There are several industrial and commercial buildings which now exceed 60 stories or more. These buildings all require tall cranes to be able to help move the supplies to the upper floors. There are cranes that are operated from the rear of trucks or other types that have their own vehicle connected. Tower cranes are the largest kinds on the market.
Tower cranes are stand-alone structures found as part of a major city's downtown skyline on high-rise building projects. When new construction such as apartment buildings and skyscrapers and commercial facilities like for instance shopping center are being built, odds are a crane would be on site.
Kinds
The two major kinds of cranes could be differentiated by the manner in which their boom or jib raises materials. The jib is the metal frame that extends from the main section. On a flat tower crane, the jib remains horizontal when it lifts things. On a luffing type of tower crane, the jib can ratchet to upward or downward angles. The lifting capacity for both kinds can range from 30 pounds to 10,000 lbs.
Body
The body of the crane is composed of a mast. This is a vertical steel frame which is a combination of individual parts. In order to increase the overall height of the equipment, parts are added. The mast extends upward to where the desired height is, to the control module, that is a small room that has glass windows on all four sides or to the tower as it is also called. The crane driver works from inside of the tower.
Lift
To raise materials, the crane utilizes a braided metal cord. The cord extends all the way to the end of the jib or boom from a motor situated near the control module. There is a pulley system located at the end of the jib, through which the cord is positioned and lowered down. The jib which holds the cord becomes balanced by a counter jib situated on the opposite side of the tower. The counter jib holds weights. These weights help to prevent the crane from tipping over when lifting heavy materials.