Crane and Hoist Canada

News Business Operations Cranes
Is a mini crane better suited for your clients’ needs?

August 24, 2022  By Emily Newton


A portable mini crane machine is the perfect for handling construction work with dexterity and convenience. For many types of unique projects or tasks, a full-sized crane is unwieldy and may not even be an option — especially with many interior jobs.

Because quite simply, portable mini cranes are more agile to work with.

They’re also perfect for certain types of rigging tasks, so it is helpful to know how to explain to customers some of the best use cases for a mini crane, as well as the advantages of mini cranes over other types of rigging equipment.

Advantages of Portable Mini Cranes

Advertisement

Those clients who have not used a mini crane machine before may wonder why they should use one at all – and that is where you can explain the many benefits in opting for a mini crane compared to a full-sized piece of equipment.

For instance, since mini cranes are significantly smaller than others, they are much easier to transport from one site to another. And given the skyrocketing price of fuel, they can reduce costs, especially the battery-powered models.

Mini crane machines can act like a Swiss army knife on construction sites, with a variety of attachments for many jobs, from lifting to winching to operating a man basket.

Maneuverability, dexterity and portability are huge plusses.

Some models are small enough to fit through doorways and cramped aisles, making them ideal for tasks in interior sites – requirements that some customers can sometimes overlook.

These characteristics make portable mini cranes more convenient to use in many situations and can also create safer sites as a result. With a crane small enough to work indoors, site workers don’t have to worry about trying to lift heavy objects just because they don’t have compact rigging equipment, and this reduces the likelihood of on-site injuries on-site when handling heavy objects.

Use Cases for Mini Crane Machines

While mini crane machines are fantastic for all sorts of applications, there are a few they are very well-suited for, and many of your customers may be struggling to do the work when a mini crane would make it so much easier.

These use cases are among the most popular applications for mini cranes, and you can use these to explain to potential clients their distinct advantages:

Delicate Lifting Assignments

On both indoor and outdoor sites, there are often situations where a team needs to move or install something delicate. These situations call for a mini crane machine. Examples include glass installation, moving statuary and plants for landscaping and moving unique objects such as pianos. Construction crews can even use mini cranes for tasks on the roofs of buildings.

When performing tasks like this, agility is crucial. Portable mini cranes can provide this flexibility in virtually any space.

You can explain in detail to customers how the spider-like legs of these small machines allow them to remain stable on uneven surfaces, such as slopes or stairs. With the proper attachment, a mini crane can maneuver a pane of glass into place or move a delicate sculpture while minimizing the risk of breaking anything during transit or installation.

Delicate lifting assignments can include work on outdoor sites where space is minimal, such as urban settings. In these situations, it may not be that the objects being lifted are fragile but that the surrounding buildings and objects are delicate.

Mini cranes are perfect for navigating this kind of work site. Even if a construction team doesn’t need a mini crane all the time, it is helpful to have a mini crane employed for occasional use, one of the benefits of renting equipment rather than buying.

Interior Crane Work

One of the most valuable use cases is interior crane work. Not all work sites are outdoors and there are plenty of situations where a team might need a crane indoors. A prime example of this is museums.

A museum might want to move a heavy artifact for a new exhibit. Carrying it with a crane is far safer than transporting it by hand, but a full-sized crane would be far too unwieldy indoors and might even endanger other artifacts.

Eliminating the Need for Scaffolding

Scaffolding is commonplace on work sites but may not always be necessary. One of the most convenient benefits of employing a mini crane machine is the versatility they bring to sites. Construction crews can eliminate or minimize scaffolding by using a mini crane with a man basket instead.

This use case for portable mini cranes is beneficial on rapid-build projects that are short-duration but still require the use of scaffolding or rigging for specific tasks. A great example is 3D printed construction, which is gaining popularity in housing.

The 3D printer builds most of the structure, but crews need to install things like windows and roofing separately. A portable mini crane is perfect for this, minimizing the time required to install these structure parts. In cases where builders are constructing a whole neighborhood, they could easily move a mini crane from one build site to another.

Entertainment and Stage Projects

One of the most popular applications for mini cranes is in the entertainment industry. These machines are perfect for moving and building things on film sets and stages. Set pieces, structures and people tend to crowd these types of spaces, and that can be a challenge to navigate around.

Sets and stages are continually shifting from one project to another as well, so there is a constant need for compact rigging equipment on site.

Mini crane machines bring the portability, agility and convenience entertainment sites need, and one crane can meet a set’s rigging needs, from man basket to winch to heavy object transportation and even stunts; and a plus for client’s is that a mini crane’s compact size ensures they are also easy to store.

Mini Size but Maximum Appeal for Customers

Portable mini cranes have a wide array of applications in many work sites, and crews can use them to set up an art gallery space, organize landscaping fixtures or build a concert set.

The characteristics of mini crane machines make them highly advantageous in many situations, offering agility, dexterity and convenience on site for your clients.

By employing a portable mini crane in the right situations, construction teams can give themselves an edge — even in challenging workspaces; and those are strong selling points when renting or selling these highly effective machines.

 

About the author: Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized.com. You can reach her at emily@revolutionized.com.

 


Print this page

Advertisement

Stories continue below