Mastering Tricky Terrain with Crawler Cranes

Crawler cranes are ideal for working in confined or restricted areas. Wherever lifting power is required and a “normal” crane cannot reach, the crawler is a good solution – and if you have restrictions imposed on you by space, emissions regulations or height limitations, variants of the crawler crane can make your work a lot easier.

Take the mini crawler crane, for example. The mini crawler is designed to get into interior spaces, which cannot be easily reached by other kinds of lifting gear. The mini crawler is well suited for all maintenance, refurbishment and fit out operations, where store and refurbishment interiors need the help of a trustworthy lifter but roofs and walls are getting in the way.

Mini crawler cranes can be operated using radio control – ideal for complicated spaces – and have a boom length of up to 21 metres. The average lifting capacity of a mini crawler is around 6 tonnes, plenty for small scale work in inside spaces.

Most interior lifting and building work is strictly regulated in terms of noise and fumes. The hazards to worker health presented by loud noises in enclosed areas – and of course by exhaust fumes expelled in the same places – is great enough that HSE guidelines prevent prolonged work using diesel powered lifting gear. Mini crawler cranes are dual powered and can be run silently on electric: meaning no noise and no fumes.

Some interior work can cause problems for contractors because the size and weight of items to be lifted clashes with the manual handling regulations that have been put in place – again to protect worker health. A mini crawler crane is the ideal solution. Rather than contravening industry regulations by having people lift bulky or heavy objects, a contractor can simply bring in one or two mini crawler cranes and have the difficult lifting work done by a machine.

You’ll be able to find a variety of mini crawlers to suit the requirements of your job – and all the usual hiring benefits come with them. There are mini crawlers that work with an enclosed swinging cab; and mini crawlers that operate with an open cab. Some mini crawlers have solid feet that can raise the tracks off the ground for steady planting.

When you hire a mini crawler crane you can do so as a contract lift, a crane hire or a machine only hire. There are plenty of advantages to all three. Contract lifting often seems to be the best option for hiring mini crawler cranes – or indeed any type of mobile crane. As a contract lift hire, you get the machine, the operator and all the necessary permits. You don’t have to worry about anything other than scheduling to coincide properly with the rest of your work.

For small and medium sized construction companies, the mini crawler is a Godsend. Contract lifting means expertise without having to invest in expensive training programmes; and of course it also means that companies get the use of excellently maintained and fully inspected machines whenever they need them.