Crane Type Identification and Applications Flashcards

What is the primary advantage of an all-terrain crane over a rough terrain crane?

Answer: All-terrain cranes are designed for both highway travel at highway speeds and off-road operation, while rough terrain cranes require transport by trailer for road travel

All-terrain cranes can travel on public highways under their own power at highway speeds and also operate on rough job sites, whereas rough terrain cranes cannot travel on public roads at speed and require transport by trailer.

A crawler crane is selected for a long-duration heavy industrial lift. What is the main advantage of a crawler crane in this application?

Answer: Crawlers provide a very stable platform with high lifting capacity and can travel slowly with a suspended load over prepared surfaces

Crawler cranes offer exceptional stability due to their wide track base, can achieve very high lifting capacities, and can travel short distances on site with a suspended load — advantages that make them ideal for long-duration, heavy industrial projects.

A boom truck (service truck crane) is most appropriate for which type of work?

Answer: Service and maintenance work requiring moderate lifts and utility of the truck body for material transport

Boom trucks combine a crane with a service body on a standard truck chassis, making them ideal for service, utility, maintenance, and delivery work requiring moderate lifts alongside the carrying capacity of the truck.

What distinguishes a tower crane from a mobile crane in terms of how it achieves its lifting radius?

Answer: Tower cranes use a rotating horizontal jib with a trolley that travels in and out to change radius, while mobile cranes use an inclined boom that is raised or lowered to change radius

Tower cranes use a horizontal jib with a trolley that travels in and out to change the working radius, while mobile cranes change radius by raising or lowering the inclined boom angle. This fundamental difference affects how each type is set up and operated.

What is the primary difference in how an overhead bridge crane (EOT crane) achieves load movement compared to a mobile crane?

Answer: Overhead cranes travel on fixed runway rails mounted to the building structure, providing longitudinal, transverse, and vertical movement within a defined work envelope

Overhead bridge cranes travel on fixed runway rails installed in the building, with the bridge spanning the runway width and a hoist trolley traveling along the bridge, providing 3-axis movement within the building's work envelope.

Which crane type uses a lattice boom structure rather than a telescoping hydraulic boom, and what is the primary reason for choosing lattice construction?

Answer: Lattice boom cranes (crawler, lattice boom truck, luffing tower) use truss structure because lattice provides the highest strength-to-weight ratio for very long boom lengths and maximum capacities

Lattice boom construction uses a truss structure with open-web sections that provides maximum structural efficiency (strength-to-weight ratio) for very long booms. This allows much greater lengths and capacities than hydraulic telescoping booms.