A carry deck crane is the small four-wheel industrial machine that picks a load, sets it on its own deck and drives it somewhere else. Rental units run about 8 to 15 tons and commonly cost $600 to $900 a day or $1,800 to $2,800 a week, which is far less than mobilising a mobile crane for the same pick.
What it is for
Carry decks live inside plants, refineries, warehouses and tight yards where a truck crane cannot turn or would need outriggers over half the floor. They set motors, HVAC units, transformers and machinery, and then carry them along an aisle. Their advantage is the footprint and the 360-degree rotation, not raw capacity.
Capacity falls fast with radius
A machine badged at fifteen tons picks that only at minimum radius with outriggers fully deployed. On rubber, with the boom out, the safe load can be a small fraction of it. Get the load chart, find the row for your radius and configuration, and choose the machine from that rather than from the tonnage in its name.
Access decides the whole hire
Measure the narrowest door, the tightest turn and the lowest overhead on the route in. Check the floor loading where the outriggers land, because point loads over a basement or a mezzanine are a real risk. Also confirm whether the machine is diesel or electric, since fumes indoors need ventilation the site may not have.
Bare against operated
Yards rent these both ways. Bare hire suits contractors with their own qualified operators and rigging crew and an insurance position that covers it. Operated hire adds a driver at an hourly rate with a minimum, often the cheaper route for a single lift once the lift plan, rigging and responsibility are counted.
Questions people ask about carry deck crane rental
How much does a carry deck crane cost to rent for a week?
For a common 8 to 15 ton machine, expect somewhere around $1,800 to $2,800 for the week, before delivery and any operator. Monthly hire brings the daily cost down substantially and is worth asking about on any job past two weeks.
Can a carry deck crane pick and carry a load?
That is the point of the class. It picks the load, sets it on the flat deck behind the cab, and drives it to where it is needed. Travelling with a load suspended on the hook is a different and far more restricted operation governed by the load chart.
Do I need outriggers on a carry deck?
For most real picks, yes. On-rubber capacity is much lower than on-outrigger capacity, and the load chart names both. Whether the floor can take the outrigger point loads is a separate question you should answer before delivery day.