Different Types of Cranes

Truck-mounted cranes. These cranes usually travel on the roads and highways, and do not require additional equipment to get to a job site. Truck cranes can lift anywhere from 14.5 to 1300 US tons.

A side-lifter crane is attached to a truck or semi-trailer so that it can easily lift and transport containers to and from the ground and railroad cars.

A crawler crane is placed on tracks that are similar to the tracks of a tank. A crawler crane can move with its cargo. However, crawler cranes weigh so much that just having them travel where they are needed costs a great deal.

A railroad crane is edged with wheels that allow it to move on railroads.

Floating cranes are typically utilized during the construction of bridges or ports. Sometimes floating cranes are placed on pontoons; other kinds are actually special barges which can lift more than 10,000 tons! Salvage companies have used floating cranes to raise sunken ships.

Aerial cranes (aka 'Sky cranes') are actually helicopters that can lift very heavy large loads. They are able to lift any load that is within their maximum load capacity, (i.e. such large items as vehicles, watercraft, or pre-fabricated construction modules). In addition, they help out during disasters and can transport large amounts of water over fires to help put them out.

A tower crane is attached to the ground or the side of buildings. The best combination of height and lifting capacity is frequently provided by tower cranes and, because of this, they are utilized in constructing tall buildings.

Utilizing jacks, the self-erecting crane is a type of tower crane that can raise itself off the ground in order for the next part of the tower to be lifted into place, even by the crane itself. Therefore, it can build without assistance and it can move up the building under construction.

The Gantry crane is maintained by the gantry system, which is leveled by beams and wheels. Gantry cranes come in assorted sizes, some of which have a high load capacity, particularly the ones that are used in shipyards and in industry.