Renting a crane for a building project can be a necessary expense, but to keep your project costs as low as possible, there are things you can do to minimize the amount of time you need the crane and to optimize its presence while you have it. Whether you need one crane or several, check out these cost-saving tips.

1. Don't Use Cranes for Relatively Low Lifting

Before renting a crane, think carefully about how you need to use the crane in your project. If you have a lot of heavy items that only need to be lifted to a relatively low height, you may not need a crane. In many cases, you can use an excavator or a backhoe for these lifting jobs.

The buckets in these machines are ideal for lifting roofing supplies on residential projects, beams on single story commercial projects, and a host of other items. Best of all, you likely have this equipment already on site, so that can easily save you money on crane rental costs.

2. Condense the Time You Need the Crane

If you need to lift items higher than a digger allows, you will likely need to rent a crane. In some cases, you may not need the crane for the entirety of the project. To shorten the time you need it, make a schedule for your project and highlight times when you need the crane. Then, consider organizing your to-do list so that you can cluster lifting activities into a compact time frame.

3. Optimize Your Time With the Crane

Once you have the crane, you need to optimize your time with it if you want to make the most of your expense. Great employee training can be key in this regard. Well trained employees know how to run cranes more efficiently than inexperienced crane operators.

In particular, well trained operators tend to avoid common errors such as side pulling. That can lead to damage, putting the crane out of commission, delaying your project, and driving up your costs.

4. Check the Planes

Some projects need multiple cranes, and if your project falls into that category, you need to ensure that the cranes you have bought or rented work well together. In particular, when deciding where the cranes are going to be set up, check your planes.

The plane refers to the geometric area that the crane moves through. Ideally, two cranes should never have overlapping planes. With inexperienced operators, overlapping cranes can result in crashes, smashes, falling loads, and injuries to your crew members.

Even if the operators are experienced, they won't be able to use the cranes efficiently. In particular, some cranes will need to wait as other cranes move through their planes. Over the course of your project, these delays add up and increase the amount of time you need to rent the crane.

5. Consider Modular Lift Towers

If you can't identify a multiple crane arrangement that doesn't feature overlapping planes, you may want to explore some lifting alternatives. Modular lift towers, for example, are like onsite industrial elevators.

The setup consists of a modular column and sturdy framework. Then, a hoist system, a stand jack, or a similar lifting mechanic nests inside the column. This device lifts up your items, just as the cables pull an elevator up and down its shaft. Setup takes the same amount of time, and in most cases, you can obtain this option from the same companies that sell or rent out cranes.

If you use cranes consistently, it may be time to buy one instead of renting one. To learn more, contact a crane specialist like American Equipment Inc.