Everything That You Should Know about Boom Crane

On a construction site, you will find the presence of crane trucks. The cranes are deployed to lift the heavy materials to the desired height. Nevertheless, it can bring heavy equipment and construction materials down from higher floors to lower floors. Without a crane, developing a multi-storied building is impossible.
Though you find cranes at construction sites, you hardly notice about different features of the crane trucks. In different construction sites, you can find different types of cranes. One of the commonest cranes for construction sites is the boom crane. The long stretching arm is the most highlighting characteristic of such cranes, and the long-stretched arm is known as a boom.

A Guide to the Boom Crane

People also formally call boom crane the telescopic crane. The crane has a long and fixed hydraulic arm, which can move objects, equipment, and raw materials from one place to another place. A long crane boom has two fundamental advantages. Firstly, the machine can lift objects to the desired elevation level.
Secondly, it can stretch an arm parallel to the ground to reach a far place. Therefore, such cranes can easily mobilise various heavy equipment and raw materials in a construction site. A professional operator must operate such cranes, and without proper training operating such a machine will be risky

Types of Boom Cranes

You can find two types of telescopic cranes, also known as boom cranes. These two types of cranes are hydraulic cranes and lattice cranes. In most cases, these two types of cranes serve the same purposes. However, they are different in terms of their operational methodologies. Find details on these cranes in the following section.

1. Lattice Boom Crane

Multiple steel bars are assembled through welding technology to develop the lattice booms. Notably, you will find the bar arrangement in V and W patterns. The lattice-shaped design increases the ability to lift or carry the crane's weight.
The lattice booms have a fixed length, and they can move vertically and horizontally as per the operators' instructions. One of the major features is that such cranes can tilt and swivel. Therefore, operators will have more flexibility in carrying or lifting goods through this crane.
For operating the crane, engineers have to calculate the angle of tilt of the boom and the speed of lifting or moving the arm. The idea is to carry heavyweight objects while keeping the crane stable to avoid any kinds of mishaps. Typically, the operator's cabin at the base of the crane possesses many controller buttons, computerised safety systems, and joysticks.

2. Hydraulic Boom

While lattice boom operates with a fixed length, the hydraulic booms can extend the arm depending on the requirements. The structure of the crane is similar to the structure of a telescope. Therefore, such cranes are also known as telescopic cranes.
The system works through a powerful hydraulic pumping station attached to the crane's base. The pump generates the pressure to operate the pistons, and it eventually allows the crane boom to retract or extend. The hydraulic system operates telescopic crane booms, though the same technology can also operate folding crane booms.
Both folding and telescopic booms have their uses in various construction sites. However, choosing the crane boom is a strategic decision in most cases. You need to choose a folded boom for the construction sites with compact space availability. On the other hand, telescopic booms are free-flowing, and they are suitable for any large construction project.

Boom Crane and Boom Trucks

Due to the similar structure and appearance, people often confuse boom trucks and boom cranes. Both of them have extensive applications in various construction sites for lifting and moving heavy equipment. You will find similarities in the booms of these two machines, though the bases are different.
The base of the boom truck looks like a truck, and thus it is known as a boom truck. Typically, trucks are smaller than cranes, and they can deal with lighter weights. Therefore, engineers at the small construction sites feel comfortable working with the boom trucks.
But, the disadvantage is that booms trucks are not as reliable as cranes in terms of stability and mobility. But, there is an advantage too. The boom trucks can move like a normal truck, while cranes move slowly on the road. Therefore, trucks reach easily to places that are difficult to access due to poor road conditions.

Bottom Line

Cranes are integral parts of the various construction projects, as they provide comfort in mobilising heavy objects and equipment from one height to another height. Nevertheless, extendable crane arms can move heavyweight equipment horizontally from one place to another. You will find different types of cranes at a construction site, and boom crane is the commonest one. As discussed in this article, boom cranes also have a few variations. Depending on the requirements and availability of the space in a construction site, the engineers strategically select a crane for the project.