How To Get The Most Out Of Your Crane Hire

Cranes are massive pieces of construction equipment that are used in the creation of most buildings and structures. They are big, unwieldy tools that require a lot of preparation and space and cost a lot of money to buy. That is why most construction companies end up renting cranes instead of buying them outright. There is a lot more value in a short-term use rather than paying tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars for a very specific piece of equipment. With that in mind, it is important that you make the most out of your crane hire, and to do that you need to be ready and plan your whole schedule around it once the crane arrives. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your crane. 

Clear A Space For The Crane As Well As A Path To It

The last thing you want is a crane to turn up on-site and you have no room to put it anywhere. Remember, these are not something small like an excavator or even something mid-sized like a bulldozer. These are major pieces of equipment that can take up a lot of room (depending on the size of the crane you get). Even the very smallest hydraulic cranes are still very big and require a lot of effort to get into place before they can begin moving your items. Make a path to the area you want the crane and double-check that it is the right width so that the crane can actually get through. Also, consider the weather conditions and whether there is a lot of mud and water on the ground. Do not try to get your crane into place if there is a chance it could get bogged down in some immovable mud that you often get on construction sites.

Have All The Preparation Work Done

Cranes are very useful for certain parts of a building project, but before and after this part of the construction, they are a nuisance. They are big, heavy machines that just take up valuable space that could be used by other items, and they do nothing but slow down the process when they are not being used. That is why you should try to get all the tasks you need to be done by a crane scheduled in consecutive slots. Not only will this mean you get the crane out of the worksite quicker than if you took a more relaxed approach to it, but it also means that you can reduce your crane hire costs by minimizing the crane's stay. Most cranes will have a minimum hire time, which is bigger for larger cranes, but outside of that, you should try to keep your costs down by returning the crane as fast as you can.

Hire Outside Help

Cranes are complicated pieces of machinery to set up but can be even more challenging to try and use properly. You need a specialized license to be able to work a crane, and sometimes you might even need different types of licenses to operate different cranes. It is almost always a good idea to hire an outside professional who is familiar with the type of crane you are using for the duration of the job. Trying to train up someone from your crew to be a crane operator is tricky at best, and at worst, it can be a potential insurance nightmare. Outside professionals can come in and make the equipment sing for you when you need it, and then, just as quickly as they came, they will leave, allowing you to get back to finishing up the construction. 


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