Why rent a crane?
Have you ever wondered why people need to rent a crane? Every job that you do is different, so how do you know when to rent a crane? There are a number of good reasons to rent a crane, so lets run thru some of them together.
To expensive to buy for yourself.
The most obvious answer: Cranes are not cheap. They can range from a quarter of a million dollars to a couple million for a single crane. Unless you plan to use it everyday, it does not make sense to buy one.
Government licensing requirements.
All cranes require a crane licensed operator to use them. Most people do not have this, so you have to rent one with a licensed crane operator. Operating a crane without a valid crane license is setting yourself up for a legal nightmare when something goes wrong. Always make sure you have an experienced licensed crane operator to do your work.
It is too heavy.
Depending on how strong you and your buddies are, there is a magical weight in the 500 pounds range, where item(s) needs to be lifted by equipment, not manpower. This equipment could be a pump truck, forklift, tele-handler or in our case, a crane. The terrain and obstacles impeding your move, will determine which heavy equipment would be best for your particular job. When traversing the ground is not an option, cranes are the logical piece of equipment. Cranes are often used on construction sites for lifting things around. They also used to lift large items like hot tubs, swim spas and prefab pools, to get them into backyards that have no other way or access to get there. Another popular use for cranes, is lifting large HVAC units onto roofs.
It is the only way to get it in.
The biggest advantage of cranes is their ability to lift up and over things. Sometimes, weight has nothing to do with it, there is just no good way to get where you want to go, except up. There is no way around, you have to go up and over. Some common examples of these obstacles could be a house, fence, bush or tree. Cranes are also great at lifting objects from one level to another. For example, moving something from the ground to a balcony, window or roof. Like a piece of furniture or appliance that will not fit up the stairs. Or an HVAC unit onto the roof.
Precision placement.
Heavy objects like statues, lawn ornaments/art or common HVAC units not only need to be lifted over uneven terrain, they then need to be placed on a specific spot in a certain way. The crane can hold and suspend that object in the air, allowing you to spin and guide it into place as it comes down. This is critical when that item might weight over a thousand pounds.
It is safer for everyone.
When people are pushing themselves or the equipment they are using to its limit, that is when accidents happen. Using the right crane for your lift, can take all the heavy lifting away. Right now there is a huge push by the Canadian government to make everyone’s workplace as safe as humanly possible. While there is still always the risk of an accident (people doing dumb things), cranes used properly, almost always make jobs safer for all workers involved.
Cheaper in the long run.
While cranes can seem expensive at first, they can also save you a small fortune if used correctly. Swim spas are a perfect example of this. Your average swim spa weighs 2000-4000 pounds and they are huge. How many people do you think it will cost you to move it safely? Four, six, eight, ten people? Now add in the damage they caused while dragging it into place or the personal injuries you might need to deal with afterwards from strains or over excursion to the people that helped you. One crane and experienced operator could reduce your expenses significantly in real manpower hours, less clean up repairs and no insurance or WSIB claims to deal with.
Cranes just make sense
You always want the right tool for the right job. Cranes are no exception. They can save you a lot of head aches and aggravation. Not sure if a crane would make your job easier and safer? Call our crane specialists to see what crane options might be right for you.
