For huge building construction projects, tower cranes are used rather frequently. These equipments are rather required for heavy lifting as well as placing materials and equipment. Tower cranes offer a different design which provides numerous benefits over more traditional 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 extends horizontally over the worksite and the other end of the jib acts as a counterweight. There is a trolley on the hammerhead crane. This trolley has the lifting cable and travels along the length of the jib. The tower crane is capable of operating anywhere in the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are usually assembled on site with the assistance of a different crane. This provides a huge advantage in setup time and greatly saves time in equipment costs too. Self-erecting cranes are usually remote-controlled from the ground, though there are some models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
Self-erecting cranes are usually freestanding and this enables them the opportunity to be able to be moved around. There are several models that have a telescoping tower that allows 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 great for such tight areas. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator is able to lower or raise a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.