8/31/2020 Types of Cranes Used in Construction | Elebia Blog | Elebia

Types of Cranes Used in Construction

Blog (https://elebia.com/category/blog/)
28 april, 2020

There are various types of cranes used in construction and for di erent purposes. Cranes can be
used in construction and others in rescue processes to lift or lower objects and move them
horizontally. Either way, all cranes are equipped with pulleys and cables that are useful when it
comes to moving objects around.

They are usually temporary structures that are either mounted on a custom-built vehicle or xed
to the ground. They are controlled remotely or by a professional operator who moves in a cab
along with the crane. Like with all other items in construction, the crane operator has the
responsibility to ensure the safety of the construction site, the working crane, and the rigging crew.
Today at elebia we will talk about types of cranes used in construction.

12 Popular Types of Cranes used in Construction

Di erent types of cranes come with varying capabilities and features that determine their use. The
features include the lifting capacity, lifting range, lift angle, the working radius, mobility, weight &
dimensions, setup time, and night working capabilities. These features will determine the kind of
crane needed for the construction industry (https://elebia.com/construction-industry/) for hire or
purchase. With these features in mind, you can quickly identify the types of construction cranes
needed.
Here are the 12 most popular types of lifting cranes used in construction today:

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1. Mobile Cranes
2. Vehicle Mounted Cranes
3. Rough Terrain Cranes
4. All Terrain Cranes
5. Crawler Cranes
6. Railroad Cranes
7. Aerial Cranes
8. Tower Cranes
9. Telescopic Cranes
10. Overhead Cranes
11. Loader Cranes
12. Floating Cranes
 
1. Mobile Cranes
Mobile cranes are the most standard and versatile crane used in construction today. They are the
most basic of all cranes and consists of a steel truss or telescopic boom mounted on a mobile
platform, which could be a rail, wheeled, or even on a cat track. The boom is hinged at the bottom
and can be either raised or lowered by cables or hydraulic cylinders.
There are plenty of lifting operations where the use of a tower crane would not be practical.
Activities like indoor lifts or statue lifting cannot be engineered using static tower cranes. The best
solution is, therefore, to use the mobile crane. These crane types are faster to set up and exible
and able to access areas where the static crane can’t reach. These cranes also do not need a lot of
space and are cost-e cient since they are cheaper than the other major types of cranes. Let’s
have a look at the di erent types of mobile cranes.

2. Vehicle Mounted Cranes

These types of cranes used in construction usually have one engine used for both the crane and
undercarriage. They are mounted on rubber tires trucks, which o er excellent mobility. There are
outriggers used in stabilizing the truck by expanding it vertically or horizontally and level the
crane when it is hoisting a load of materials.
The capacity of these cranes rarely exceeds 50-ton capacity. The main advantage of the vehicle-
mounted cranes is that they can travel on the highways without the help of a unique vehicle,
making them easy to use and less expensive. These cranes also can be rotated 180 degrees,
though some can rotate to 360 degrees. The ones that rotate 360 degrees are more expensive.

3. Rough Terrain Cranes

A rough terrain crane is a crane mounted on an undercarriage with four rubber tires designed for
o -road operations where a typical vehicle mounted crane is not suitable. The outriggers extend
vertically and horizontally to level and stabilize the crane when hoisting.
These cranes have single-engine machines where the same engine used for powering the
undercarriage is the same one used for powering the crane. They are ideal for construction sites
that have uneven, dirt, and rocky terrain. The mobility and ability of the crane to travel around the

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site make it an e ect support crane for lighter hoists on highway, construction, and infrastructure
projects.

4. All Terrain Cranes

It is also a mobile that can move at the same speed on paved roads as well as in rough terrains.
Therefore it can be used in both applications. It has more wheels than a typical vehicle, and they
balance the vehicle without overturning in rough terrains.
5. Crawler Cranes
Crawler cranes have the crane mounted on a caterpillar track giving them supreme mobility and
strength to handle hefty loads. They are mobile and also require little setup because they are
robust and do not need outriggers. A crawler track also makes work on unprepared job sites easy.
In places where the ground is soft, the broad base of a crawler crane helps to distribute weight
through a wider area, hence preventing the crawler crane from sinking amidst a lift. The major
drawback of this machine is that it is expensive and di cult to move from one site to another.
However, this type of crane can still be moved with the help of trucks, therefore, reducing the cost
of transportation.

6. Railroad Cranes
Railroad cranes are useful for the construction of railway lines and repairing and maintenance of
railroads. These have anged wheels at its bottom which can be moved in rail track only.
7. Aerial Cranes
These are also called sky cranes. They look like a helicopter and are useful when the target is
di cult to reach by land or to lift large loads to high rise buildings.

8. Tower Cranes
A tower crane is a modern make of the balance crane most commonly used on urban
construction sites. When this crane is xed to the ground during the construction period, it o ers
the best combination of lifting capacity and height. These cranes are attached using a substantial
concrete base and anchored by large bolts which can be removed easily after construction. They
are used mostly in the construction of tall, multi-story buildings. It is important to note that when
the tower crane constructs past a certain height, it would be essential to have it connected to the
construction building to help prevent the crane from swaying or tipping.
The best thing about tower cranes is that they surpass the lifting and loading capacity of all other
kinds of cranes. Their height capacity too cannot be matched the other cranes. Tower cranes are
incredibly stable and can endure tough tasks. The downside is that they are costly and need a lot of
e ort and time to move from one point to another. The maintenance costs for repairs and
depreciation are also high. Despite being costly, industrial constructors can still achieve their goals
with these machines by hiring to avoid high expenses.

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9. Telescopic Crane
These cranes comprise large booms tted with tubes from the inside. A telescopic crane increases
its height using the tubes by a hydraulic mechanism. This crane is mostly useful in transporting
goods from one point to another. However, the telescopic crane is best at transferring objects to
higher positions. This is because the crane can adjust its height. These cranes are also in rescue
operations.

10. Overhead Crane

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An overhead crane is also referred to as a suspended crane. They are commonly used in factories,
with some being able to lift extremely heavy loads. Bigger overhead cranes are also called goliath
cranes and can be used in shipyards and in large outdoor manufacturing plants. This type of crane
has its hoist set on a trolley that moves in one direction along a beam or two. The beams move at
angles to the direction of the trolley along raised or ground level tracks which are often mounted
along the sides of an assembly area.

11. Loader Crane

Also known as a folding boom crane, a loader crane is a hydraulically powered articulated arm
tted to a trailer used to load equipment onto a trailer. The numerous sections can be folded into a
small space when the crane isn’t in use and the crane is easy to fold hence can be easily
transported. The capacity of these cranes has increased dramatically over the years. Presently
there are 200-ton capacity loader folding boom cranes on the market today.

12. Floating Crane

Floating cranes are also called crane ship, crane vessel, or oating crane. They are are used for
bridge or port construction, and also to load and unload ships. They have a capacity of up to 9000
tons.

Our Lifting and Crane Hooks: Must-Have Products

in the Construction Industry
Regardless of the type of crane you decide to purchase or hire, you will need the lifting and crane
hooks to get any work done. Elebia, in this regard, o ers two types of hooks: the lifting hooks for
cranes and the automatic crane hooks. Both these types of hooks are evo automatic, meaning they
hook and release the load remotely, therefore, increasing safety and productivity.
However, the automatic crane hook is an upgrade from the lifting hooks for cranes. It comes in evo2
automatic range, is lighter, smaller hence more convenient.

Lifting Hooks for Cranes, Safe and E cient Solution

The evo automatic hooks are the future of all types of cranes in construction, no argument about
that. The lifting hook for cranes (https://elebia.com/lifting-hooks-for-cranes/) as a type of these is
therefore no di erent. With its amazing features listed below; it is merely a great option to consider
when buying a crane.
Patented Safety Hooks
As mentioned earlier, the lifting hooks for cranes are evo automatic, and therefore, hooks and
releases load remotely without the operator necessarily being close to it. The evo automatic range
comes with the patented safety hook equipped with a magnet on the lower section.
The magnetic eld created by this magnet attracts the rigging equipment or load when close to it,
orients it, and centres it. From there, the operator just pushes the close button on the remote
control causing the hook to close on the load and lift it. Due to this technology, Elebia has achieved
what most companies are struggling to make; safety when it comes to lifting hooks for cranes.

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Fail-Safe Design
The patented safety hook is, however, not the only way that elebia achieves the safety of lifting
hooks for cranes. A fail-safe design incorporated into the hooks prevents the dropping of loads
while on the suspended cranes. It does this by merely employing the rules of gravity. The fail-safe
design ensures that the motor’s torque is not powerful enough to release the load while it’s
suspended in the air. Besides, a security torque limit is also included in the hooks to limit the load
lifted hence preventing overload.
High Capacity Battery
The lifting hooks for cranes have a high capacity battery that can be fully charged in 3 hours and
allow up to 5000 cycles or 250 hours in a standby mode that increases their e ciency.
Remote Control
The remote-controlled operations of the lifting hooks for cranes are another thing that might make
anyone purchasing construction cranes to consider them. They ensure both safety and e ciency
since the operator does not need to be near the construction site to control the loading and
unloading.

Elebia Crane Hooks. Smart and Compact with Automatic Latch

Elebia crane hook (https://elebia.com/automatic-crane-hooks/) has everything the lifting hooks for
cranes has except; it is much better. It uses the same evo automated technology to lift and release
the load, but it is much smaller, compact, e cient, and smarter.
Smart and Compact
The elebia crane hook uses a magnetic eld attached to its automatic latch to lift weights from 2.5
to 5.11 lbs. It also contains a weighing scale that automatically weighs all the loads that it raises to
prevent overloading.
Small, Light and Tough
The small size and the lighter weight, but a robust structure that can lift heavy weights, increase
the elebia crane’s ability to purchase when looking for a construction crane.
Fail-Safe Design
Incorporation of the fail-safe design prevents the suspended loads from dropping to the ground
hence maximizing safety.
Automatic Latch
The automatic latch of the elebia crane hooks retracts automatically when the crane hook opens,
ensuring maximum safety.
E cient
Elebia crane hooks contain a high-capacity battery with a 3 hour charge and one week’s power to
increase its e ciency.

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