Tower cranes are being utilized regularly for huge building construction projects. They are required for the heavy lifting and placing of materials and machinery. Tower cranes offer a different design which provides many benefits over more conventional cranes. These advantages comprise: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another configuration which is most often associated with a tower crane. In this case, a long horizontal jib is attached 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 could travel along the length of the jib. The tower crane could 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 assistance from a secondary crane. This greatly saves time in equipment expenses and provides a huge benefit in setup time too. Self-erecting cranes are normally remote-controlled from the ground, although 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 some models which have a telescoping tower which allows the crane to work at multiple heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Nearly all urban work environments do not have enough space or clearance for the jib to rotate freely without existing buildings blocking its movement. A luffing jib tower crane is ideal for such confined areas. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver can raise or lower a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.