A CraneWorks Guide to the Different Types of Cranes

This type of crane is a large truck that has a hydraulic boom crane attached. These cranes are most often on a commercial truck chassis and are much cheaper than custom-chassis cranes.

Boom trucks typically consist of a rotating, fixed, or telescopic boom, operating machinery, as well as one or more operator’s stations mounted on a frame attached to a commercial truck chassis. Their primary function is to lift, lower, and swing loads at various radii, requiring the use of outriggers/stabilizers.

Boom Trucks have a wide range of applications, and as such, they can vary in ton rating, boom length, and more.

We have all kinds of new and used Boom Trucks available for purchase or rent. 

These cranes are, quite obviously, built to handle materials. They make it easy to transport, position, and store materials as needed. 

Materials handling cranes have a flat bed and a mounted crane that are purpose-built for loading and unloading items for transport. They have relatively low ton ratings in terms of lift capacity, but are invaluable because of their ability to easily lift and position materials for transport or storage. 

Click below to browse through our Materials Handling Cranes for purchase or rent, or to get a free quote.

These cranes are very similar to Boom Cranes, but have more hydraulic ability than Boom Trucks. Also known as Articulating Cranes, they’re more flexible and allow for bigger payloads than their Boom Truck counterparts.

Instead of a large telescopic crane or boom, these trucks have cranes that “knuckle” in that they bend at multiple joints. This allows for more space on the crane for materials hauling. For many jobs, the same truck that carries the crane can haul all your materials and offload them at the job site, saving you time and money.

See what Knuckle Boom Cranes are currently for sale or for rent at CraneWorks.

As the name indicates, these cranes are suitable for both off-road jobs and on-road transport. All-terrain cranes offer a wide variety of lifting capacities, ranging from 45 tons to 1,320 tons.

Often considered the Hummers or Range Rovers of the crane industry, these cranes are perfect for reaching isolated job sites with no remote access. Move quickly to job sites without worrying about the climate or road conditions.

Get more information about All-Terrain Cranes for rent or for purchase.

This type of crane is similar to a Boom Truck, but Telescopic Truck Cranes can extend the crane further. Powered by a hydraulic system in the crane, it extends and retracts to increase or decrease the overall length of the boom.

Often used for short-term construction projects, telescopic truck cranes combine the convenience of a boom truck with the extended lifting capabilities of a telescopic crane.

See what Telescopic Truck Cranes are available for rent or purchase from our website.

These cranes are commonly used in road and bridge construction, petrochemical applications, power distribution, and other situations where maximum power and off-road prowess are required. Rough Terrain Cranes have excellent ground clearance, oversized tires, and three-mode steering, which makes positioning these cranes a breeze in even the most rugged terrain.

If you need a Rough Terrain Crane for your organization, get a free quote from our team today.

These self-propelled and massively capable cranes are highly versatile. They can lift massive quantities and require less time to setup, which means that once they arrive on-site, they’re ready to get to work. They are very heavy and are on crawler tracks, and as a result move very slowly.

Get a free quote from our team on a Crawler Crane for your lifting needs.

These vehicles are designed to increase productivity and efficiency through their unique customizability. The compartment configurations can be outfitted with air compressors, generators, welders, and fluid delivery and recovery systems, and much more.  They can even lift materials up to 6 tons.

The trucks are built on a variety of high-quality truck chassis, from light-duty manufacturers such as Ford and Ram to medium- and heavy-duty manufacturers like Kenworth.

Talk to our team for a free quote on a Crane-body Mechanics Truck.

These cranes have a small platform that lifts people. Aerial Lift Cranes, sign cranes, man lifts, and lighting cranes give construction workers access to rooftops, billboards, and other vertically inaccessible areas.

All of our Aerial Lift Cranes are mounted on trucks from manufacturers like Manitex, Terex, Genie, Elliott, Socage, Bronto Skylift, and Versalift. Get a free quote so we can help you find the crane that you need.