There are some commercial and industrial buildings that now surpass 60 stories or more. These buildings all require tall cranes to be able to help move the materials to the higher floors. There are cranes that are operated from the back of trucks or other kinds that have their own vehicle attached. Tower cranes are the largest ones offered on the market.
Tower cranes are the stand-alone structures that are usually found on high-rise building projects. Often, they are part of a major city's downtown skyline. Wherever new construction such as apartment buildings and skyscrapers and commercial facilities like for example shopping center are being constructed, odds are a crane would be on site.
Kinds
The two major types of cranes can be distinguished by the manner in which their boom or jib lifts supplies. The jib is the metal frame which extends from the main section. On a flat tower crane, the jib remains horizontal when it carries items. On a luffing type of tower crane, the jib could ratchet to downward or upward angles. The lifting capacity for both kinds could vary from 30,000 lbs. to 10,000 pounds
Body
The crane's body is composed of a mast. This is a vertical steel frame that is a combination of separate parts. In order to increase the overall height of the machine, parts 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 referred to. The crane driver works from inside of the tower.
Lift
The crane utilizes a braided metal cord to lift materials. This cord extends out from a motor situated next to the control module to the end of the jib or boom. There is a pulley system situated at the end of the jib, through which the cord is positioned and lowered down. The jib that holds the cord becomes balanced by a counter jib located on the opposite side of the tower. The counter jib holds weights. These weights help to prevent the crane from toppling over when raising heavy materials.