Tower cranes are being used regularly for big building construction projects. They are needed for the heavy lifting and positioning of supplies and equipment. Tower cranes offer a different configuration which provides numerous advantages over more conventional cranes. These advantages consist of: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, 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 situation, a long horizontal jib is connected 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 travels 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 help from another crane. This greatly saves time in equipment costs and provides a huge advantage in setup time as well. Self-erecting cranes are normally remote-controlled from the ground, though there are several models that have an operator cab built onto the jib.
The self-erecting crane is usually freestanding to enable 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 settings do not have enough space or clearance for the jib to freely rotate 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 could raise or lower a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.