Over my nearly 40 years in the lifting industry, I’ve worked on many energy industry projects alongside other equipment companies and with many different contractors. I know contractors have a lot to consider when renting cranes, and the most important questions to ask before you sign a rental contract are not just about cost or whether or not the crane company has a crane available that’s “good enough” to do the job.
Building the right partnership with the right crane company is key not only for your next job or two but also for your long-term success. You need a company you can count on with equipment you can count on.
Here are key questions to ask when considering a crane rental company:
1. Does it have the machines you need? Does the company have a diverse enough fleet to supply small- to large-capacity crawlers as well as rough-terrain or all-terrain cranes that are exactly right for the job and your budget without giving you “too much crane”? Is its fleet up-to-date and well maintained? Can it supply many cranes immediately?
Once you have determined you can get the cranes you need, then think about the situation on your jobsite. Are you working in a narrow and tight work area? Is it a large area that will require moving cranes around? Do you need cranes that can travel on the road but also handle long-boom lifts once on-site? Can the crane company also provide smaller machines for tail cranes and industrial cranes that are ideal to trans-port materials? Ask the crane company about its fleet and whether or not it can handle extended rentals.
2. Can it tailor the rental to suit your needs? Will the crane company work as a reliable partner with you in the lift planning stage? Does it have experience with energy projects and long-term rentals? When you make the decision to hire, you should choose a crane company that brings not only equipment with the most current technology but also an experienced team. Can it provide highly trained and experienced operators, field safety professionals and/or on-site supervisors — if your job requires these professionals? Can it add a planned service package to a bare rental (service and maintenance throughout the contract)? Whatever the complexity or special requirements of your project, make sure the crane rental company meets those needs.
3. How does the crane company maintain its equipment? Ask about service and parts support. In the unlikely event a machine should experience some downtime, does your rental partner have factory-trained technicians in properly equipped field trucks nearby and ready to deploy? Does it maintain hundreds of thousands of parts ready to mobilize to your job-site, including engines for every crane in its fleet? These are huge investments but investments that ensure a customer’s peace of mind. The quality and integrity of the cranes on your job is paramount. These traits can help ensure uptime and performance reliability and help you stay on schedule.
When you need to rent cranes for your energy project, ask these key questions. The answers can help you determine whether or not the company is right for the job. Moreover, I have found the conversation begins to build a partnership. Every project, not just major power work, begins better and ends best when all sides come together in a shared way with transparent objectives and expectations.
Find a lifting partner you can trust with equipment you can rely on and the trained professionals to support you, and you’ll go a long way toward ensuring the success of many projects to come.
For more information, visit www.allcrane.com or call (800) 232-4100.