Tower Cranes In The Construction Industry

At some time or another, you have seen tower cranes towering over a construction site. These are referred to as tower cranes, much as the appearance implies. They can lift as much as 19 tons and can reach as high as 265 feet. Operating a tower crane requires a lot of skill because the safety of an entire neighborhood could lie in the hands of the tower crane operator. Tower cranes are used to lift generators, large pieces of steel, and large air conditioning units among other larger and heavier items needed to construct a large building.

How Is A Tower Crane Constructed?

Tower cranes are constructed on a large and heavy concrete pad. The crane’s base is secured onto the support pad with heavy-duty bolts. The concrete pad is necessary for stability and the construction process. The pad is poured weeks before the construction process begins. The pad could be as large as 30 feet by 30 feet, can be as much as 4 feet thick, and weigh as much as 400,000 pounds. The large tower that reaches into the sky is referred to as the mast. On top of the mast is the slewing unit, which is the mechanical component that allows the rotation of the crane. The jib is a long arm extending from the crane, and the machinery arm is a shorter arm.

It can take up to a dozen tractor-trailers to haul in all the components for the tower crane. Mobile cranes are used to assemble the jib, the slewing unit, and the counterweights. The crane is grown from the base up using a climber to lift the topmost part of the crane with the jib, slewing unit, and machinery arm to allow the mast’s latticework to slide in, which the tower crane does itself using the jib. The lattice is secured then the process is repeated with the climber.

Training For Tower Cranes

If you are interested in a career in operating tower cranes, call the team at ATS Training School today.