Lifting cranes have now become a common addition to the arsenal of machinery used on building and construction sites. However, what you might not know is that it is important to make sure that you choose the right crane for the job. Although they are all powerful machines, certain cranes are built with specific tasks in mind, so choosing the correct one can seriously improve productivity and efficiency.

For your benefit, we have listed below three of the most important things you should consider when selecting a crane to use on your project.

Weight and Height Checks

One of the most important things you should know before deciding on which crane to use is the weight of the load it will be lifting. Choosing a crane that has a small lift capacity can mean that you could be paying for something that may not be of any use to your project, or could become a safety hazard. However, selecting a crane with an unnecessarily high lift capacity can be a great waste of money and labour.

The higher a load is lifted, the less the weight capacity becomes. Bearing this in mind, you will need to research which cranes are available to you that can both perform the lift of the required weight, while having the boom length to reach the required heights.

Site Conditions

It is important to take the conditions of the site into consideration when selecting your crane. If the workspace has largely uneven grounds, you will need to use a rough-terrain crane with an increased support width, as this will ensure stability. For developments that have flat and rough terrain, you’re best to opt for a truck-mounted crane as this style of machine is good for versatility.

It is also worth being aware of the weather conditions at the site, as rain and wind can alter the terrain and may require more specialised equipment. If you are not sure about which crane is the best fit for your site, you should seek advice from industry professionals.

Site Access

In most cases the ideal situation would be to drive the crane directly into the site and place it exactly where it needs to be, but this is not always possible. Some sites will not have simple road access for heavy-duty machines to drive on, which is why site access can impact your choice of crane.

In a similar vein to the previous point, having no easy road access will require you to find a crane that is able to make the trip through some potentially treacherous terrain. If there is no obvious way in which a crane will be able to position itself at the desired part of the site, serious thought needs to be put into making sure the correct crane is chosen, ensuring it will be able to negotiate these difficulties and still complete the task at hand.

Contact NMT Cranes

For those who don’t deal with cranes on a regular basis, it can seem like a daunting task to have to pick the right crane after taking all of these points into consideration, however that’s where we come in.

With over 20 years of experience, our team at NMT Cranes are experts in the industry and are able to help you with all your crane needs. For more information, please feel free to fill out our online contact form or call us on 0800 026 6985.