The size of a crane can be confusing and perhaps misleading if you are unaware of how the manufacturers rate their machines. In general, a cranes tonnage rating is determined by how much weight it can pick approximately 5′ away from its center pin. But as you go further away from that point the capacity of the crane decreases. Additionally, the higher you have to lift a piece, the more boom must be pushed out, also reducing capacity.

The crane must be suited to your specific application. If you want to stack bags of grain onto pallets, you would have a very different crane than someone who wanted to lift a wooden board into a routing machine. On the other hand, determining the dimension of the largest object will provide insight as to whether a jib attachment is needed at the top of the boom. If a very large module is to be picked, then a fixed jib or even a luffing jib may be needed to keep the object away from the boom. The length of the boom can also be increased to prevent the jib from getting ‘boom bound’.

A module’s weight at the farthest reach point is directly related to the crane’s reach because a minimum capacity will be needed at the farthest reach, which may reduce the overall capacity of the crane due to the additional lengths of the boom or jib. Also note that just because the crane is capable of lifting 200 t (181 tm) at 50 feet, does not mean it will have the ability to set 10 t (9 tm) at 200 feet.

The location of the site, access around and to the crane, existing soil conditions, underground utilities, overhead lines, existing buildings, and prevailing wind conditions, etc. all play major roles in the selection of a heavy lift crane. Speak to our Hire desk to find the ideal machine for your conditions.

The hire rate is based on a monthly or minimum 8 hour day. Please call our Hire Desk for a quote. Prices are exclusive of GST.