benefit in setup time and greatly saves time in equipment expenses as well. Self-erecting cranes are usually remote-controlled from the ground, though there are several models that 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 that 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 rotate freely without existing buildings blocking its movement. A luffing jib tower crane is ideal for such tight spaces. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator could lower or raise a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.