Several industrial and commercial buildings are capable of reaching heights of more than 60 stories. Apparently, while these buildings are being built, they require equally tall cranes to be able to transport the materials to the upper floors. There are cranes which have their own vehicle attached or other types which are operated from the back of trucks. Tower cranes are the largest types on the market.
Tower cranes are the stand-alone structures that are normally found on high-rise building projects. Often, they are part of a major city's downtown skyline. Wherever new construction like for instance apartment buildings and skyscrapers and commercial facilities such as shopping center are being constructed, odds are a crane will be on site.
Kinds
The two major types of cranes could be distinguished by the manner in which their jib or boom lifts supplies. The jib is the metal frame which extends from the main section. On a flat tower crane, the jib remains horizontal as it lifts things. On a luffing kind of tower crane, the jib could ratchet to downward or upward angles. The lifting capacity for both types could vary from 30,000 lbs. 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 sections. In order to increase the overall height of the equipment, sections are added. The mast extends upward to wherever the desired height is, to the control module, which 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 uses a braided metal cord to lift supplies. This cord extends out from a motor located 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 which holds the cord becomes balanced by a counter jib located on the opposite side of the tower. The counter jib has weights. These weights help to prevent the crane from tipping over when heavy supplies are carried.