UK tower crane provider Falcon Tower Cranes has developed a retrofit solution for monitoring the parked jib positions on its fleet of Jaso luffing jib tower cranes.
The monitoring system is aimed at jobsites where multiple luffing jib tower cranes are in close proximity to each other. It is designed to confirm that the cranes’ jibs are safely parked; if not the operator and site team are alerted.
The system was developed with assistance from automation specialist Fortop UK – which specialises in products and solutions for automation and energy control projects.
Falcon approached Fortop to help developing an in-house solution that could be retrofitted to its Jaso luffers without any major modifications to their core systems being necessary.
At the heart of the solution is a custom QG40N tilt switch from Dutch company DIS Sensors. It’s a compact, solid-state sensor with high ingress protection (IP69K), SIL CL 1 certification, and no moving parts.
The tilt switch has a measuring range of ±0.8° on the one side of 90° to ±1.0° on the other side of 90°. This enables the monitoring of the parked position of the jib in real time and to within 0.5m. If the jib is out of alignment, whether in angle or slew, the sensor will detect it, providing a clear signal that the parking angle needs to be checked before operations cease for the day.
An important factor for Falcon was that the monitoring system didn’t require constant recalibration or introduce maintenance difficulties. According to Fortop the custom QG40N was ideal for this, offering dual-channel PNP outputs, high precision, and factory calibration to ensure reliable performance with minimal setup.
Falcon’s engineers installed the tilt switch in a vertical orientation on the crane’s jib, configuring it to trigger alerts if the jib deviates beyond the acceptable parked tolerance, with the system designed to work independently of the crane’s onboard control system.
Since implementing the sensor-based system across its fleet of Jaso luffers Falcon says it has seen a significant reduction in manual checks and increased confidence from clients. The sensor effectively acts as a ‘digital watchdog’, confirming whether the crane has been left in a compliant and safe position after shutdown.
The solution also supports compliance with safety best practices on modern construction sites, where crane zoning and after-hours safety protocols are becoming more stringent.
Fortop says the system provides a scalable, low-maintenance safety solution for an often-overlooked but critical aspect of tower crane operation.
“When cranes are parked, if the jib isn’t positioned correctly, it could infringe on neighbouring airspace or create a hazard,” said Falcon’s tower crane technician Eddie Golby. “That’s an issue we wanted to solve.
“Traditionally, operators are relied upon to correctly slew and luff the crane into its designated parking position. But human error, adverse weather, or mechanical faults can lead to incorrect alignment. Our goal was to introduce an automated, sensor-based verification system to confirm that the jib is safely parked and easily alert the operator and site team if it’s not.
“This was about taking control of a very specific, very real risk, and solving it with a clear, reliable system we could retrofit to any crane in our fleet. It’s not an off-the-shelf product, it’s something we’ve designed and manufactured from the ground up, with Fortop UK’s support, using the right sensor for the job.
“We now have sites where this feature is a requirement, and when clients hear that we’ve got a built-in system for monitoring the parked jib position, it immediately puts us ahead.”
For further information about fortop UK’s solutions visit www.fortop.co.uk.
