Read the text and decide which sentence describes it best.

• Cranes are being destroyed at Kirow’s.
• Cranes are no more on production as Kirow has closed down.
• Hundreds of unnecessary mobile cranes were found at Kirow which had been recently closed down.
• Kirow produces various kinds of mobile cranes.

The function of a crane is to hoist or lower a load suspended from its jib. Various types of cranes are available, the type and size best suited for a specific operation being influenced by the following factors:

1. The nature of the work on which it is to operate.

2. The weight of load it has to handle.

Mobile cranes have a wide range of uses on building and civil engineering works of construction. Cranes of this type usually take the form of a frame carrying a jib, a winch, and other necessary hoisting and controlling equipment, the whole being mounted on a cast-iron bed plate fitted with road wheels of the pneumatic type. One may also have them mounted on caterpillar tracks or on a lorry chassis if desired.

At present rope-operated mobile cranes are being superseded by hydraulically operated ones in which all working operations but traveling are performed with the help of hydraulic rams. The jib of the mobile crane can be of the solid or latticed type, the latter being preferred now because of its lower weight.

Kirow’s KRC 810 UK crane (Germany) is used for moving track panels and bridge sections: its high capacity allows heavier loads to be carried than has been the case so far, upping productivity and making better use of possessions.

Kirow’s track maintenance cranes are multi-purpose machines. When it comes to bridge work they handle structures up to 120 tonnes in weight. Working below rail level, as well as working at boom heights beyond 15m, give them useful versatility. In bridge work, typical applications are regirdering, installation of prefabricated concrete structures and footbridges, as well as of steel beams.

In order not to obstruct traffic on adjacent tracks, special attention has been paid by Kirow to the design of the counterweight on its cranes. Telescopic arrangements allow the reduction of the tail radius of the crane to about 2m. However, a short tail radius also results in a reduced capacity. Where high lifting capacities have to be available over a large slewing range, the counterweight has to be slewed independently from the boom. While working up to 15m to the side, the counterweight of such a crane is kept within 2m from the centerline of the track.

Kirow even makes cranes without a separate counterweight. They work with a reversible boom, which means the boom can be telescoped in or out to either end of the crane. The working direction can be changed without slewing the superstructure. This renders the unit extremely useful in areas with limited space such as tunnels. Furthermore, signaling and power masts, walls and other obstructions no longer pose a problem when changing the working direction of the crane.