Many Hands Make Light Work: A Construction Blog

If you are planning on acquiring a truck-mounted crane for your lifting operations, you should evaluate your specific requirements with utmost care. In simple terms, these types of cranes are convenient because they are designed for installation in a vehicle. This aspect allows for easy transportation and easy use. However, you should remember that the benefits of choosing this type of crane will depend on the specific purchased equipment. Here are some tips to help you select a good truck-mounted crane for optimal performance.

Consider the Reach

When choosing a crane for mounting on your truck, you must ensure that the equipment has sufficient reach for optimal utility. Simply speaking, a crane should be able to extend its arm efficiently so that it will reach the loads with ease. If the reach of the crane is limited, its usefulness will be limited in unfavourable conditions. Therefore, you should evaluate the maximum distance that the arms can reach when checking different equipment. In addition, you should think about the flexibility of the crane. Where possible, it is advisable to opt for equipment with good swivel capabilities. For instance, if you are planning on getting a tray top crane, it should have all-around swivel capabilities to facilitate maximum reach.

Think about Sizing

It is important to think about the sizing of different cranes before purchase. In general, when purchasing a crane for truck installation, you should make sure that it is compatible with your vehicle. If the two elements are not compatible, your crane could become a liability. For instance, a large crane can be useful for lifting heavy loads in your worksite. However, if it is too large for your vehicle, it will cause undue stress to your vehicle, increasing the risk of an accident. Moreover, it will be difficult and inefficient to handle the truck onto which the crane will be mounted. Therefore, check the crane sizes and compare with your crane truck. Do not sacrifice performance just to have a large crane.

Check the Controls

Finally, you should evaluate the control options available for different truck-mounted cranes. It is important to choose the most convenient control features for your lifting operations. In the past, these types of cranes had only on-truck manual controls for handling loads. With the advances in technology, you will find other options for crane control. For instance, some pieces of equipment have radio remote and wireless controls. Naturally, the cost of these features will be higher. However, you will have better performance, and workplace safety will improve.