The crane is one of the most important heavy-duty construction machines. A system of ropes, boom, hoist and other elements is used by cranes for creating a mechanical advantage and a force for lifting heavy loads. Cranes can be found on every major construction site all over Australia and are used for lifting and moving different kinds of heavy items or materials from one place to another. Beside construction, the cranes are also heavily used in other industries, such as in transport industry for loading and unloading heavy weight freights; in the production and manufacturing industry for lifting heavy items when big machines need to be assembled. There are many different types of boom cranes, and each one is used for a specific purpose. Here are few most popular boom cranes used.
Tower Crane. Undoubtedly, the most popular and most commonly used boom crane is the tower crane. This boom crane is a modern version of a balance crane and consists of the same basic elements: chains, boom, hoists, hook etc. The tower crane is usually fixed on ground level on concrete slabs, but sometimes can be found attached on the sides of the structures that are being constructed. This boom crane provides the best combination of lifting capacity and height, therefore it is most commonly used for the construction of big and tall buildings. A telescopic crane is usually used for assembling the tower crane, while smaller crane models are used when the tower crane needs to be dismantled.
Telescopic Crane. The telescopic crane comes with a boom that has a number of tubes, and every tube is fitted one inside the other. The length of each tube is increased or decreased with the power of a hydraulic system. These boom cranes are often engaged in small construction projects, rescue works, lifting and moving boats out or in the water etc. The compact design of the telescopic boom cranes makes them suitable for various mobile applications.
Crawler Crane. The crawler crane is a boom crane model that is mounted on an undercarriage. The undercarriage of the crawler crane comes with a set of tracks for increased mobility and stability. These boom cranes have lifting capacity form 30 to 3000 tons. Although heavily used at construction sites, the crawler cranes have their advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of the crawler boom crane is that it can move around the site easily and perform many lifting tasks without difficulties. The biggest disadvantage is that due to its weight, it cannot be easily transported from one site to another without additional equipment.
Floating Crane. This boom crane is generally used for various water construction projects, such as water dams, bridges and ports. The floating cranes are also used for loading and unloading heavy cargo loads in and out of big boats. The floating boom cranes are usually placed on a pontoon, while other models are designed as crane barges, and are capable of lifting even entire bridge sections.