Tower cranes are being used regularly for large building construction projects. They are needed for the heavy lifting and placing of supplies and machinery. Tower cranes provide a unique configuration which provides many benefits over more conventional cranes. These advantages consist of: higher vertical lift, quiet electrical operation, increased capacities, and reduced space requirements.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is a different configuration that is most often 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. 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 can 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 a secondary crane. This really 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, even though there are several models which have an operator cab built onto the jib.
The self-erecting crane is normally freestanding to enable them the opportunity to be moved around. There are some models that have a telescoping tower that allows the crane to work at various heights without the need to reconfigure the tower.
Luffing Jib Tower Crane
Most urban work environments 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 confined areas. Nearly all tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator can lower or raise a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.