One of the distinct advantages of a mobile crane is that is can be moved onto a site with ease and taken away again once it has been made use of. As such, mobile cranes tend to be very handy in situations where a great deal of flexibility is required, such as a construction site. Crane hire can involve any or all of these types of machines and most are rented for a limited period only for specific projects. If you are looking for a crane for hire these days, then the likelihood is that what is on offer will be one of these four types.

Telescopic Cranes

This sort of crane comes with an extendable boom arm. The boom is made up of a series of components each fitted one inside of the next. In most cases, it is a hydraulic mechanism that is put to use to either push the boom out or, conversely, to retract it. As the telescopic mechanism works, so the length of the boom can be adjusted. Most mobile cranes today have a telescopic mechanism of some sort even if they are not always marketed as such. Telescopic cranes can work in most places so long as the ground is reasonably stable and there is sufficient room to manoeuvre one into position.

Truck-Mounted Cranes

A crane that is mounted on a road truck is designed to provide a higher level of mobility than other sorts of crane. They are generally used for delivering heavy goods to a site where the integrated crane can do the job of placing them in the approximate place where they'll be needed. Anything from prefabricated concrete to bricks can be delivered to a building site using a truck-mounted crane. Outriggers are used to stabilise the truck when the crane is doing any hoisting work. However, they have a limited lifting capacity and tend to need a firm ground, if not tarmac, to operate safely.

Loader Cranes

Making use of an articulated arm that is fitted to a trailer, loader cranes tend to be used for heavy lifts or when long spans need to be reached. Essentially, all of the hydraulic equipment of a loader crane is placed on a trailer. Some are telescopic while others are not. In the UK, this type of crane tends to be referred to as a Hiab.

All-Terrain Cranes

With an undercarriage that is designed to handle large wheels with tractor-like rubber tyres, all-terrain cranes are used in hard-to-reach locations. Many have outriggers which extend in both vertical and horizontal directions to offer greater stability when hoisting. Most use the same power source for mobility as well as lifting. They can be moved into places that other cranes cannot reach and even traverse streams and small riverbeds if needed. However, they have a limited lifting ability and cannot be used for all jobs.

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