There are several commercial and industrial buildings which now surpass 60 stories or more. These buildings all need tall cranes to help move the supplies to the higher floors. There are cranes that have their own vehicle attached or other kinds that are operated from the back of trucks. Tower cranes are the largest types offered on the market.
Tower cranes are the stand-alone structures which are usually found on high-rise building projects. Usually, they are part of a major city's downtown skyline. Wherever new construction such as apartment buildings and skyscrapers and commercial facilities like shopping center are being built, odds are a crane would be on site.
Kinds
There are two different types of cranes: jib crane of the boom crane. The jib is a metal frame that extends from the main section. On a flat tower crane, the jib remains horizontal as it carries items. On a luffing type of tower crane, the jib can ratchet to downward or upward angles. The lifting capacity for both types could range from 30,000 lbs. to 10,000 pounds
Body
The crane's body is composed of a mast. This is a vertical steel frame which is a combination of individual parts. In order to increase the overall height of the machinery, sections are added. The mast extends upward to where the desired height is, to the control module, which is a small room that has glass windows on all four sides or to the tower as it is also called. The crane operator works from inside of the tower.
Lift
In order to lift supplies, the crane uses a braided metal cord. The cord extends all the way to the end of the boom or jib from a motor located next to the control module. There is a pulley system situated at the end of the jib, through which the cord is positioned and lowered down. The jib which holds the cord becomes balanced by a counter jib situated on the opposite side of the tower. The counter jib holds weights. These weights help to prevent the crane from toppling over when heavy materials are lifted.