What are Crane Booms?

The crane boom is the main component used to move construction materials, bridge beams, structural components, and other items on jobsites. These booms attach to the superstructure of the crane and can be made of a lattice steel structure or telescoping sections.

The boom serves as a sizable lever that an operator can use to raise, lower, and reposition heavy loads. Booms are either fixed or extendable depending on the type of crane and job requirements. The boom takes on most of the strain caused by lifting these loads, requiring counterweights, outriggers, and other measures to keep the crane counter-balanced while the boom has a load on the line.

 

Types of Booms

 

Telescopic booms

A boom constructed of steel cross-sectional pieces which fit into one another to extend and retract, typically found on all terrain, truck, and rough terrain cranes.

Benefits of telescopic booms:

  • The hydraulic system allows the boom to extend and retract to different lengths.
  • Retracted telescopic booms take up less space than lattice booms.
  • Excellent for jobs with quicker turnarounds (ex. all-terrain cranes hoisting bridge beams).
  • Smaller size and retractability are ideal for compact worksites.
  • Can come with a separate boom dolly and launcher for ease of transportation and assembly.

Lattice booms

A boom made of truss structures typically pinned together, commonly found in crawler cranes.

 

Benefits of lattice booms:

  • Separate lattice-shaped sections are pinned together, increasing the boom’s strength while minimizing added weight.
  • Commonly used on long-term jobs that won’t require regular disassembly (ex. a lattice crane on site for plant operations or expansions).
  • Commonly longer than telescopic models, allowing for greater potential vertical and horizontal reach.

A lattice crawler crane with a lattice boom.
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