Construction tower cranes · Jib length, free-standing height, maximum and tip load, load moment, required safety devices and operational aids, foundations, plumb and wind
A tower crane is a construction crane with a vertical mast (tower) carrying a horizontal or luffing jib, a counter-jib with counterweight and a trolley or hook that moves loads around a building site. Ask three things first: what jib length, hook height and load chart (maximum load and tip load) the work needs, which safety devices and operational aids it has and how they meet the rules where it will work, and how foundations, climbing, plumb and wind limits will be engineered and checked.
Hammerhead (topkit), topless (flat-top) and luffing-jib tower cranes, fixed or climbing, and self-erecting tower cranes. Mobile, crawler and truck cranes, construction hoists and tower crane parts sold separately are outside this page except where compared.
Start with your task
01
Shenyang Sanyo's page for a topless tower crane lists a 70 m jib, a 60 m free-standing height, L68B mast sections, a 55 kW hoisting motor, three 9 kW slewing motors and a 5.5 kW trolley motor with frequency-converter drives. The same page gives the tip load as 2.1 t in one place and 2.7 t in another, and a maximum load of 10 t against 12 t in the title. [2]
Editorial calculation: a 2.1 t tip load at 70 m radius is a load moment of about 2.1 × 70 = 147 t·m; at that moment a 10 t load would be limited to about 147 / 10 ≈ 14.7 m radius. Real load charts are not a constant moment, so ask for the full chart for the jib length offered, and have the supplier resolve any inconsistent figures in writing before ordering. [2]
Editorial note: send the supplier the building footprint and height, heaviest lifts and their radii, and the number of cranes on site so that jib lengths, hook heights and slewing zones can be planned.
Liebherr's 470 EC-B 20 Flat-Top, rated to FEM, shows a larger class: a maximum lifting capacity of 20,000 kg, a maximum radius of 83 m with 2,200 kg at that radius, and a maximum hook height of 98.9 m. Its drives are listed as a 110 kW or 65 kW frequency-controlled hoist (SD.shift), two 7.5 kW frequency-controlled slewing gears and an 11 kW trolley travel gear. Liebherr notes that the flat-top design without a tower head lets multiple cranes work close together on constricted sites. [3]
Editorial calculation: 2.2 t at 83 m is a tip moment of about 183 t·m (2.2 × 83), against about 147 t·m for the 70 m topless crane above; ask each supplier for the full load chart, since the moment is not constant along the jib. [3] [2]
Give the supplier the building plan, height and phasing, heaviest loads and radii, free-standing or tied and climbing arrangement, foundation conditions, number of cranes and overlaps, power supply, wind climate, operator cab and remote control needs, the rules and inspection regime that apply, and erection and dismantling access.
02
OSHA's construction crane rule 29 CFR 1926.1435 requires on all tower cranes, unless specified otherwise: travel rail end stops and clamps, integrally mounted check valves on load-supporting hydraulic cylinders, a hydraulic pressure-limiting device, hoist, swing, trolley and rail-travel brakes that set automatically on pressure loss or power failure, deadman or forced-neutral levers, an emergency stop at the operator's station and trolley end stops; luffing cranes also need boom stops. Operational aids include trolley travel and boom hoist limiting devices, an anti two-block device, a hoist drum lower limiting device, a load moment limiting device, a hoist line pull limiting device and a wind speed indicator mounted above the upper rotating structure. [1]
The rule requires foundations and structural supports to be designed by the manufacturer or a registered professional engineer, towers to be erected plumb to the manufacturer's tolerance or at least 1:500 (about 1 inch in 40 feet), wind not to exceed the manufacturer's recommended speed during erection, climbing and dismantling, counterweight and ballast as specified and not exceeded, fixed-jib cranes on the same site placed so no crane can hit another's structure, and an engineer's check of the host structure before climbing. [1]
Shenyang Sanyo lists lifting moment, lifting weight, height, amplitude and travel limiters, hook and drum safeties, rail clamps, an anemometer and a 'tower black box' among its safety devices. [2]
For the foundation design inputs, Jianhui Yang (Fuzhou Polytechnic; PLOS ONE, 2023) works through a conventional QTZ40 tower crane: dead weight including counterweight 401.4 kN, maximum lifting load 60 kN, maximum load moment 690 kN·m, lifting height 43 m and tower width 1.60 m, with a characteristic wind load on the tower section of 0.2 kN/m² in service and 0.7 kN/m² out of service. The cast-in-place concrete base for that crane measures 4.5 × 4.5 × 1.2 m, the crane can be installed only after the concrete has cured for more than 7 days, and the paper puts the total cost of building, demolishing and removing it at up to 60,000 yuan. As an alternative it proposes a bolt-connected, prefabricated cross-shaped I-steel base, split into parts because bases over 4 m long or wide exceed Chinese road transport limits; on soil with bearing capacity of 180 kPa or more the steel sits on a C15 concrete cushion and is held against overturning by anchor rods, prestressed anchor cables or stacked precast blocks, and the I-steel is sized for a deflection limit of l/500. [4]
Editorial calculation: the 4.5 × 4.5 × 1.2 m base is 24.3 m³ of concrete; and the 690 kN·m load moment divided by the 401.4 kN dead weight is about 1.7 m, the eccentricity the base must resist before any wind load is added. Ask the supplier for the foundation loads (vertical, horizontal, moment and torsion) in and out of service for your mast height, and whether a reusable steel base is offered. [4]
03
Suppliers linked to this page list tower cranes; each card links to the page reviewed.
The suppliers reviewed list topless, topkit and luffing tower cranes; ask each for the load chart for your jib, free-standing and tied heights, mast and foundation drawings, the safety devices and operational aids fitted, wind limits, and certificates for your market.
04
This is a functional reference built from the sources cited; it is not one maker's design.
| Part | Role | Fix in the order |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation and base | Carry crane loads. [1] | Engineered design. |
| Mast sections | Height. [2] [1] | Type; plumb. |
| Slewing unit and brake | Rotate the jib. [1] [2] | Motors; brake. |
| Jib, trolley and hook | Reach and lift. [2] [1] | Length; trolley stops. |
| Counter-jib and counterweight | Balance. [1] | Specified ballast. |
| Hoist with brake | Lift. [2] [1] | Motor; line pull limiter. |
| Limiters and wind indicator | Prevent overload and wind damage. [1] [2] | Devices fitted. |
05
A tower crane quotation needs values for your project. The table explains each field, gives published values where a reviewed source states them, and says what to obtain from the supplier.
| Field | What it means and published values | Ask the supplier for |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Lifting Capacity (metric tons) | Max load, e.g. 10 t (page also says 12 t); 20 t flat-top. [2] [3] | Confirmed chart. |
| Maximum Hook Height (meters) | E.g. 60 m free-standing; 98.9 m max. [2] [3] | Free-standing and tied. |
| Maximum Jib Length (meters) | E.g. 70 m; 83 m radius. [2] [3] | Jib options. |
| Slewing Speed (rpm) | Slewing drive. | Speed. |
| Hoisting Speed (m/min) | Hoist drive. | Speeds by load. |
| Trolley Traversing Speed (m/min) | Trolley drive. | Speed. |
| Power Supply (volts/phase) | Site supply. | Voltage; kVA. |
| Maximum Wind Speed for Operation (m/s) | Manufacturer limit; wind indicator required. [1] | In-service and out-of-service wind. |
| Operating Temperature Range (°C) | Climate. | Range. |
| Maximum Tilt Angle (°) | Plumb tolerance, 1:500 default. [1] | Manufacturer tolerance. |
| Noise Level at Operator's Position (dB(A)) | Cab. | Value. |
| Total Installed Power (kW) | E.g. 55 + 3 × 9 + 5.5 kW; 110 + 2 × 7.5 + 11 kW. [2] [3] | Total kW. |
| Counterweight (t) | Specified ballast. [1] | Per jib length. |
| Total Weight (without counterweight) (t) | Transport and foundation. | Weights. |
06
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Building: [footprint; height; phases] Loads: [heaviest; radii] Crane: [jib; hook height; tied or free-standing] Site: [foundations; other cranes; power] Safety: [limiters; brakes; wind indicator] Rules: [standard; inspection; operator] Logistics: [erection; dismantling; transport]
These companies list tower cranes.
Lists topless, topkit and luffing tower cranes and tower crane parts.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists tower cranes with truck, crawler and loader cranes.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Lists tower cranes with construction hoists and suspended platforms.
Product scope checked 2026-10-11
Explore company information and manufacturing capabilities, then discuss the scope of your project with a relevant supplier.
Including automatic hoist, swing and trolley brakes, trolley end stops, emergency stop, and operational aids such as load moment and hoist line pull limiters, anti two-block and a wind speed indicator (29 CFR 1926.1435). [1]
To the manufacturer's tolerance, or at least 1:500 where none is given (29 CFR 1926.1435). [1]
The load allowed at the jib end; Shenyang Sanyo lists 2.1 t for a 70 m jib on one of its cranes. [2]
Liebherr lists its 470 EC-B 20 at 83 m maximum radius with 2,200 kg at that radius, 20,000 kg maximum capacity and 98.9 m hook height. [3]
For a QTZ40 crane, Yang (PLOS ONE, 2023) uses 401.4 kN dead weight with counterweight, a 690 kN·m maximum load moment and wind of 0.2 kN/m² in service and 0.7 kN/m² out of service; its cast base is 4.5 × 4.5 × 1.2 m. [4]
Sources checked 2026-10-12. 29 CFR 1926.1435 is a US federal construction safety rule; other countries have their own. Shenyang Sanyo describes its own cranes; its page contains inconsistent figures that must be confirmed. A 2023 PLOS ONE paper from Fuzhou Polytechnic gives foundation design loads for a QTZ40 crane.
Ask for use case, specification boundaries, supplier type, and RFQ preparation information for this product.
Compare manufacturer profiles with relevant product and process capability.