Crane sizes?

L

LJack

Here's a question for all you fellow buzzers out there that have had experience in crane work. Looking at buying one soon, but still questioning sizes. Looking at 17T, with roughly a 135 ht (with jib). Let me know what size cranes you are used to working with and your experiences good or bad....thanks alot fellow buzzers! Remember pictures dont hurt either /forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
135 feet sounds pretty high, but that is only part of the equation. Also consider load radius and maximum capacity. That is, with a 135 foot boom how far will the crane reach and how much will the crane pick up at that distance? Or, more realistically, how far will it reach and how much will it pick up with 100 feet of boom?

What are the trees like where you live? Tall and skinny or short and fat? Do most of the properties allow easy access, on or off pavement?

I'd suggest going back over all of the removals you've done over the last 6 or 12 months and see how they could be done with a crane. Once you get a crane, you will use it as much as you can, even if the job doesn't require a crane.

Also, get some load charts for the cranes you are considering, learn how to read the charts and look at the crane's capacity in various configurations. Bear in mind that the charts show the radii and maximum rated capacities with the load on the boom. Because of boom flex, the crane will pick up that load at a shorter radius. Also, the capacity is a maximum. You will actually (hopefully) be picking smaller pieces so you don't overload the crane.

Read the load charts. They tell you a lot more about how useful the crane will be than just the 'boom length with jib' measurment.
 
We use a 2002 National 1800 on a Sterling Chasis. We also have a 2004 Grove 3055 60 ton hydraulic. The grove is awesome 6 wheel steering, all wheel drive, its on airbags so you can lift one side of the crane to compensate for lean without a ton of dunnage under the tires till you can get to a proper height......the 38 ton is a truck crane plain and simple. It does good but nowwhere near what the Grove can do/handle or where it can be set-up or go.
 
Im looking to get another crane in a year or so. The jobs I do i look at to see how I would set up with the typeof crane i want and if it wouldbe better the same or moredifficult than the one i currently use. Im thinking along the lines of a rear mount +or- 20T 120'. In my area this would workwell. Bigger needs would be rented.
 
You can never prepare for everything you will encounter. We use 2 cranes 55ton and a little truck mounted and sometimes neither of them work. If you feel confident that that crane can handle most of your jobs than I would get it.
 
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