Understanding The Different Features of Mobile Cranes

Deciding that your construction project needs a mobile crane is only one piece of the puzzle. Next, you’ll need to make a more specific choice: what type of mobile crane is best? Across the four types of cranes, only one will fit your project’s precise needs for the best price. 

In this blog, we’ll explain how the many differentiators of a crane for hire can be classified into the simple categories of manoeuvrability and strength to explain how you can decide when you should favour one or the other. This means you can be sure the crane for hire will be right for the job long before it’s cleared for entry to the site. 

Lifting Capacity

The amount that a crane can safely carry is called its lifting capacity. This feature of a crane seems simple, but it’s just as essential to understand in-depth as its other features. At Nick Sampson, we believe that you have to get the basics right first, which is why we can help you measure your load’s weight ourselves before we get started.

Boom Length

Once we’ve measured the weight of your load and recommended a crane, you’ll need to consider the second requirement of the mobile crane: manoeuvrability. This starts with the length that your crane’s arm or ‘boom’ can extend. Nick Sampson offers a range between 36 to 62 meters. A shorter boom means more strength, and where a longer one is needed, you’ll need to balance the tradeoff between manoeuvrability and strength based on the project itself, as will later be explained. 

Number of Axles

Another influence on the manoeuvrability of a mobile crane comes from the cab itself, rather than its boom. Think of the wheels and axles on a crane as its “roots” if you were analogising it as a tree. The boom or “limbs” of the tree are only as strong as its roots, which is why the axles are just as - if not more - important for overall stability. Our mobile cranes for hire feature either 3, 4 or 5 axles that will evenly distribute the weight of a load.

Best Cases for Each

Now that you understand the benefits of each feature, you can choose which are the most important to prioritise for your project. The LTM 1090 mobile crane, for example, has the most flexible axle loads. This makes it perfect for general construction projects on an industrial scale, but for a more manoeuvrable job site, you’ll need the more nimble LTC 1045. The full specs of both are visible on our mobile crane hire page.

Nick Sampson: Matching Our Cranes For Your Needs

Hiring cranes shouldn’t feel like a transaction. It should be a learning opportunity for both parties to discover more about how they can best serve each other going forward. No building project is done in a week, so we keep in touch with our clients to ensure that our mobile cranes are doing just what you need them to do. 

Contact us today to discuss how we can find the perfect mobile crane for your project