Tower cranes are being utilized often for big building construction projects. They are essential for the heavy lifting and positioning of supplies and machinery. Tower cranes offer a different configuration that provides numerous advantages over more traditional cranes. These advantages include: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is a different design which is most often associated with a tower crane. In this case, 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. On the hammerhead crane, there is a trolley. This trolley has the lifting cable and can travel along the length of the jib. The tower crane is capable of operating anywhere within the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are normally assembled on site with the help of a different crane. This provides a huge benefit in setup time and greatly saves time in equipment costs as well. Self-erecting cranes are usually remote-controlled from the ground, even though there are some models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
The self-erecting crane is generally freestanding to allow them the opportunity to be moved around. There are several models which have a telescoping tower which enables the crane to work at multiple heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Often, in urban work environments, there is not enough space or clearance for the jib to rotate freely without being blocked by existing buildings. A luffing jib tower crane is ideal for such tight spaces. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver can lower or raise a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.