Crane Costs: Important Factors

Hoosier Crane will always do the best we can to help you find the crane or cranes you need at the best possible price. We take pride in our experience, quality work, engineering, safety record, and fair pricing. We invite you to check out testimonials from our many satisfied customers. If you are interested in purchasing new cranes or replacing older ones there are some basic factors you should consider to better understand the costs. The following factors are critical when it comes to the costs associated with the design and installation of cranes.

Number of Cranes

How many will you need to be designed, built, and installed to get the work done efficiently and safely.

Capacity

The capacity is the maximum load that may be applied to the crane, the hoist, or the below-the-hook lifting device, under a certain configuration or condition of use. A crane's capacity is best calculated by a company such as Hoosier Crane. We can make the determination based on what we know about the material you'll be lifting, the rigging or below-the-hook devices that will be attached, and considerations for future usage.

Lift

How high in the air does your material need to be raised? There are several factors that need to be considered when calculating lift. Those include the height of machinery or equipment on the plant floor that must be cleared during a lift, the height of racks or shelves on which the material may be placed, the height of any pits, mines, or excavation sites the material may be lifted from, overhead obstructions, and elevation of existing runways.

Number of lifts

How often will lifts be made and how much weight will be lifted each time? Understanding the usage of the crane is very important.

Hook Approach

How close can the crane hook get to the end of a bridge or runway? An under running crane will have a better trolley hook approach than a top running crane. That may be a consideration if the crane needs to place material near the walls of your facility.

Power

What will be the power source? Will it be electricity, will it be hand-powered, or will it be air-powered?

Operating Environment

What are the conditions of the work space? Are there obstructions, are chemicals being used, is there excess moisture? These are all factors that can impact the installation and design of the crane.

Operating Speed

How fast do you need the crane to operate? This is another critical factor that will impact the design of the crane and the costs associated with it.

Controls

How will the operator control the crane? A radio control gives the operator more freedom to move around, a pendant can be festooned along the bridge of the crane to move along with the hoist and trolley. Some cranes may require the operator to work from a cab.

Span

What is the horizontal distance between the runway rails? Cranes with larger spans will be more expensive than smaller span cranes because they will need engineered girders.

Runway Location

Is a new runway needed or is there one already in place? Is the existing runway sufficient to support a new crane structure? Are there obstructions in the building? Is the building strong enough to support the crane system needed for the job? Is the flooring solid? These are all questions that could have a significant impact on costs associated with the design and installation of new cranes.