Tower cranes are being utilized often for large building construction projects. They are necessary for the heavy lifting and positioning of materials and machinery. Tower cranes offer a unique configuration which offers many benefits over more conventional cranes. These advantages include: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
The hammerhead crane is commonly associated with a tower crane. The long horizontal jib is connected to a vertical tower, in this case. One end of the jib extends horizontally over the worksite and the other end of the jib acts as a counterweight. On the hammerhead crane, there is a trolley. This trolley holds the lifting cable and travels along the length of the jib. The tower crane could operate anywhere within the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are often assembled on site with the help of another crane. This provides a huge advantage in setup time and greatly saves time in equipment expenses as well. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, even if there are some models that 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 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
Most 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 tight areas. Nearly all tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator is able to raise or lower a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.