For large building construction projects, tower cranes are utilized quite frequently. These machinery are quite necessary for heavy lifting as well as positioning supplies and equipment. Tower cranes offer a different configuration which provides numerous benefits over more traditional cranes. These advantages include: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is a different configuration that is most typically associated with a tower crane. In this situation, a long horizontal jib is connected to a vertical tower. One end of the jib acts as a counterweight and the other end of the jib extends horizontally over the worksite. There is a trolley on the hammerhead crane. This trolley has 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
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 costs too. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, although there are some models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
Self-erecting cranes are normally freestanding and this enables them the opportunity to be able to be moved around. There are some 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
Normally, within urban work environments, there is not enough clearance or space for the jib to freely rotate without being blocked by existing buildings. A luffing jib tower crane is great for such tight spaces. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator could raise or lower a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.