Any civil engineer will tell you that without different kinds of heavy construction equipment it would be very hard for them to complete their projects. One piece of equipment that civil engineers rely on is the crane. This article discusses some of the different kinds of cranes that can be used during civil construction.

Tower Cranes

These are very common during the construction of tall buildings. They can lift loads reaching 20 tons to a height of about 230 feet. The tower crane is anchored onto a concrete base upon which the mast and other parts like the counterweights are attached. This kind of crane hoists heavy loads up a construction site so that work goes on above ground level.

Vehicle Mounted Cranes

Vehicle-mounted cranes are cranes that are mounted on the back of trucks. Once the truck is at the construction site, it is assembled and outriggers are extended both vertically and horizontally so that the crane is adequately supported to carry loads without toppling over. These cranes are easier to set up when compared with tower cranes but they carry lighter loads than the tower cranes. The advantage of vehicle-mounted cranes is that they do not need special means of transport to move them from one worksite to the next since the vehicle onto which they are mounted can be driven on any road.

Crawler Cranes

These cranes are also mobile but they do not require any outriggers to keep them stable. The crane is mounted onto a chassis that has tracks rather than tyres. This makes the crane very mobile on a worksite. However, when it is time to move the crawler crane from one worksite to another, it has to be dismantled and carried onto a transport truck. The crawler crane can carry heavier loads than the tower crane, sometimes lifting up to 3500 tons.

Floating Cranes

These cranes are mounted onto barges and other watercraft to ease the lifting of construction materials on water. They are suitable for worksites in or near water bodies such as during the construction of bridges and dams. The loads that these cranes can carry depend on the design of the manufacturer and the watercraft onto which the crane is mounted (a high-capacity crane needs to be mounted on a large-capacity barge for safe operation).

If you have a civil construction project in the pipeline, consider procuring any of the cranes above so that your lifting needs are covered during the project.

For more information, check out companies such as Norris Plant Hire (Geelong) Pty Ltd.

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