SELECTING A HIAB LOADER CRANE

HIAB loader cranes give you and your truck incredible flexibility. They come in a wide variety of types and capacities, all offering ample opportunities for customisation.

To select the right HIAB crane, you need to know what you want from it – both today and tomorrow. The following questions are a guide.

1. What loads will you handle?
The first question you need to ask is what type of loads you will move and how heavy they will be. The weight to be lifted is the first step in determining the basic crane capacity you need.

2. How far will you lift them?
The reach you need is the second step in determining basic capacity. The farther away you will work from your truck, the larger the crane you will need to handle the load’s weight.

3. Which crane boom would suit you best?
The way you work, or even the laws where you work, may affect your choice of boom. If you want to perform heavy lifts but always near your truck, a short-boom EP crane will give you greater capacity for less. If you need to cover your load but want to avoid detaching the tool between jobs, you will want a Z-boom crane whose boom can fold up compactly behind the cabin. 

4. Where will you operate your crane from?
Manual or remote control is an important consideration. Manual control is economical and perfectly suited to many jobs, but remote control can provide greater freedom and security. Operating your crane remotely, you can work from the perfect vantage point – either a safe distance away or right where the action is.

5. How complex or precise will your operations be?
Your choice of control system will depend on more than just location. The more advanced your control system, the more exact and sophisticated your crane’s movements can be. Advanced control allows a crane to perform more complex tasks, and in the hands of an expert operator it can save considerable amounts of time, energy and fuel.

6. Which smart features would make your work safer and easier?
Specialised accessories and features can not only increase your performance, but also keep you safer. For example, there are options that can give your HIAB crane additional stability, speed or capacity when you need it most.

Naturally, our experts will help you find the answers to all of these questions. Together we can define your needs and configure the perfect HIAB crane to match.