CRANES

• A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains,
and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It
is mainly used for lifting heavy things and transporting them to other places. The device uses
one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the
normal capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in the transport industry for the
loading and unloading of freight, in the construction industry for the movement of materials,
and in the manufacturing industry for the assembling of heavy equipment.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRANES MOST USED IN CONSTRUCTION

 Mobile Crane
 Truck-mounted Crane
 Tower Crane – a modern form of balance crane. Fixed to the ground and sometimes attached to
the sides of structures, tower cranes often give the best combination of height and lifting
capacity and are used in the construction of tall buildings
 Telescopic Crane – it has a boom that consists of a number of tubes fitted one inside the other.
A hydraulic or other powered mechanism extends or retracts the tubes to increase or decrease
the total length of the boom.
 Overhead Crane – also known as “suspended crane”, this type of crane only hoist/trolley moves
in one direction along one or two fixed beams, often mounted along side walls or on elevated
columns in the assembly area of factory.
 Rough-terrain Crane – a crane mounter on an undercarriage with four rubber tires that is
designed for pick-and-carry operations and for off-road and “rough terrain” applications.
 Loader Crane – unlike most cranes, the operator must move around the vehicle to be able to
view his load, hence modern cranes may be fitted with a portable cabled or radio-linked control
system to supplement the crane-mounted hydraulic control levers.

Basic Components of a Crane in General

1. Crawler – to move the crane(creep) in the work area by means of a motor rotating tracks on its
sprocket
2. Superstructure – the crane paddle wheel, control operator, or where other equipment
3. Counterweight - the weights used to balance the load and a heavy crane to provide stability
during lifting
4. Additional Counterweight – weight of additional(optional) to balance the load and a heavy
crane
5. Jib – additional extension boom attached to the point of giving additional boom length for lifting
specified
6. Mast – the place to prop rope or wire balancer cranes, hoists, and pulley
7. Pulley – to play the part of the hook so that it can be raised or lowered