For large building construction projects, tower cranes are used quite frequently. These equipments are rather needed for heavy lifting as well as positioning supplies and equipment. Tower cranes provide a unique configuration that provides lots of benefits over more conventional cranes. These benefits consist of: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another design 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 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 often assembled on location with the help of another crane. This greatly saves time in equipment expenses and provides a huge benefit in setup time too. Self-erecting cranes are usually remote-controlled from the ground, even though there are several models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
Self-erecting cranes are usually freestanding and this allows them the opportunity to be able to be moved around. There are some models that have a telescoping tower that enables the crane to work at multiple heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Often, within urban work settings, 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 ideal for such tight spaces. The majority of tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver is able to raise or lower a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.