For big building construction projects, tower cranes are used rather often. These machinery are quite needed for heavy lifting as well as positioning supplies and equipment. Tower cranes provide a different design 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 configuration that is most typically 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. 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 is capable of operating anywhere within the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
Self-erecting cranes are usually assembled on location with the help of a different crane. This provides a huge benefit in setup time and really 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 generally 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 various heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
The majority of urban work settings 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 great for such tight areas. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver is able to lower or raise a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.