A Brief Overview Of Portable Cranes
Portable cranes can be easily moved from one location to another, sometimes even while transporting a heavy object. Even though some models have treads, for the most part the term is used to describe those which use large rubber tires. They usually have a truss or boom which has a hook at the end which is suspended by wires or cables. This article will discuss the different types of portable cranes that can be found these days.
• Portable pickup truck cranes – also known as truck mounted cranes or hydraulic truck cranes, can easily move from one job to another without the need for special moving equipment. Because they use tires instead of treads, they must use outriggers in order to provide them with extra support.
• Sidelift portable cranes – are either a trucks or semitrailers that are specially designed to lift and carry ISO standard containers. In order to accomplish this they use parallel hoists which can lift from both ground and railway cars.
• Portable gantry cranes – are a common type of stationary gantry crane, but portable cranes in this style can still be found. They are for the most part used to load and unload cargo from freight ships.
• Railroad portable cranes – use flanged wheels which allow them to travel along railroad tracks. They typically have a very simple design which consists of a crane being mounted onto a railcar. However, there are some complicated, custom designed models out there. They are usually employed for maintenance work, recovery operations, and for loading and unloading freight yards.
• Floating portable cranes – are used primarily for building bridges and performing their maintenance. They consist of a simple crane mounted onto either a small pontoon or a barge. They typically have a very high lifting capacity, often over 10,000 tons, since they must transport entire sections of bridge at one time. They have even been used to salvage sunken ships in the past.
• Aerial portable cranes – also referred to as sky cranes, are usually helicopters that are outfitted with devices capable of lifting heavy loads. Because other cranes have a difficult time reaching certain areas, these machines will often be used. They can be used to load merchandise onto the tops of shopping centers for example. Of course, they are often used for disaster relief as well in order to airdrop supplies.
• Rough terrain mobile cranes – are typical, telescopic lifting devices, but they have special tires which allow them to travel off road. They usually have an undercarriage with four large tires.
• All terrain cranes – are able to travel both off-road on difficult terrain as well as at high speeds on public roads.
• Crawler portable cranes – use treads, or crawlers, instead of wheels. While this prevents them from moving on the roads, it provides them with better speed and stability when carrying a load.
