Tower Crane, All-Terrain Crane, or Boom Truck: Considering Your Options
For most people, the image that springs to mind when they hear the word “crane” is of a tower crane. Tower cranes help to construct tall buildings. They’re generally mounted in concrete or fixed to the side of a building. Yet tower cranes are relatively far and few between. The RLB Crane Index, an industry report that tracks the tower crane activity worldwide, reports less than 20 cranes are in use in the five boroughs, primarily serving the upscale residential market.
The majority of lifting jobs in New York City involve other types of equipment – primarily, all-terrain cranes and boom trucks. This makes sense for several reasons. Many picks are of relatively short duration: there’s only a few loads to lift and the equipment doesn’t need to be on the job site for an extended period of time. Moving an all-terrain crane to a job site is a much less involved process than what’s involved when a tower crane is required; additionally, the set up and take down process is much faster. This results in a significant cost savings.
The Advantages of All-Terrain Cranes
All-terrain cranes are highly maneuverable. They can navigate rough job sites easily and move relatively quickly on public roads. This is a big deal in New York City, where there’s little tolerance for anything that slows traffic down. All-terrain cranes have a wider wheel base than truck cranes, which means greater stability and increased lifting capacity. Multiple steering options are available, which increases the maneuverability of the crane – important when access to the lift site is limited.
All-terrain cranes are available in a variety of sizes. L & M Crane and Rigging has all-terrain cranes with lifting capacity that ranges from 65 to 600 tons. We are a full-service crane and rigging company, with highly qualified and experienced crane operators, master riggers, lift supervisors, riggers and all of the other personnel needed to perform a lift in compliance with city regulations.
The Advantages of Boom Trucks
Boom trucks may not have the lifting capacity of all-terrain cranes, but they do offer several advantages. Boom trucks are smaller, more maneuverable, and affordable, which makes them a better option for lighter picks, as well as jobs that require lifts at multiple points on the site. They are available with articulated arms, which means they can perform lifts from multiple positions. There’s no need to put down concrete pads or supports for a boom truck. City regulations regarding parking and equipment placement are less stringent for boom trucks than they are for cranes.
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