A truck mounted crane is a boom bolted to a commercial chassis, and its advantage is that one vehicle brings the material and places it. For roof plant, steel, precast units, containers and pallets over a fence, it does in one visit what a delivery truck plus a mobile crane does in two. Hire is usually operated, commonly $900 to $1,600 a day in the smaller classes.
Knuckle boom or telescopic
A knuckle boom folds behind the cab, unfolds over the load and works well in tight yards and under obstructions, and most are remote controlled from where the operator can see the landing. A telescopic stiff boom reaches higher and further out in a straight line and suits setting plant on a roof. Say what you are placing and where it lands.
It carries the load as well as lifting it
The deck behind the cab is the point. Steel, blocks, timber packs, a container or a generator ride on the truck and come off with the same machine, so you pay for one movement rather than a haulier and a crane. The trade off is deck capacity: what you can lift and what you can legally carry are different limits.
Where it can set up
Outriggers need firm ground under every pad and enough width to deploy, which is often the constraint on a street or a narrow drive. Mats spread the load on paving, soft shoulders and anything above a basement or a drain run. Occupying a road or a sidewalk usually needs a permit from the city, applied for days ahead.
What to have ready for the operator
Confirmed weights for every item, agreed lifting points, and slings or chains rated for them, since a driver operator does not always arrive with rigging for your load. Somebody to direct the lift where the operator loses sight of the landing area, and the overhead lines walked and cleared before the boom goes up.
Questions people ask about truck mounted crane
How much does a truck mounted crane lift?
Fleets run from small knuckle booms rated at a few tons through to units of thirty tons and above. As with any crane the rating is at minimum radius, and the useful figure is what the chart allows at the distance you actually need. Give the hire company weight, radius and height together.
Can I hire one without a driver?
Rarely. The machine is a commercial vehicle and the crane needs a qualified operator, so hire houses quote it operated by the hour or the day with travel from their depot. Some contractors run their own, which is a fleet decision rather than a rental one.
Is it cheaper than a mobile crane?
For lighter loads within reach of the deck, usually, because it removes the separate delivery and the mobilisation of a bigger machine. Once the weight or the radius pushes past its chart, a mobile crane is not just better, it is the only option, and stretching a small crane is how accidents happen.
How long does a typical lift take?
Half a day covers most single item placements including set up, the lift and packing away. Expect a minimum charge of a few hours plus travel either way. Delays waiting for access, for a permit or for the load to arrive are billed as standing time.