Tower cranes are being used regularly for huge building construction projects. They are necessary for the heavy lifting and positioning of supplies and machines. Tower cranes offer a different configuration that offers numerous benefits over more conventional cranes. These advantages include: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another configuration that is most often associated with a tower crane. In this case, 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 holds 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 normally assembled on site with the help of another crane. This greatly saves time in equipment expenses and provides a huge benefit in setup time as well. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, though there are some models that 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 multiple heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Normally, within urban work settings, there is not enough space or clearance for the jib to freely rotate without being blocked by existing buildings. A luffing jib tower crane is ideal for such confined areas. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The driver could raise or lower a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.