For huge building construction projects, tower cranes are used quite often. These machinery are quite necessary for heavy lifting as well as placing supplies and equipment. Tower cranes offer a unique configuration which offers a lot of advantages over more conventional cranes. These benefits include: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, 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 case, a long horizontal jib is attached 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. 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 could 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 help from a secondary crane. This provides a huge advantage in setup time and really saves time in equipment costs as well. Self-erecting cranes are often remote-controlled from the ground, though there are several models that have an operator cab built onto the jib.
The self-erecting crane is generally freestanding to allow them the opportunity to be moved around. There are several models that have a telescoping tower which enables the crane to work at multiple heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Often, 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 can raise or lower a luffing jib in order to enable the crane to swing in a reduced radius.