A crane is one of the few machines a yard will not simply hand over on a ticket, so what you are booking is a crew and a block of time. Prices split by family: a boom truck day commonly starts near $900, a rough terrain crane sits around $1,800 to $3,500 with the operator, and mobilisation to get either onto the street is billed both ways.
Four families answer to the same request
Ask for a crane and the yard chooses between a boom truck for short reaches off a flatbed, a carry deck for work inside a building or yard, a rough terrain machine for a tight site with bad ground, and an all terrain unit when the pick has to travel the road and then work hard. Each family carries its own rate and its own mobilisation.
Standby is a line, and weather buys it
The clock runs while the crane waits. If steel arrives late, the slab is not ready or wind puts the pick outside the chart, the day is bought and the crew is paid. Sequence deliveries to land before the crane, and ask what notice the yard needs to stand a booking down without a charge.
The five numbers a crane quote is built from
Weight of the load, the radius from where the machine can set up, the height it must clear, the surface it will stand on, and anything overhead. A certificate of insurance and a signed lift plan are normal on commercial work. Federal crane rules also require a qualified operator, which on an operated hire is the rental company's responsibility.
A single pick is still a minimum block
Yards sell four hour and eight hour blocks and start counting when the truck leaves the gate. Rigging, levelling on outriggers and the walk around consume more of the block than the lift does, so two picks scheduled on one visit cost far less than the same two picks booked on different days.
Questions people ask about crane for rent
Does the rate include rigging gear?
Slings, shackles, spreader bars and outrigger mats are usually separate lines, and a yard will not lend gear it has not inspected. Describe the shape of the load and where it can be picked up from so the right rigging travels on the truck. A rigger, where the job needs one, is a second person on the ticket.
How far ahead should a crane be booked?
For a boom truck in a metro area, a few days is often enough. Anything on outriggers with a lift plan, a street permit or an escort is booked weeks out, because permits and the machine's schedule have to line up. Weather days push everything behind them.
Is a permit needed to park a crane on the street?
Usually yes, and the city issues it rather than the rental yard. Lane closures, sidewalk protection and a flagging plan are common conditions. The yard can say how much space its machine needs, but the application sits with whoever holds the job.