Cranes

CRANES
• The dominant piece of equipment the world
over construction of both building projects and
heavy civil projects.
• The epitome of the growing construction
industrialization witness in the last decades.

• Designed and manufactured to work

economically in specific site situation.
 Uses and Parts

• to hoist

• to lower

• to place loads

• to transport
 Major Crane Types

Mobile Cranes Tower Cranes

Types of Mobile Crane
Mobile Crane
• a cable-controlled
crane mounted
on crawlers or rubber-
tired carriers
• a hydraulic-powered
crane with a
telescoping boom
mounted on truck-type
carriers or as self-
propelled models
Crawler Cranes
• This type of crane is mounted on continuous,
parallel crawler tracks

• The crawlers provide the crane with good travel

capability around the job site

• It also provides large ground contact area.

Crawler Cranes
• Many manufacturers have different option
packages available that enable configuration of
the crane to a particular application, standard
life, tower unit, or duty cycle.
▫ Duty-cycle work – a repetitive lifting assignment
of relatively short cycle time, such as handling a
concrete bucket.
Crawler Cranes
Advantages
• Their main advantage is that
they can move around on site
and perform each lift with
little set-up.
• In addition, a crawler crane is
capable of traveling with a
load.
Disadvantages
• The main disadvantage is that
they are very heavy, and
cannot easily be moved from
one job site to another without
significant expense.
Crawler Cranes
Telescoping-boom Truck Mounted Cranes
• Truck cranes that have self-contained
telescoping boom.

• Recommended for short-termed jobs that ranges

from couple of hours to a couple of days due to
ease of movement and setup.

• Have high initial cost per rated lift capability.

Telescoping-boom Truck Mounted Cranes
• Telescoping-boom Truck Mounted Cranes have
extendable outriggers for stability.

• Many units cannot be operated safely with a full

reach of boom unless the outriggers are fully
extended and the machine is raised so that the
tires are clear off the ground.
Telescoping-boom Truck Mounted Cranes
Lattice-boom Truck-mounted Cranes
• The Lattice-boom truck-mounted cranes have
fully revolving superstructure mounted on a
multi-axle carrier.

• The advantage of this machine is the lattice

boom, which is a lightweight structure.
Reduction in boom weight means additional lift
capacity.
Lattice-boom Truck-mounted Cranes
Rough-terrain Cranes
• A low cost crane mounted on an undercarriage
with four large rubber tires.

• Designed for pick-and-carry operations and for

off-road and "rough terrain" applications. 

• Primarily used as lift machines but are capable

of light, intermittent duty-cycle work
Rough-terrain Cranes
• These telescopic cranes are single-engine
machines, with the same engine powering the
undercarriage and the crane, similar to a crawler
crane.

• Sometimes referred to as “Cherry Pickers”, due

to their use during the WWII in handling bombs.
Rough-terrain Cranes
All-terrain Cranes
• Designed with an undercarriage capable of long
distance highway travel.

• Can be used for limited pick-and-carry-work.

• It is appropriate when multiple lifts are required

at scattered project sites or at multiple work
locations on a single project.
All-terrain Cranes
• Can be positioned on the project without
needing other construction equipment to
prepare a smooth travel way, as truck cranes
would require.

• Does not need a lowboy to haul it between

distant project sites, as a rough-terrain crane
would.
All-terrain Crane
Modified Cranes for Heavy Lifting
• Basically systems that significantly increase the
lift capacity of a crawler crane.

• A crane’s capacity is limited by one of two

functions:
▫ structural strength
▫ tipping movement.
Modified Cranes for Heavy Lifting
• If a counterweight is added to prevent tipping
when hoisting a heavy load, the machine will
reach a point where it is no over-balance without
a load thus it will tip backwards.
Modified Cranes for Heavy Lifting
• Three principle systems for maintaining
machine integrity.

1. Trailing counterweight – mounted on a wheeled

platform behind the crane. This system
increases the angle between the boom and
suspension lines, thus decreasing the
compressive forces on the boom.
Modified Cranes for Heavy Lifting
2. Extendable counterweight – several
manufacturers offer a machine with a suspeded
counterweight system that can be extended away
from the rear to match the leverage of the lift.

3. Ring system – with this system a large circular

ring is created outside the base machine. The
heavy counterweight is supported on the ring.
Crane booms
• Most cranes are equipped with standardized
booms designed to optimize their performance
over a range of applications.
Crane booms
Crane booms
• However, cranes may also use optional boom
configurations that enable them to adapt specific
lifting conditions.

• For instance, enabling the machine to

accommodate load clearance and longer reach.
Other types of mobile crane
• Floating crane
▫ used mainly in bridge building and
port construction, but they are also used for
occasional loading and unloading of especially
heavy or awkward loads on and off ships.
Floating
crane
Other types of mobile crane
• Aerial crane
▫ Aerial crane or 'Sky cranes' usually are helicopters
designed to lift large loads. Helicopters are able to
travel to and lift in areas that are difficult to reach by
conventional cranes. Helicopter cranes are most
commonly used to lift units/loads onto and highrises.
Aerial crane
Tower Crane
• Tower cranes are a modern form of balance crane
that consist of the same basic parts.

• Fixed to the ground on a concrete slab (and

sometimes attached to the sides of structures as
well)

• Tower cranes often give the best combination of

height and lifting capacity and are used in the
construction of tall buildings.
Types of Tower Crane
• Top slewing
• Bottom slewing
Top-slewing Crane
• These type of crane have the slewing
circle or swing circle mounted at the
top, allowing only the jibs, tower top
and operator cab to rotate.

• Assembled from modular lattice-type

sections.
• Often used the term “sectional tower
crane” in reference to this type of
crane.
Bottom-slewing Crane
• This type of crane have the swing
circle located under the slewing
platform, enabling both the
tower and jib assembly rotate
relative to the base chassis.

• Essentially a telescoping mast,

hence referred to as “telescoping
tower crane”.
Tower Cranes
• The difference between these two cranes are
reflected in setup and dismantling procedures
and in lifting height.

• Bottom slewing tower cranes are smaller cranes,

and can be towed between job sites.
▫ They are self-erecting or fast-erecting at the
expense of service height.
Tower Cranes
• On the other hand, transporting, setting up, and
dismantling top-slewing tower cranes require
more time (up to a week) are more complicated
and are more costly procedures.
▫ It also requires assistance from other equipment,
commonly a large mobile crane, but the crane can
reach greater heights compared to the bottom
slewing tower crane.
dismantling / assembly of tower
Operation
• Mobile Cranes Rigged with Vertical Towers
▫ Vertical tower cranes can be mounted on a mobile crane substructure, a
fixed base or a traveling base, or can be configured to climb within the
constructed structure.
Other types of tower cranes
• Fixed-base Tower Cranes
Other types of tower cranes
• Climbing Tower Cranes
▫ Common choice for high-rise building
construction and a lifting mechanism solution for
buildings exceeding maximum-braced height
tower crane limit.
▫ Structurally supported by the floors that is being
constructed, the crane climbs on special climbing
collars that are fitted to the building’s completed
structural floors.
Other types of tower cranes
• Travelling Tower Cranes
▫ The base of the crane is set on a pair of fixed rails,
enabling the crane to move along the rail with a
load.
▫ The advantage is the increased coverage of the
work area that can be achieved.
▫ Could either be a top-slewing or bottom-slewing
type.
Factors considering tower crane selection
• Weights of the heaviest loads at various lift radii
• Dimensions of the loads
• Max free-standing height of the crane
• Max braced height of the crane
• Location and spacing of required braces
• Crane-climbing arrangement
Factors considering tower crane selection
• Weight of the crane
• Available headroom
• Area that must be reached by the hook
• Hoist speeds
• Dismantling arrangements
Rigging Basics
• A crane is designed to pick or lift a load by
means of hoisting mechanism using ropes.

• The loads must be properly attached to the crane

by a rigging system.

• The rigger must correctly determine the weight

and center of gravity of the load to be carried.
Management of Lifting Operations
• Safe system of work:
▫ Whether the lifting operations are repetitive or if they are as one off, a safe system of work must be
established and followed for the operation to be both safe and successful. 

▫ In order to provide a safe system of work the following items are to be included in the lift plan.

• Assessment:
▫ The selection of suitable cranes and work equipment must be carried out.

▫ A crane team is to be employed who are fully trained and competent and who have had their roles
and responsibilities clearly explained to them.

▫ The areas for the cranes access and rigging etc must be properly planned and properly prepared.

▫ A regime of maintenance, testing and examination of equipment must be devised.

 
▫ All certification, reports of thorough examination and other documents including manufacturer’s
manuals are to be retained and be available.
 
▫ It is essential that all personnel can communicate clearly in the same language.
Selection and duties of personnel
 Procedures and Precautions
Crane Operation
• Whenever a crane is to be moved (even if not
lifting) it is to be driven by a competent operator
nominated by the appointed person.
• The crane must only be operated under a safe
system of work and within the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Inspection and Maintenance

• Where there is a requirement for a person to

climb the mast of a crane whilst the crane is still
operational the driver must be made aware of
someone climbing before they commence.
• Any tools or equipment needed to be used must
be secure and free from risk of falling and if tools
are to be lifted up using the crane they must be
done so using equipment designed for that task.
Other cranes / plant / buildings
• Where there are other cranes on the same site and
there is a risk of collision, a crash radio system is to
be established and be used. This will be
determined by the lifting assessment.
• Any other plant (Other cranes, Concrete Booms,
Piling Rigs etc) that may be working within the
radius of a crane, their operator must be made
aware of such risks and a system must be put in
place to control their movements (this may be via
the crash radio or a permit to work system)
• Where existing buildings are situated within the
cranes radius specific control measures must be
put in place (these will be determined in the risk
assessments)
Signalling

• Where available the recognised hand signals will

be adopted and a copy of those is attached.
• Where hand signals are not suitable radio
contact is to be established and implemented,
when using radio contact the slinger / signaller
is to give clear, concise directions and if unclear
the driver is to stop all lifting operations (If
communication is lost during a lift the driver is
also to stop)