How Do I Know What Type And Size Of Crane To Hire?

Are you about to hire a crane for your project? But don’t know what exactly the type and size you need.

Hiring a crane could be a difficult endeavor if you have not hired one before.
There is basic information the rental company will need from you for the purposes of dispatching the correct crane to your job site. This also aids them to provide you with an accurate cost estimate for the project.
You can call over the phone and be interviewed by the rental company for you to supply the required information so that they can assess what you need and what they can give.

Here are the common things you have to remember for you to know what size and type of equipment you need:

The weight of the object to be lifted

This is the most important thing you have to know in the beginning. The weight of the load should be identified in the earliest part of the lifting process. It is from the weight you determine the capacity of the crane you need to hire. The weight should be precise, otherwise, you can end up hiring the wrong crane.

You have to supply this information to the rental company so that they can assess the total load since the lifting weight includes every part of the lifting equipment required in the operation such as the hook, frames, ropes, shackles, and many other gears.

The rental company must find out also the Safe Working Load (SWL) and the weight of the object to be lifted should not exceed the SWL.

The dimension of the object such as the length, width and depth

Knowing this dimension or shape aids in determining the boom clearance required in the planning especially when the lifting is to be done in limited space. The dimension of the load is also required in the calculation of the wind speed that the equipment can operate in.

Is If the Worksite Poses Restricted Access

The other main factor to know is the location whether is poses a restricted access for the crane which affects the type of size of the crane to hire.

The obstacles on the route to the loading position also pose restricted access.

The rental company may ask you to give them a layout or plan of the area in CAD format for them to know the type of crane appropriate for that particular location.

How the load will be rigged – attaching the object so that it will be lifted

Rigging is critical in any lifting operation. Do it improperly then you expose the workers to serious situation.

Rigging is a technique of slinging hitches. There are several kinds of rigging methods: Sling-To-Load Angle, Single-leg sling and Multi-leg sling,

Rigging method should be determined.

There are several kinds of rigging methods as stated above. You should remember that a rigging method that is applicable for handling one load may be appropriate for another.

Physical measurement of the obstruction or structure that the object will be lifted over

You must know the distance from crane to the side of the structure, the height of the structure, and the distance across the top of the structure.

Check also the site if it has overhead wire or electricity lines and tall trees. In urban setup, these obstructions are common and should be included in the planning the operation.

If such obstruction exists in the setup area, this could affect the planning since the crane must 6 meters away from the closest line (depending on the recommendation by the electricity supplying company).

Knowing the obstructions will also determine the length of the boom and jib needed for the job.

Will the crane be operated on private or public property

If the lifting operation is on public property, you will either have to obtain necessary permit required or get permission.

Larger capacity cranes require travel or road permit to be delivered to the location.

If You Still Have Doubts

If you have any doubt, you can talk to a rental company and ask them to send a competent person to your worksite. They will conduct a survey to determine the type of crane and size suitable for your project.

They will be more than happy to do it for you.

And if you are still unsure which crane to hire and if you don’t have a qualified individual to prepare the risk assessment and the lifting plan, the rental company can assist you everything you need. You can have a contract lift agreement with them. They will handle the overall lifting operation for you.

There Are Two Agreements You Can Enter Into

CPA crane hire vs. CPA contract lift, which one is right for you?

As I already mentioned, the contract lift is when you commission a crane hire company to do all the aspects of the lifting operation from site surveying, to preparation of risk assessment to the execution of the plan. You just have to supply the details for the lifting operation.

Under the CPA contract lift, the company will provide/do the following for you:

• Prepare the necessary risk assessment and method statement required for the operation.
• Supply the necessary equipment and other gears required for the preparation and execution of the lifting operation.
• Supply the qualified appointed person with extensive experience in the lifting work.
• The rental company will also provide the competent personnel such as the riggers, slingers, certified crane operator, supervisor, and other workers as required for the operation.
• The rental company will ensure that the operation to be carried out is in compliant with the current government regulations.
• And of course, lastly, they will commission a crane appropriate for the type of work to be done. They shall ensure that the crane is properly maintained and in good operational condition.

On the other hand, if you choose CPA crane hire:

• You will only provide with the type and size of crane you requested for the operation.
• You are the sole responsible for the deployment of appointed person and other personnel needed for the job.
• You will prepare the method statement and risk assessment.
• You are responsible in ensuring that the operation is in compliance with the current regulations.

In short, under CPA crane hire, you are only supplied with the right crane and operator you need.

CPA crane hire is recommended if you have expertise and workforce who are knowledge for such lifting operation. However, if don’t have experience to carry out the overall lifting operation, the CPA contract lift is ideal for your company. The crane CPA hire is cheaper because you only needed a crane, while the contract lift is more expensive because the overall operation is to be handled by the rental company, you will only need to provide some technical details.

To Conclude This

If you have no experience and knowledge with crane, you will need to thoroughly talk with the rental company. You would not want to have a crane that’s not fit with job. Otherwise, you’ll end up losing money.

You need to identify the nature of work you will be doing and that would determine the type of crane suited for the application.

Knowing the type and size of crane to hire should be done with carefulness.