Tower Crane Rentals and Sales Carlsbad - Cranes are a globally recognized form of industrial equipment that is commonly used in the materials handling industry. Oftentimes, they are equipped with chains, wire ropes, a hoist rope or sheaves. These items allow cranes to lower and lift items vertically while transporting them horizontally. Cranes make transporting cumbersome loads including machinery, shipping containers and crates much easier.
Freight Transportation
Cranes simplify loading and unloading and moving items. Their lifting capacity varies depending on the model. Cranes deliver a major mechanical advantage, allowing people to lift tremendous amounts of freight. Cranes are popular in a variety of industries and found in many locations.
Specified Use
There are different cranes for many applications. Jib cranes can be used for tighter environments including workshops. Extensive tower cranes can be seen in construction. There is the right crane model available for numerous applications. Tight spaces may be more accessible with the use of cranes. Floating cranes can be utilized for maritime applications such as salvaging sunken items or on oil rigs.
Tower Cranes
This type of crane is fixed on a concrete slab to the ground. This unit is often seen mounted to sides of structures to provide superior lifting and height. Popular for building tall commercial buildings and residential structures, the base is mounted to the mast to create even further reach once extended. The mast is connected to the slewing unit of the crane that enables it to rotate. The long horizontal jib, the shorter counter-jib and the operator’s cab are all found above the slewing portion.
The long horizontal jib is the main crane component responsible for carrying the load. The counter-jib creates the counterweight and it may rely on concrete blocks. The jib houses the crane’s load to and from the center. Normally the crane operator stays inside of a cab found on top of the tower attached to the turntable; although, it may be mounted on the jib instead. The operator may rely on a radio remote control apparatus from the ground. The operator relies on electric motors to control wire rope cables in a system of sheaves and control the lifting hook. The cargo hook, along with its motor is found in the long horizontal arm. Often, the operator works alongside a rigger to accurately coordinate unhooking and hooking loads. Hand signals are a huge safety component used daily. The rigger has an important job dictating the crane’s lifting schedule. They are responsible for making sure all rigging is reliable and safe.
Truck-Mounted Cranes
The boom and the carrier are two parts found on truck-mounted cranes. These two pieces rely on a turntable to attach them and allow the upper portion to swing from side to side. Modern hydraulic truck cranes are generally single-engine machines. This engine has the responsibility of providing power to the undercarriage and the crane. Hydraulics are necessary for delivering power to the upper portion of the crane through the turntable located from the pump attached to the bottom portion. Earlier hydraulic crane trucks commonly had two engines. One engine controlled the hydraulic pump for the outriggers and the jacks while the other engine was responsible for the crane’s travel. Certain operators prefer the two-engine models due to the turntable leaks that commonly occur in newer design models.
Cranes often need to travel on roads to different locations, eliminating the need for industrial transportation unless there are size and weight restrictions. Local transportation laws are in place. Larger machines may have trailers to distribute the load over a variety of axles. Certain cranes can be taken apart to meet certain requirements. A crane will often be followed by another truck containing the counterweights that are disassembled for travel.
Outriggers & Stability
Outriggers are extended horizontally from the chassis of the crane. These are used vertically to stabilize the machine and keep it level during hoisting and stationary activities. Some truck crane units can travel at slow speeds even while carrying a suspended load. Extra care is taken to make sure the load does not swing side to side from the travel direction. Most of the anti-tipping capability is related to how stiff the chassis suspension is. Counterweights can be moved and adjusted on certain models to enhance stabilization even more than what the outriggers deliver. Suspended loads are among the most stable due to the majority of the crane’s weight acting as a counterweight. There are electronic safeguards in place to regulate the maximum safe loads for traveling speeds and stationary work.
Overhead and Bridge Cranes
A bridge crane is a type of overhead crane. This mechanism features a crane with a hook-and-line mechanism and horizontal beam that is designed to run along rails that are spaced widely. These cranes are similar to gantry cranes that are typically found in factory buildings. They attach to rails which run alongside two walls. Cranes can be made with single or double beam construction and may rely on complex box girders or regular steel beams. A control pendant may be used to operate the crane. A double girder bridge can be used in places that require heavy lifting such as 10 tons or more. The box girder style produces a system with a lower deadweight but offers higher system integrity. Cargo can be lifted with a hoist and the trolley that can travel along the bridge along with the bridge component covered by the crane.
The steel industry is familiar with overhead cranes throughout the manufacturing process. Steel is typically handled by an overhead crane until it leaves the factory as a finished piece. From raw materials to pouring hot steel and moving finished product, overhead cranes handle steel at every stage. Steel components are loaded by overhead crane and lifted onto trucks. Metal stampers and fabricators rely on this equipment daily as does the automobile industry to handle raw materials.
Pulp & Paper Mills
Bridge cranes are often relied on for regular pulp mill maintenance including removing equipment such as heavy press rolls. Bridge cranes utilized in paper machine construction help to install large apparatus’ and equipment including huge components such as cast-iron paper drying drums and similar items.
Loader Crane
Electrically powered with an articulated arm attached to a trailer or a truck and specified for unloading and loading, the loader crane consists of many jointed components that enable the machine to be folded into a small space between uses. Telescoping sections are popular. There are models that have the ability to stow or load themselves without any operator instruction. The operator can move around the machine in order to view the load. Hydraulic controls that are mounted on the crane may work with a portable cabled control system and a radio-linked system.
Gantry Crane
A gantry crane features a hoist located on a trolley running horizontally along rails, often fitted on two beams or a single beam or in a fixed machinery house. The crane frame is supported on a gantry system with equalized beams and wheels that run on the gantry rail, usually perpendicular to the trolley travel direction. These cranes come in all sizes, and some can move very heavy loads, particularly the extremely large examples used in shipyards or industrial installations.
Tower Cranes PDF
