Some commercial and industrial buildings could reach heights of more than 60 stories. Apparently, when these buildings are being constructed, they need equally tall cranes to transport the supplies to the higher floors. There are cranes which are operated from the back of trucks or other types that have their own vehicle attached. Tower cranes are the biggest kinds available on the market.
Tower cranes are stand-alone structures seen 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 such as shopping center are being built, odds are a crane will be on site.
Types
The two key kinds of cranes could be differentiated by the way in which their boom or jib lifts supplies. The jib is the metal frame that extends from the main section. On a flat tower crane, the jib remains horizontal when it carries items. On a luffing kind of tower crane, the jib could ratchet to upward or downward angles. The lifting capacity for both types can range from 30 pounds to 10,000 pounds
Body
The body of the crane is composed of a mast. This is a vertical steel frame that is a combination of individual sections. In order to increase the overall height of the equipment, sections are added. The mast extends upward to where the desired height is, to the control module, that is a small room which has glass windows on all four sides or to the tower as it is also called. The operator of the crane works from inside of the tower.
Lift
In order to lift 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 located next to 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 tower's opposite side. The counter jib has weights. These weights help to prevent the crane from tipping over when heavy materials are lifted.