Demolition Cranes

Cranes are commonly used for construction projects because they're able to lift thousands of pounds of material up dozens of stories within minutes. When it comes to taking buildings down and demolishing them, cranes serve just as an important role. Demolition cranes come in a variety of types ranging from cranes that serve the same purpose as for construction, (lifting material from the current floor being deconstructed within a building to the ground) or they can be outfitted with special demolition attachments used for cutting through thick steel or plowing through wooden or concrete frames. Regardless of what they are being used for, demolition cranes are an invaluable piece of equipment for any demolition project.

Multi-Purpose Cranes

As had been mentioned, cranes can be outfitted with specially designed attachments that make the process of demolition easier. One of the most commonly used attachments is a set of high-powered hydraulic shears meant for cutting through steel. When I-beams and steel frame rods for concrete need to be portioned out into manageably sized pieces that can be lifted by crane lifts or by labor teams. Especially in the circumstance of eco-friendly deconstruction of buildings, demolition teams will use both crane lifts and far reaching cranes outfitted with shears. Cranes are also great for the purpose of transporting debris and waste from top floors down to the ground where the dumpsters are.

Removal of Debris

Cranes can be built to hold thousands of pounds from their tallest point; when deconstructing a building, crane attachments can be claw-like to grab piles of debris stacked by laborers. Because demolition of tall buildings would otherwise require the extremely dangerous practice of tossing debris off the side of the building in hopes of getting into the dumpster or backbreaking and time consuming trips up and down floors with only a few dozen pounds of waste at a time. Cranes used for removal of debris are as important to deconstruction as those used to segment steel or to carefully drop I-beams weighing thousands of pounds that no labor team would otherwise be able to remove.

The Ever-Classic Wrecking Ball

Perhaps the most recognizable crane attachment for the purpose of demolition is the wrecking ball. Since some buildings do not have the top-heavy weight to make for effective timed charge demolition, wrecking balls are still used to removal walls of concrete, brick and wood. In the early part of the twentieth century there were many more demolitions conducted by wrecking ball than explosives because at that point there was no computer software to calculate exactly where TNT should be placed, exactly how long the wick needs to be and how much explosive power needs to be at each critical point in the structure. Wrecking balls began losing popularity when the primary medium of demolition switched to timed explosives but they are still effective for structures that are wider than they are tall. Demolition experts and at least one crane usually demolish anything that does not implode easily and cost-efficiently.