Construction contributes about $1.4 trillion worth of new structures every year.
Different types of cranes play a part in construction work. Cranes use a combination of cables and pulleys to help lift and lower heavy materials. With construction showing no signs of slowing, it’s no surprise that estimates put the global crane market growing by a CAGR of 2.96% through 2027.
This crane guide will seek to help answer the question, “what are the different types of cranes?”
Static Cranes
A static crane has a fixed path. It remains fixed to the ground or building with the intent of lifting and moving materials along a set path.
Overhead Crane
An overhead crane looks and functions how it sounds. It has a horizontal beam fixed to a ceiling, often inside a warehouse. A trolley and hoist are attached to this beam and move along the beam to transport loads.
Tower Crane
When you see a skyscraper under construction, you often see a tower crane beside it. A tower crane is made up of a mast and a jib.
The jib can rotate 360 degrees, and a trolley and hook block travel along with this component.
Level-Luffing Crane
A level-luffing crane has a rotating jib that can slew and move in and out from the base. Attached to the jib is a vertical mast. A level-luffing crane is ideal for moving heavy loads that need to stay near ground level.
Mobile Cranes
A mobile crane is the opposite of a static crane. A mobile crane isn’t a semi-permanent or permanent structure. Instead, it comes mounted on either wheels or treads. This allows the mobile crane to move to new job sites when needed.
Crawler Crane
Sometimes called a lattice crane or telescopic crawler, the crawler crane is one of the largest cranes. They have heavy-duty treads and can lift and move materials that weigh more than 2500 tons.
Rough Terrain Crane
When there’s difficult off-roading work involved in conditions like mud or snow, the rough terrain crane is what you’ll find on-site.
Also called an RT crane, they come mounted on four tires. A telescoping boom picks up and carries the load, weighing up to 165 tons. An RT crane is ideal for moving around in a confined area.
All-Terrain Crane
Think of the all-terrain crane as a mobile truck. This type of crane can travel on the highway since it is quite literally a crane mounted to a truck.
Mounted onto the bed of the truck is the telescopic boom. This is what lifts and moves the loads. An all-terrain crane is capable of lifting 1200 tons.
Truck Crane
The truck crane is a smaller, lighter version of the all-terrain crane. It consists of a boom affixed to the truck bed. They lift lighter loads than the all-terrain crane, only able to hit a load capacity of up to 45 tons.
Many Different Types of Cranes for Your Job
There are different types of cranes to choose from for a construction job. No matter how big or sturdy the crane, equipment wears down. Once that happens, Kor-Pak is here to help with replacement parts.
Kor-Pak is here to be your supplier for crane controls and materials handling needs. Whether you want to upgrade your crane or outfit it with the newest technology, we can help.