The Most Common Crane Models

A crane is a heavy construction machine that is mainly used for lifting and loading different kinds of materials, items and objects. This machine works by using pulleys and cables. In the construction industry the cranes are valuable assets because they have the capability to lift heavy and bulky materials and to move them from one location to another very easily. Without the cranes all the construction job that includes loading, lifting and unloading need to be done by human hands. This process consumes more time and human effort, and it is not efficient at all. 

Today the construction cranes are big, huge and have the strength to lift tons of heavy materials many meters in height. For high construction projects, a tower crane is used because it has a reach as high as 700 meters. The crane uses the pulleys and the cables in order to create a mechanical advantage so that big and heavy items or materials can be lifted from the ground. The lifting capacity and the stability are very important factors for every crane design. Ropes, winders, cables, chains are integral part of every crane type. Many different crane types are available for completing different construction projects. Some of the most commonly used are :

• Tower Crane. Different types and models of cranes exist depending on the type of the construction project that needs to be completed. One particular type of crane that can be seen almost on every construction site is the tower crane. These construction machines were developed in Europe and today are very popular and used all around the world. This type of crane is mainly used when a tall building needs to be constructed, for example a skyscraper. It was mentioned previously that it can reach as high as 700 meters and can lift loads up to 20 tons. The tower crane is placed in fixed position during the entire construction period. In order to lift heavy items and in the same time to remain in stable position, the tower crane is mounted over concrete blocks.
• Vehicle Mounted Crane. Because the cranes which are used at the construction sites are temporary machines, they are sometime attached on wheels so they can be moved around the site easily. The vehicle mounted cranes are able to move on roads and on highways. This means that no additional equipment is required to transport the crane to the construction sites. Once the crane is at the construction site, outriggers are extended horizontally and vertically to stabilize the machine.
• Rough Terrain Crane. This is a special type of vehicle mounted crane because it is mounted on a undercarriage that has rubber wheels specially designed for off road application. Outriggers are also extended for more stability.
• Crawler Crane. A crawler crane usually is mounted on a chassis that has set of tracks instead of wheels, and therefore no outriggers are required for higher stability. Typically this type is a mobile crane that has capability to lift loads from 30 to 3000 tons. Although they are mobile and can move around the site, they need to be disassembled and loaded on transport vehicles in order to be transported to different construction sites.
• Aerial Cranes. These cranes are also known as sky cranes because they are actually helicopters that can lift heavy materials and loads. The sky cranes are very useful machines in situations when the other crane types cannot be used.
• Other types of cranes : floating cranes which are used in construction projects on water such as bridges, ports, dams.

The cranes are also used in many manufacturing plants. At the manufacturing plant particular crane types are used to assemble the heavy equipment. Additionally the side lifter crane is a specially designed machine for lifting and loading various containers on trucks or railway vehicles. Check online for available cranes for sale in Australia.