Crane Purchase

[Iowa]

Our tree service is considering the purchase of a used crane. I'm interested in some feedback on what expenses you folks have encountered in owning your own crane. Namely, the cost of insurance and maintenance. Thanks

 

[6t56]

for my terex 4792 It costs me around $10,000 a year for insurance,it's based on gross income though so yours could be more or less.On average it costs me 10k-12k per year for maintenance of the boom and the truck it's mounted on,although that could be less if you don't use your crane as much.Mine goes out everyday,averages 1500 p.t.o. hours per year.Cranes are very expensive,in my opinion if your not needing a crane all the time then just find a good crane rental company and be happy with that.You might think 100+ dollars per hour is a lot but trust me,you'll come out ahead at the end of the year.Not to mention the cost of an operator's salary.Just remember this,if the boom has to be taken apart to re seal the cylinder or change wear pads or whatever else,it's gonna cost you 10k so make sure you have a stack of Benjamin's handy.

 

[classictruckman]

Your questions are way too generic, you should specify what type of crane, size, age, approximate hours.

Insurance is going to vary way too much company to company, maintenance costs vary greatly just by the type of crane, for example a brake job on a 3 axle all terrain crane will run you $30K.

 

[brushbandit]

To get the rotation gearbox resealed/rebuilt and a new cable on my 4792 cost close to $4000. And that's not a major repair. If you do some of your own minor repairs you can keep costs down. But as others have said if you need major repairs it can become very costly.

 

[Leonch]

You can get complete information about new & used crane purchase at Gleason cranes one of the largest new and used crane supplier.