How Do Cranes Get On Top of Skyscrapers? (And Back Down)

How do cranes get on top of skyscrapers? They climb themselves, one mast section at a time. Full written guide: https://girderandgear.sites.tab.bot/how-cr... ▶ Watch next: How Do Panama Canal Locks Work?    • How Do Panama Canal Locks Work? Ships Clim...   How do cranes get on top of skyscrapers? They climb. A tower crane lifts itself with a hydraulic ram, one mast section or one set of floors at a time, either up the outside of the building or up inside its concrete core. And how do they get down? A smaller crane takes the big one apart, then an even smaller one takes that apart, until the last pieces ride down in the building's elevator. In this video: why even big tower cranes can only stand alone so high; the outside climbing cycle (climbing cage, balancing, ram strokes, new mast section, tie-ins); inside "jumping" cranes that leapfrog their own collars up a future elevator shaft; why supertall towers use luffing-jib cranes; wind limits; the real sequence used to bring the Burj Khalifa's last crane down from more than 700 m, with recovery cranes on levels 159 and 99; and the derrick that solves the last crane problem. CHAPTERS 0:00 The crane on top of the world 0:39 Why you can't just use a bigger crane 1:23 Climbing the outside: the crane that grows 2:56 Climbing the inside: the crane that jumps 4:37 Why supertall cranes look different 5:11 Wind, balance and the most delicate hour 5:52 The way down: the Burj Khalifa's last crane 7:30 The last crane problem 8:31 The crane that leaves by elevator SOURCES Cranes Today: Final crane removed as world's tallest building nears completion (Burj Dubai) Khaleej Times, Nov 11 2009: Myth of Babu Sassi Remains After Burj Cranes Come Down Crane & Transport Briefing: Favco cranes on world's tallest tower (Oct 2025); Looking back: One World Trade Center construction New Atlas and Newsweek, Oct 2026: Jeddah Tower progress (about 474 m) People's Daily (2017): Shanghai Tower M1280D cranes Morrow Equipment: Salesforce Tower Liebherr: Lakhta Center job report; Tower systems; Derrick DR Manitowoc/Potain: One Congress internal climbing (2022) New York YIMBY: 432 Park Avenue and Central Park Tower crane disassembly OSHA 29 CFR 1926.1435 and manufacturer wind guidance Full links: https://girderandgear.sites.tab.bot/how-cr... FOOTAGE AND IMAGES Video clips via Pexels (Pexels License): Charles Parker; Chris Zhou; Evgenij Mikhailov; Igor Kira; K; Konstantin Mishchenko; MART PRODUCTION; Md Amir Umar; Offgrideli ‎‎‏‏‎ ‎; Richard Lathrop; Sururi Ballıdağ Director; TREEDEO.ST; Tima Miroshnichenko; Usman AbdulrasheedGambo; Video Fullness Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Jeddah Tower, May 2026 and 88th floor, by Omarnizar05 (CC0); Burj Dubai aerial closeup by Aheilner (CC BY-SA 4.0); Burj Dubai 2008-11-29 by Manuel Dohmen (CC BY-SA 3.0) Animations, narration edit and graphics: Girder & Gear. Cranes in the animations are simplified and not to scale. VIDEOS TO WATCH NEXT ▶ How Do Panama Canal Locks Work?    • How Do Panama Canal Locks Work? Ships Clim...   ▶ What Happens If Hoover Dam Runs Out of Water?    • What Happens If Hoover Dam Runs Out of Water?   🔔 Subscribe for the next one:    / @girderandgear   👉 The links above keep playing our next explainer. #Skyscrapers #Engineering #HowItWorks #TowerCrane #Cranes #Construction #BurjKhalifa #CivilEngineering #Megaprojects #ConstructionEquipment #EngineeringExplained #GirderAndGear