For huge building construction projects, tower cranes are utilized quite often. These machinery are quite needed for heavy lifting as well as placing supplies and equipment. Tower cranes provide a unique design that offers many benefits over more traditional cranes. These advantages include: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is a different configuration which is most often associated with a tower crane. In this situation, 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 has the lifting cable and travels along the length of the jib. The tower crane can operate anywhere in the jib's radius.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes
A self-erecting crane is capable of completely assembling itself at the jobsite without any assistance from another crane. This greatly saves time in equipment expenses and provides a huge advantage in setup time too. Self-erecting cranes are usually remote-controlled from the ground, even though there are several models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
The self-erecting crane is usually freestanding to allow them the opportunity to be moved around. There are several models which have a telescoping tower which enables the crane to work at various heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Usually, in urban work settings, there is not enough clearance or space for the jib to rotate freely without being blocked by existing buildings. A luffing jib tower crane is ideal for such tight areas. Most tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator could lower or raise a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.