Not all tower cranes work the same way. While regular tower cranes work well on some sites, there are times when luffing cranes are a better option. How do these cranes work and what are their benefits?

What Is a Luffing Tower Crane?

At first glance, you might not think that there is any difference between a luffing crane and other tower options such as hammerhead cranes. Luffing cranes are also tall structures with a long jib.

However, the jib works differently on a luffing crane. Rather than staying flat, rigid and in one position, a luffing jib can move in different directions. For example, the jibs on these cranes can move up and down rather than stay straight.

What Are the Advantages of Luffing Tower Cranes?

Luffing tower cranes do the same kinds of jobs as regular tower cranes. However, they have some additional features and benefits which you might find useful on certain jobs and work sites.

For example, you might have to use a luffing tower crane on a city-centre site with local height and space restrictions. If you can't use a tower crane with a static jib because it has too big a slewing radius, then a luffing crane might be your only option.

Here, the luffing movement of the jib gives the crane a more controllable slewing radius. You can lift the jib up to make the radius smaller in situations where a regular tower crane would take up too much space. This might be the only way you can get permission to use a tower crane on some sites.

This adjustable jib option is also useful on large construction sites where you need to use multiple tower cranes simultaneously. If you use cranes with fixed jibs, then you have to take extra care to keep cranes away from each other. You don't want to have an accident because the jibs on two cranes are too close.

If you use luffing cranes, then you can adjust their jibs to avoid collisions with other cranes. You can fit multiple cranes on a site more easily and more safely even if some of the cranes need to be close to each other.

Luffing cranes are also useful if you need to lift high capacity loads. While standard tower cranes can carry heavy loads, they do typically have lower weight capacities than luffing cranes. If you use luffing models, then you can lift more and speed up your productivity.

To find out more about luffing cranes and whether they are the right option for your site, ask tower crane hire specialists for advice.

For more information on tower cranes, contact a company like Everwilling Cranes.