It would be pretty much impossible for construction companies to build tall buildings and carry out other large-scale projects without the use of tower cranes. Tower cranes are incredibly important pieces of equipment in the construction industry. Nevertheless, before companies can start using tower cranes, they have to spend weeks and, in some cases, even months planning out how they’re going to get them to a construction site and put them together once they’re there. Here is a brief overview of the tower crane process.
Step 1: The base of the crane is created.
Before a construction company can start building a tower crane, they need to build a strong foundation for it. This is typically done prior to a crane’s arrival on a job site. A company will do this by creating a concrete foundation and securing the first piece of a tower crane’s vertical mast to it. This is the most crucial aspect of tower crane construction since an unstable crane base can present big problems in the future.
Step 2: The individual pieces of the crane are transported to the job site.
Once the base for a tower crane has been created, the next step will be to bring in all the other pieces of a tower crane and prepare them for assembly. Heavy hauling services must be used to bring in most of these pieces. It can take several weeks for all the pieces of a tower crane to arrive at the job site.
Step 3: The crane is assembled.
After all the parts of a tower crane arrive on a job site, the dirty work will begin. It’ll be time for a construction company to start piecing together the crane bit by bit. The company will start by building the vertical mast one section at a time, which will usually require the use of another type of crane like a crawler crane. Once that’s done, the company will place an operator’s cab and a turntable at the top of the crane mast before capping it off with a tower top. The company will then connect what’s called a working arm or a jib to the crane mast. This is the part of the crane that extends outwards and is responsible for rotating around when items are picked up by the crane. There is also a counter-jib added to the other side of the crane to balance things out, and ropes and cables are added as well to allow companies to start picking things up with the crane.
Step 4: The crane is used and then disassembled when a project is finished.
When tower crane assembly is all done, a construction company can start using the crane for their project. Only licensed crane operators should be permitted to use the crane. After a project is over, it’ll be up to the construction company to take the tower crane apart. This can be a complicated process since companies need to be careful about not doing any damage to whatever was built with the crane.
Setting a tower crane up can be a difficult process. If your company needs help doing it, Astro Crane can provide you with crane services and keep your job site safe. Call us at 978-429-8666 today for assistance.
