Do you have something heavy that needs lifting with a crane? If so, you may be wondering how much renting a crane is going to cost you. Renting a crane will vary depending on the size of the crane you need and the rental duration.

At a minimum, you will pay at least $200 per day for a small mobile crane and as much as $1300 a day for a 15-ton carry deck crane. If you only need a crane for a few hours, you expect to pay at least $100 per hour with an operator to as much as $825 per hour for a 600-ton crane.

Cranes rent for weekly rates are as little as $2000 per week for a 2.5-ton deck crane to as much as $2800 for a week for a 15-ton carry deck crane.  If you need a crane for a month, a 14-ton crane truck is about $3700, and a 2-ton electric mini crawler is about $6100 for a month. 

Other Expenses Involved in Crane Rental

There are other expenses you are likely to encounter when renting a crane. One expense you will usually have is delivery to the job site.

The cost will vary depending on how far it is to the job site and the size of the crane you need moving there. 

• These costs will likely involve a road permit for larger cranes. These usually cost between $100 to $200. Do not forget to replace the fuel in the truck used.
• If you need to pay for a licensed operator, flagger, pilot driver, or rigger-signal professional, you will need to add in from $60 to $100 an hour for each of these people. If it is a large crane, it is illegal to use it without a rigger and flagger.
• Some cities will require a permit. You will need to check and include that cost within your final cost projections.
• Sometimes, you must pay travel fees for the operator and other people if they work outside their normal area.
• If they work more than eight hours per day, you will need to include overtime costs in your budget.
• Holiday rates will apply if they work on holidays.
• Disconnecting utility lines may be necessary to use the crane safely.
• You may need to pay to prepare a lift plan.

Renting a Crane and Operator by the Hour 

Renting a crane and operator by the hour can add up fast. Here are some additional estimates from Howmuchisit.org.

Depending on how many hours you need the crane, it may be more cost-effective to pay for a day instead of a few hours. 

Choosing a Crane

Choosing the right crane for the job is crucial. So do demolition projects. Construction sites typically use cranes regularly.

Many other companies like transport and shipping use cranes to do their heavy lifting. There are few things to consider when selecting a crane to rent. 

Choosing the correct crane for the job will help your project succeed and help prevent accidents or add expenses and time to finish your project. So, how do you know which crane to choose?

One of the first things you need to know is the load weight of the item or items needing to be lifted by the crane. You will need to rent a crane with a suitable weight limit capacity for your job.

Renting too small a crane can cause accidents and even cost lives and damage to the load.

You will need to know the vertical distance the load has to travel. The counterweight, support structures, and stability of the boom play a vital role in safely traveling the distance with the shipment. T

his calculation will help determine the distance between the load and the base of the crane.   

You will also want to look at the site and the ground that will support the crane firmly to the ground. If the terrain is uneven, you will need to choose the support width carefully. 

How accessible is the job site? Can the crane be easily moved into the area?

What obstacles are in your way? Do you need to move power lines, streetlight poles, or other things to prevent accidents and damage to the load?

When there are many obstacles, you will want good radio controls on the crane so you can alert the operator of impending dangers to avoid. 

What Kind of Crane do You Need?

There are different kinds of cranes, such as, mobile cranes which can be moved around easier since they usually have tires. Fixed cranes must be assembled at the project site and brought in on trucks but can lift heavier loads.

Carry Deck Cranes

Carry deck cranes can rotate a full 360 degrees and are easier moved around than other cranes. These cranes are usually easy to set up and navigate around on the job site.

They are relatively small and have four wheels.

Rough Terrain Crane

A rough terrain crane is excellent for rough sites and off-road operations. These cranes are built similar to a crawler crane but have four large tires instead of tracks.

Rough terrain cranes come with telescopic booms and outriggers, which help improve their stability. 

Floating Crane

These cranes, often called crane vessels or crane ships because they are most used at sea to do projects.  Floating cranes have been around since the middle ages but have improved from all the technology. 

Crawler Crane

Crawler cranes have tracks instead of tires, The tracks make it harder for them to turn, but they work great on soft ground and places where they have done little to the terrain.

Some have an attached telescopic arm which allows them to change their size, making them highly adaptable on job sites. Crawler cranes are bulky and need to be set up and transported to and from the site, making them more suitable for long-term projects. 

Truck-Mounted Crane

Truck-mounted cranes can travel easily on the road without any extra set up or equipment. Truck-mounted cranes have a carrier which is the truck, and a boom which is their arm.

They come with counterweights and outriggers to help them stay stabilized, allowing them to move more slowly to move heavier loads safely. These types of cranes help build bridges and many other projects. 

Bridge/Overhead Crane

The bridge or overhead crane is a type of fixed crane. These cranes are found chiefly in industrial environments.

The cranes look somewhat like a bridge because of their two steel beams used to straddle the workload. The lifting mechanism travels along the bridge part of the crane. These types of cranes have the most significant weight lifting capacity. 

Gantry Crane 

The gantry crane is one of two sub-types of overhead cranes. The gantry crane is supported by two a-frame steel legs and usually is built on a track.

These cranes are used chiefly on shipping docks and ports unloading cargo off ships. These cranes can work at high speeds while repeatedly lifting heavy loads. 

Jib Crane

This crane is another sub-type of overhead crane. These permanently installed cranes are located at a workstation for doing repetitive tasks.

The crane arm or jib is mounted on either a wall or floor-mounted pillar with a movable hoist to move the heavy items around. 

Hammerhead Crane

One of the most commonly used cranes today is the hammerhead crane. These cranes are very common on construction sites.

These cranes have a horizontal swivel lever that rests on a fixed tower. They hold the trolley in the arm’s forward area, which counterbalances using the arm that extends backward, helping keep the load stay steady. 

Bulk-Handling Crane

If you need a crane that can carry large amounts of heavy materials, you should look at the bulk-handling cranes. These cranes often carry coal and other minerals.

The cranes are different since they do not come with a hook but a specialized hook that has a grabbing mechanism. They also come with buckets to grab, hold, and lift materials. 

Stacker Crane

Are weather conditions too cold for man or beast? Then consider the stacker crane. These cranes are automated machines designed for warehouse use.

These cranes can run without having a human help them. They come equipped with a forklift mechanism to help the warehouse manage space. 

Telescopic Crane

Telescopic cranes have a large arm or boom fitted with a hydraulic cylinder that allows the component to change length much like a telescope.

Telescopic cranes are considered to be fixed cranes. However, many are mounted to trucks making them easier to transport to job sites. 

Telescopic cranes are very adaptable since the boom can collapse and compact, making them useful in various situations. Often the telescopic crane where natural disasters have occurred.

They help sustain areas while rescuers can help get people out or stabilize buildings that would otherwise collapse on workers. You will also find them on many construction sites doing short-term jobs. 

Tower Crane

Another crane commonly used in the construction business is the tower crane. Taller buildings like multi-story banks often need a tower crane to aid in construction.

These cranes often come with an operating cab where the licensed operator controls the crane. Tower cranes can manage to lift huge loads. 

Tower cranes can extend their jib horizontally from their tower that rests on a concrete platform to help with stability.  There are two types of jibs on a tower crane.

One is the fixed jib which has n operating dolly that will move materials horizontally. The second is a luffing jib that moves up and down to raise materials where they are needed. 

 As the construction project is built, so is the tower crane. That way, it is not higher than needed at any time. Once completed the building, then the tower crane is dismantled. 

Who Can Drive a Crane?

OSHA requires crane operators must be trained and certified to be legal to operate a crane. To safely operate cranes, you need to not only have an operator that can legally use them, but you need a qualified rigger and signaler.  

Some states have additional licensing requirements too. These rules are to help keep people safe on the job site and keep damage to a minimum. 

To Conclude

There is a lot involved in choosing what crane will best fit your needs.

You need to remember to make sure the crane can gain entrance to the job site, but it must be big enough to handle the height and weight limits it needs to get the job done.

You will also need to make sure the type of crane you get can handle the terrain to work on site.

Other factors include how long the job will take to finish and how you will transport it to the site. Cost considerations need factoring in too. 

You should expect to pay at least $200 per day for a small crane and up to $1300 for a 15-ton crane. You should expect other costs, such as paying for a licensed operator, flagger, and rigger, between $60 and $100 per hour.

You may need permits and have additional costs to move power lines and get past other obstacles. However, there is no better way to move heavy materials than a crane when needing them several feet in the air.