For large building construction projects, tower cranes are used rather frequently. These machinery are rather required for heavy lifting as well as placing supplies and equipment. Tower cranes provide a different design which offers lots of benefits over more traditional cranes. These benefits comprise: quiet electrical operation, higher vertical lift, reduced space requirements and increased capacities.
Hammerhead Crane
A hammerhead crane is another design which is most often 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. On the hammerhead crane, there is a trolley. This trolley holds the lifting cable and travels along the length of the jib. The tower crane is capable of operating 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 expenses and provides a huge benefit in setup time too. Self-erecting cranes are normally remote-controlled from the ground, although there are several models that 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 several models which 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, within urban work environments, 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 great for such tight spaces. Nearly all tower cranes have a fixed horizontal jib. The operator is able to lower or raise a luffing jib in order to allow the crane to swing in a reduced radius.