Crane glossary
Crane terms in plain words, with the English and Russian names used in manufacturer brochures.
- All-terrain crane
- A mobile crane on a special multi-axle carrier with all-wheel drive and all-wheel steering. It travels on public roads and works on unprepared sites. truck crane, rough-terrain crane, axle configuration
- Axle configuration
- A notation like 10 × 6 × 10: total wheels, driven wheels and steered wheels (twin tyres count as one). all-terrain crane
- Boom
- The load-bearing structure from whose tip the hook hangs. On mobile cranes it is either telescopic or lattice. telescopic boom, lattice boom, jib (fly jib)
- Counter-jib
- The short arm of a tower crane, opposite the jib, carrying the counterweight and the hoist winch. top-slewing crane, counterweight
- Counterweight
- Ballast on the superstructure that balances the crane and its load. Heavy mobile cranes have it delivered to site on separate trucks. load chart, tail swing
- Crawler crane
- A crane on tracks. It can travel with a load on the hook and needs no outriggers; it is transported to site in parts. lattice boom, counterweight
- Duty class
- The crane's class by intensity of use and load spectrum, e.g. A1–A8 under ISO 4301. It determines the service life of the mechanisms. overhead crane
- Flat-top crane
- A top-slewing tower crane with no tower head or jib ties above the jib. Convenient when several cranes on one site overlap at different heights. top-slewing crane, luffing-jib crane
- Freestanding height
- The maximum height of a tower crane without tying the tower to the building. Above that the tower is anchored with ties. tower crane
- Gantry crane
- A crane whose bridge rests on two legs travelling on ground rails. Used in yards, stockpiles and ports. overhead crane, span
- Hoist speed
- The speed at which the load is raised, in m/min. Usually quoted for a single rope line or for the rated load. reeving (parts of line)
- Hook block
- The block carrying the hook and the sheaves the hoist rope is reeved through. Its weight counts as part of the load. reeving (parts of line)
- Hook height
- The maximum distance from the crane's standing level to the hook in its highest working position. boom, jib (fly jib)
- Jib (fly jib)
- An extension fitted to the head of the main boom. It adds height and radius, but its permitted load is lower. boom, hook height
- Knuckle boom
- A boom made of sections joined by hinges; it folds compactly like an arm at the elbow. loader crane
- Lattice boom
- A boom of welded lattice sections assembled on site. Lighter than a telescopic boom of the same length and allows greater heights and radii. boom, telescopic boom, crawler crane
- Lifting capacity
- The maximum load the crane can lift at the minimum radius in its best configuration. The permitted load falls quickly as the radius grows. radius, load chart, load moment
- Load chart
- A table of permitted loads for every combination of radius, boom length, counterweight and outrigger position. The key document when choosing a crane for a specific lift. radius, counterweight, outriggers
- Load moment
- Load multiplied by radius, in tonne-metres. A handy measure of a crane's strength: two cranes of the same capacity can differ widely in load moment. lifting capacity, radius
- Loader crane
- A hydraulic knuckle-boom crane mounted on a truck. It loads and unloads its own truck body. knuckle boom
- Luffing-jib crane
- A tower crane whose jib changes its angle instead of using a trolley. It needs little slewing space, which suits tight city sites. tower crane, trolley
- Outriggers
- Extendable beams with hydraulic jacks on which the crane stands while working, taking load off the wheels and widening the support base. load chart
- Overhead crane
- A crane whose bridge travels on rails mounted on building columns or walls. Used in workshops and warehouses. gantry crane, span, duty class
- Pick and carry
- The crane's ability to travel with a load on the hook without outriggers. Typical of crawler and some rough-terrain cranes; the permitted load is lower. crawler crane, rough-terrain crane
- Radius
- The horizontal distance from the crane's slewing axis to the vertical line through the hook. The greater the radius, the lower the permitted load. lifting capacity, load chart, load moment
- Reeving (parts of line)
- The number of rope falls supporting the hook block. More falls mean a higher load but a slower hoist speed. hook block, hoist speed
- Rough-terrain crane
- A crane on a two-axle carrier with large wheels and a single cab. Built for job sites; on public roads it is usually transported on a low-loader. all-terrain crane
- Self-erecting crane
- A tower crane with a slewing tower that unfolds itself within hours. Used on low-rise construction. tower crane
- Slewing
- Rotation of the crane's upper structure around the vertical axis. Slewing speed is given in revolutions per minute. top-slewing crane
- Span
- The distance between the rail centrelines on which an overhead or gantry crane travels. overhead crane, gantry crane
- Superlift
- An additional counterweight system on a separate trailer or frame behind the crane. It lets heavy cranes lift considerably more. counterweight, crawler crane
- Tail swing
- The distance from the slewing axis to the rearmost point of the superstructure. Important when working next to walls or in tight spaces. counterweight
- Telescopic boom
- A boom of nested sections extended hydraulically. The crane is ready to work within minutes, without assembly. boom, lattice boom
- Top-slewing crane
- A tower crane in which only the upper part — jib and counter-jib — slews while the tower stays fixed. The main type for high-rise construction. tower crane, flat-top crane, counter-jib
- Tower crane
- A crane with a vertical tower and a jib at the top. It is erected on site for the whole construction period. top-slewing crane, self-erecting crane, flat-top crane, luffing-jib crane
- Trolley
- A carriage that runs along a tower crane's jib to change the load radius. tower crane, luffing-jib crane
- Truck crane
- A crane mounted on a commercial truck chassis. Cheaper than an all-terrain crane but less capable off-road and usually lighter in class. all-terrain crane