Choosing The Right Heavy Construction Equipment

When you have a big construction project happening, it's not unusual to rent a crane. However, if you want to keep your costs to a minimum, you need to remember to avoid a few big mistakes. 

To save money out of your construction budget that could be used elsewhere, follow these tips:

1. Don't Start Without a Lift Plan in Place

Your crane operator, project managers, and other workers all need to be aware of the lift plan you have in place. This serves as a comprehensive guide for the safe and efficient execution of your project. Typically, this means putting down all the important details, like:

• Details about the weight, dimensions, center of gravity, and other important features of the load to be lifted
• The type of crane that you need, along with specific equipment and rigging to make sure the load is properly secured
• A site assessment that considers things like ground conditions, obstructions, power lines, and other hazards
• The safety precautions, including exclusion zones and barricades to keep other workers and the public safe

2. Don't Rent the Wrong Crane for Your Needs

Having the lift plan in place can better inform your rental options, and stop you from accidentally hiring the wrong type or size of crane. Before you rent, make sure you provide your crane rental services with all the information in your lift plan. They can help you select a crane that fits into the space you have available and can handle both the horizontal distance of the lift and the load weight.

If you pick the wrong crane, not only do you incur unnecessary rental expenses but you can end up compromising the safety of your workers and delay your project—and that gets very costly, very fast.

3. Don't Try to Rent at the Last Minute

Crane rentals are just like everything else in the construction business: The prices go up when the demand is high. Waiting until the last possible opportunity to rent a crane could leave you scrambling to get your project completed in time, and it will definitely put you in a position where you can't do any comparison shopping for a better price.

You also need to remember that the time of day you rent can affect your overall costs. When you're renting by the hour, you don't want to spend a lot of time trying to navigate a crane through rush-hour traffic. Arrange to pick up and drop off your crane during low-traffic hours, either before or after peak commuter travel times.

Contact a local crane rental service to learn more.