Crawler Crane Uses

Crawler Crane Uses

Meta Description: Explore crawler crane uses in construction, steel erection, bridge building, road construction, agriculture, and equipment installation.

Crawler cranes are highly versatile heavy-duty machines used in various construction applications. With their ability to traverse challenging job sites and lift heavy loads, crawler cranes are invaluable for new building construction, bridgework, demolition, and more.

This article provides an in-depth look at these versatile mobile cranes’ many uses, focusing on their construction applications, heavy lifting capabilities, and suitability for challenging work conditions and limited work sites.

Key Takeaways

• Crawler cranes are highly mobile and suitable for lifting heavy loads across challenging job sites and terrain.
• They are widely used in the construction of buildings, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure thanks to abilities like lifting steel beams and precast segments.
• Crawler cranes also support demanding tasks in industries like oil/gas, mining, and railways through capabilities like lifting reactors and placing tracks over long distances.

Common Uses Of Crawler Cranes

Crawler cranes are used widely in various construction applications due to their versatility and ability to traverse challenging job sites. Some common uses of crawler cranes include:

1. Steel Construction

One of the main applications of crawler cranes is in steel construction projects involving lifting steel beams, joists, and other heavy steel materials over long distances and at great heights. Their high lift capacity and mobility allow steel erection work to be completed efficiently.

Crawler cranes can lift loads of steel weighing several tons and position them accurately during construction.

2. Bridge Building

Bridge projects extensively utilize crawler cranes for lifting heavy pre-fabricated bridge components and sliding them into place over rivers or roads.

Their ability to traverse rough terrain near water bodies or along infrastructure sites makes them suitable for bridge work. Crawler cranes can lift loads of several hundred tons for tasks like installing rafters, trusses, and decks during bridge construction and repair work.

3. Road Construction

When building or repairing roads over long stretches, crawler cranes are valuable machinery as they can quickly move along the path of the construction project. Their track system allows them to roll over muddy or uneven surfaces at the site.

Crawler cranes lift heavy road machinery, install culverts and bridges, and place large sign boards during road projects.

Agricultural Construction

Crawler cranes are widely used in agricultural construction projects because they can traverse rough terrain. They are suitable for tasks like installing silos and other farm buildings on fields or near existing structures.

Buildings and Facilities

Agricultural facilities like barns, sheds, and processing plants must often be built on farms. Crawler cranes can lift heavy wooden or steel trusses and walls and position them accurately during the construction of such buildings. They help erect large farm structures over difficult terrain near fields.

Equipment Installation

Installation of heavy agricultural machinery and equipment like harvesters, irrigation systems, and wind turbines requires mobile cranes with good lifting and traversing capabilities.

Crawler cranes can lift loads of several tons and install such farm equipment on sites with loose gravel or sloping ground conditions, making regular wheeled cranes unsuitable. They play a critical role in installing new agricultural hardware and systems.

Heavy Lifting Capabilities

One of the key advantages of crawler cranes is their immense lifting ability to handle heavy loads across challenging job sites.

High Lift Capacity

Crawler cranes have lift capacities ranging up to 660 tonnes, ensuring that even the largest and heaviest loads can be safely lifted and positioned. Their extended counterweights and track system provide better stability for lifting loads.

Crawler cranes are capable of lifting loads, objects, and materials weighing several hundred tons for applications like infrastructure projects involving the lifting of heavy precast segments and industrial construction requiring the movement of large boilers and reactors.

Heavy Loads Handling

With their ability to lift loads of 500 tons and above, crawler cranes are critical in handling heavy equipment, machinery, and structures across different industries and projects. They are used extensively in the load handling of heavy steel components, pre-fabricated bridge sections, wind turbine parts, and industrial reactors.

Crawler cranes can lift loads suspended from wire ropes and jib extensions and transport them over long distances or challenging terrain at ports, manufacturing sites, and within limited spaces at refineries and plants.

Their high lift capacities allow safe lifting and movement of heavy loads, objects, cargo, and materials.

Working On Challenging Job Sites

Crawler cranes are designed to function effectively in difficult construction sites through superior mobility and load-handling abilities.

Mobility Over Tough Terrain

The track system of crawler cranes allows them to traverse challenging terrain more effectively than conventional wheeled cranes. They can roll over muddy, uneven, loose gravel surfaces and difficult terrain that other equipment may be unable to access.

This makes them suitable for infrastructure projects constructed in remote areas with limited access. Crawler cranes are widely used in oil/gas operations and mining sites to traverse rough terrain to lift and transport heavy loads and materials.

Limited Space Operations

Due to their ability to rotate 360 degrees, crawler cranes prove effective in constrained job sites with limited ground space. They face fewer restrictions of tail swing than regular mobile cranes.

Crawler cranes are often used for construction tasks within confined areas such as inside refineries, heavy manufacturing plants, and shipyards where space is at a premium. Their compact design allows working efficiently even where space is constrained.

Adverse Weather Conditions

• Crawler cranes can operate effectively even during poor weather conditions like rain, snow, and wind due to their stable track system and balanced weight distribution.
• Their tracks provide better traction and mobility than wheeled cranes on muddy or slippery sites during rainy weather.
• The extended counterweight allows the safe lifting of heavy loads, objects, and materials, even during strong winds, common at high-altitude construction sites like oil rigs, wind farms, etc.
• Crawler cranes can continue working where other mobile cranes may face limitations, helping fast-track infrastructure projects facing tight schedules and deadlines despite unpredictable weather.
• Government agencies and construction firms rely on these suitable cranes to complete public works and industrial projects in remote areas prone to heavy rains, snowfall, or other climate challenges.
• Their all-weather operability makes crawler cranes suitable for various energy, mining, and transportation projects in diverse terrain and climatic conditions.

Demolition Projects

Due to their lifting and mobility capabilities, crawler cranes are extensively used to demolish old structures.

Assisting in Controlled Demolition Of Structures

Crawler cranes are critical in the controlled demolition of buildings, bridges, and other large structures. They are used to lift heavy steel cutting jaws and wrecking balls suspended from strong wire ropes to bring down buildings in a planned manner.

Crawler cranes provide safe lifting operations at great heights and distances during the demolition of tall buildings and infrastructure projects.

Removing Debris From Demolition Sites

Once the demolition is completed, crawler cranes help remove the heavy debris and dismantle material from the site. Equipped with clamshell buckets or grab attachments, they can efficiently lift chunks of concrete, steel, and other demolition waste weighing several tons.

The mobile track system allows crawler cranes to collect and load debris onto trucks from all areas of the demolition location for swift removal, preparing the ground for new construction activities.

Use Of Crawler Crane in Oil And Gas Industry

The oil and gas industry widely utilizes crawler cranes for their operations due to the demanding lifting and mobility needs.

• Crawler cranes are critical in lifting and installing heavy equipment such as drilling rigs, pumps, separators, and storage tanks weighing several hundred tons at remote oil and gas well locations.
• They are extensively used to construct offshore rigs and platforms where their ability to traverse difficult terrains and lift loads over long distances from floating barges proves valuable.
• Crawler cranes were installed as part of critical oilfield infrastructure, including pipelines and compressor stations, handling heavy objects and materials suspended from wire rope.
• Their high lift capacities allow safe lifting and positioning of refinery reactors, heat exchangers, and other heavy equipment within limited spaces at processing facilities.
• Crawler cranes significantly decommission aged oil rigs and refineries by dismantling large process units and removing debris.
• Their stable track system enables lifting operations to continue even during adverse weather conditions at offshore and high-altitude oil drilling sites.
• Oilfield service providers and drilling contractors rely on crawler cranes for diverse lifting needs across exploration, production, transportation, and petrochemical projects.