Generally speaking, there are two main types of tower crane used on medium and large construction projects; the self erecting tower crane and the assisted erecting tower crane. A self erecting tower crane is specially designed to be erected quickly and easily. They are also relatively easy to transport between sites. Most of these types of cranes also contain their own generator which means that they are fully self-contained unit. Self erecting tower cranes are smaller and have a lower maximum lift rating than other types of tower cranes, which means that they are suitable for small to medium construction sites and they are not generally used on the largest worksites.
The advantages of a self erecting tower crane
The main benefits of this type of crane is portability and quick setup time. This means that they can be setup by a fully qualified team in less than an hour. This cuts down waiting time and allows your team to get started on their lifting jobs as soon as possible. The onboard generator means that external power is not required and this adds to their versatility. To make them even more useful some tower cranes are attached to a moveable crawler base, which means that they can be easily moved around the site.
Disadvantages
As with any crane there are some disadvantages to the self erecting cranes. Firstly, they have a smaller size and lower lifting capacity when compared with other tower cranes. Secondly, they can be quite mobile, but in order to achieve this the crane can only be moved at safe operating heights. This does restrict their usefulness and is why many larger construction sites opt for assisted erect tower cranes.
City Cranes
This type of crane provides the best of both worlds and removes many of the above disadvantages. They can be erected relatively quickly, but also have a much higher lifting capacity than a standard self erecting tower crane. These have become very popular for general construction site and are now one of the most common cranes you can find working on city construction projects.
Hiring a tower crane
Many construction rental and equipment hire agencies offer cower crane rental. However, not just anyone can hire a tower crane. In general, they are only hired to construction companies with a flly qualified crew, and only after official documentation is sighted. If your company is not able to provide this information then you may be able to hire qualified workers to operate the crane from the rental agency. This might be a more expensive option, but you can be sure that the crane will be operated in a safe and efficient manner. A safe lifting plan and full OH&S site plan is usually also required before a rental crane is delivered and the agency will be able to help you with this in most cases.
Cost
These cranes typically cost between $200-500 per day to hire, but this does depend on a variety of factors. The larger and more versatile city cranes are the most expensive and the smaller tower cranes are on the cheaper end of the spectrum. Discounts are possible with some negotiation and most rental agencies will cut the cost for advance or long term bookings.