Crane Hire – Lightning Ridge

The cost of hiring a crane in Lightning Ridge depends on various factors, such as the type of crane required, how much it can lift (in tonnes), where you need it and whether an operator and rigger are also needed. For example, the dry-hire cost for a 12 tonne Franna crane can start at $140 per hour, while a tower crane could set you back around $15,000 for four weeks.

Read More: Crane hire rates

On iseekplant there are 5 broad types of crane (not including crane trucks & hiabs), and heaps of size variants (expressed in tonnes of operating weight) under those categories.

There are crawler cranes, mini crawler cranes (both mounted on tracks and used on uneven ground), mobile slewing crane (sometimes called a city crane or mobile hydraulic crane), non-slewing mobile crane (most commonly referred to as a 'Franna') and a tower crane (which are the fixed behemoth cranes seen above major commercial construction sites).

Read more: Type of construction cranes

The type of crane you need comes down to the payload you're lifting, the ground you're operating on and the height you need the lift to extend to.

On unstable ground - you need a crawler crane, or mini crawler. If you are lifting and shift on the vertical and horizontal axis, you need a slewing crane. If you're simply lifting and dumping a load on a straight axis, then a Franna will do. There are also rough terrain cranes for really uneven ground or tower cranes if you need a permanent lift over a commercial job site.

Yes, but it's rare.

We do have some dry hire cranes on iseekplant - but it's more common to hire on wet hire.

You need a High Risk License to operate any crane or any earthmoving machine, such as a crane.

On all Australian job sites almost all crane activities require a rigger to be present - someone capable of operating the crane, and the administrative process of conducting a 'lift study'.