Questions to Ask Before you Buy a Used Crane

How Much Is a Crane Worth?

The value of a crane can depend on many factors, like its condition, mileage and size. Newer model cranes can offer more advanced safety and technological features that increase their worth compared to older models and those with more basic features.

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

A crane with high-quality and innovative features that aligns with your project requirements can be a worthwhile investment. While you may pay more, you can benefit from efficient functionality and an extended life span.

Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Used Crane

As a business owner, you want to make informed decisions before purchasing a crane. Here are some questions to ask before buying a used crane:

How Much Is a Crane Worth?

The value of a crane can depend on many factors like age, size, lifting capacity, model and condition. It can also depend on several features like safety and technology. Working conditions and maintenance history can also play a role in determining the value of a crane.

How Do I Choose a Crane?

Choosing a crane can depend on your project needs. You can use a crane for projects like constructing a high-rise building or carrying heavy loads. Ensure you choose a crane with lifting capacity and height requirements suitable for your task.

Accessibility is also an essential factor — choose a crane that can access your project site, especially when working on rough terrain. Consider your budget and how to get value for your money. The right crane can serve as a valuable and worthwhile long-term investment.

How Much Is It to Buy a Crane?

Like vehicles and bikes, the price of a crane can vary. Newer cranes in excellent condition and offering advanced features will cost more than older models with more mileage and wear. Cranes can also have advanced hook designs and remote control functions that impact the final price.

What Are the Factors to Consider When Selecting the Right Crane?

Consider the following when selecting your crane:

• Environment: Consider the terrain or environment you will use your crane, project type, lifting capacities and height requirements. The landscape you work on can help you choose a suitable crane support structure.
• Frequency of use: Consider how often you will use your crane and if you require a model built for constant rigorous work. You also want to consider whether you need low or high-capacity cranes for various projects.
• Height and accessibility: If you are working on building construction, it’s also essential to consider suitable height or accessibility requirements.
• Mechanics and safety: Consider the exterior and interior functionality of the crane. Check for signs of wear, like worn cables, dents and rust. You also want to consider the safety of the crane and ensure that it is free from issues that can compromise your or others’ safety. Check if the crane’s mechanics comply with the latest safety standards and requirements.

How Do I Choose a Crane Capacity?

Choosing your crane capacity can require working out your most extensive lifting and load requirements and ensuring you select a crane that can lift that load. It would be best to work out the maximum radius or distance you will cover. Consider the type and quality of the terrain you will work on, like a smooth or rough gravel surface. Choose a crane with suitable lifting capacity and support for your specific landscape.

What Makes a Suitable Crane?

You can determine the quality of the care by evaluating the crane’s history. Ask a professional to check the age, maintenance history and previous working conditions. Perform a visual inspection to check the crane’s body for issues like dents, scratches, signs of rust and worn cables is also essential. You also want to ensure that the crane’s features, like lift capacity, accessibility and height capabilities, align with your project requirements.

How Do I Buy a Crane?

Whether you buy your crane from a dealer or auction company, purchase it from a reputable name. Many dealers or auctioneers can offer you thorough background and history on a used crane. Do your research and inspect before buying to make an informed decision.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Likuang.

Factors to Consider When Buying a Used Crane

Here are some factors to consider when buying a crane.

1. Budget

Consider planning your budget around the complexity of your project. The age, condition, safety and technological features can influence the price of a crane. Whether you’re a business owner or construction manager, you have specific project requirements to fulfill. You will pay more for a used crane that is in perfect condition, has innovative features and has a good track record, but you’ll save in maintenance and repair costs down the line.

2. Lifting Capacity and Model

Consider your maximum lifting requirements and select a crane that will support those requirements. Asses the terrain you will frequently use your crane on, like gravel or rough road, and decide which crane model is most suitable. Complex landscapes can require specialized crane types like a used rough terrain crane. Ensure you choose a lifting capacity and model to make your project more efficient.

3. History

You want to ensure that you have a detailed history of a crane’s previous uses. It’s necessary to assess the conditions in which a crane was used, like the weather and terrain. History can help evaluate the overall condition of a used crane and will also inform you of any possible damage and wear affecting its functionality.

4. Safety Features

You want to ensure you and your staff’s safety on site. Inspect the safety features of your cranes and ensure that it is free from damage that can compromise the safety of others. You also want to ensure your crane complies with up-to-date safety regulations and requirements.

5. Maintenance

Both new and used cranes require maintenance. Setting a consistent service schedule can catch problems before they progress and reduce the impact on your workflow.

Different Crane Types

Here are some crane types to consider for your project requirements.

Mobile Cranes

Mobile cranes offer various mobility features, like horizontal and vertical moments. You can use mobile cranes on a job or project site that requires moving goods from one place to another, and you can mount a mobile crane on a truck, boat or railcar. Mobile cranes also have outriggers that prevent them from flying over. Two kinds of mobile cranes include rough terrain and crawler cranes.

Static Cranes

You install static cranes permanently on your job site. They can lift heavier loads than mobile cranes and move along fixed paths. Stationary cranes can work well in pre-determined tasks and have less flexibility than mobile crane types. Tower, hammerhead and self-erecting cranes are types of static cranes.

Buy Used Cranes With Bid Equip LLC

You’ve come to the right place if you are looking for high-quality and dependable used cranes for your business or job. Bid Equip LLC is a trusted name in heavy machinery services. We host monthly heavy equipment auctions for cranes, forklifts, skid steers and other metalworking machinery in Pennsylvania. We also offer a convenient online auctioning service that makes purchasing heavy machinery or equipment easy. All of our cranes go through inspections to ensure superior quality and functionality. Browse our online heavy equipment auction options.

Contact us today to get started with Bid Equip LLC.

Want more information on Heavy Duty Cranes? Feel free to contact us.

Share:

Hi guys, a few questions on crane maintenance. I have worked in maintenance for 15 years often called to maintain cranes and other plant and to be honest its really apparent to me that some things are not done properly and my own knowledge is lacking. Some things & practices of others dont sit right with me but Id like to know more.


So

1, what effects can a sudden decrease in load have? For example using a crane to loft something that is seized and the load suddently releasing?

2, what actually stops a crane load running away from itself when lowering under motor power?

3, can a crane with a worm gear box ever drop a load? as I understand in theory a worm should not turn a wheel.

4, what could cause a plummer block on a crane long travel drive shaft to keep coming loose around the wheel area? I suspect it is wear or misalignment on couplings or the wheel at the opposite end not actually being driven thus causing one side to tske the entire drive and the crane to skew?


Any mechanical tils would be appreciated when it comes.to cranes. Common faults and their causes.

A major issue in my workplace is "fixing" things without solving the root cause and thus going back to it a few weeks later. Cranes are pretty much all I do day in and out in the Australian market. Things may be somewhat different wherever you may be but I'm making an assumption that things are overwhelmingly similar.

Most overheads (better referred to as bridge cranes IMHO as overhead is a rather poor descriptor) are electrically powered these days and very few have worm gear boxes intended to 'self-brake'. On the way down, the motor and gearing ratio ensures the speed provided. MOST cranes are not fitted with overspeed devices such as you may find on elevators for example. Most brakes are used for deacceleration and load holding purposes only.

Sudden decrease in load with respect to the crane you have specifically in mind may cause little untoward but can often result in pretty poor outcomes. Bridge cranes are typically designed to accommodate a small degree of this behaviour but not a large one. The most common is partial or complete derailment of the bridge. If you have a torsion hoist which is not fitted with proper anti-derailment, you can essentially flip the hoist over the bridge beam. Bad outcome. Similar with top running crabs which can derail as they go into uplift due to the bridge beams bouncing them skywards.

Gearboxes should never be entirely relied upon to prevent load drops. In the case of applications involving suspension over humans etc, we are typically obliged to provide a secondary brake which must be directly connected to the hoist drum or similar. In this way, failure or wear of a gearbox or couplings cannot solely lead to catastrophic failure. Worm boxes are sometimes designed as selfbraking but rarely used as such any longer in cranes. You still really want a brake and they're inefficient means of transmitting power.

Your plummer blocks are interesting. All suggestions above trump what I'm going to offer up in addition. You might also want to check the mesh at each location. The fasteners could be getting 'worked' by poor mesh at points in the mesh procession. This can happen if the mesh is just outright too tight coupled with slightly out-of-round machining but might also occur if heavily greased wheels entrap particles into the mesh which act to try and force the pinion away at the entrapment point. If I had to bet on it, I'd go with poor tensioning though. Old cranes can generate quite a lot of vibration and you're probably looking at fairly short lengths of fasteners which may be struggling to demonstrate much stretch. It used to actually be a recommendation that crane runway beams be fitted with longer bolts with spacer tubes to reduce the chance of loosening.

My final observation is that you seem to be dealing with some reasonably old cranes here. Long travel drives are not generally designed this way any longer and haven't been for about 25 years or more. At some point in time, in most jurisdictions, standards require that the crane is subjected to a major inspection. I suspect you may possibly be due. At that point in time, it's quite common that such things are modernised rather than overhauled; as a result you might often find that you end up with two motors, a smoother drive system (maybe even a VSD). Hoists of that age may be subjected to overhaul or sometimes just outright replaced if they're smaller and cheaper (or if upgrading things like overload protection is too prohibitive). In particular, runways and their alignment can be surprisingly important. Poor alignment can result in unexpectedly high and frequent 'crabbing' loads leading to unpredicted fatigue failures.

My apologies this reply has turned into somewhat of a lecture but I hope there's something within it that is of assistance.