What Is a Light Truck Crane?

Light truck cranes give up lifting capacity for reach, so one lorry can place light loads high up from the street. The guide covers how makers rate them and what to plan before one arrives.

Overview

What a light truck crane is

A light truck crane is a telescopic crane on a lorry chassis, with a lightweight boom of aluminium, or aluminium and steel, so the vehicle stays light for its reach. It drives to site and sets up on its outriggers, then lifts a few tonnes close in, or a few hundred kilograms at full reach, under radio remote control.

In short

Klaas gives hook height and Böcker gives boom extension length, so check which figure a spec sheet shows.
The light truck cranes in our crane library are rated from 1.5 t to 3 t, from the Böcker AK 37 to the AK 52.
Even the smallest sits on a lorry of the 7.5 t weight class, so plan a lorry-sized standing with room for the outriggers.

We supply light truck cranes, including Böcker and Klaas models, for crane hire and contract lifting. The sections below explain how they work, how far they reach, how they compare with other cranes and what to plan before one arrives.

How it works

How a light truck crane works

The crane and its transport are one vehicle: a long telescopic boom packed onto a road-going lorry, ready to lift once the outriggers are down.

The chassis

Makers build these cranes on lorries of several sizes. Klaas lists a minimum total vehicle weight for each model in its mobile crane range, from 7.5 t for the smallest to 26 t for the largest, and Böcker builds its AK 37 for the 7.49 t class. At the top of Böcker’s range, the AK 52 goes on a three-axle 26 t class lorry or a four-axle chassis.

The boom

Böcker combines aluminium with high-strength fine-grained steel in its truck cranes, and Klaas makes its booms from high-strength aluminium profiles. The low weight lets a modest lorry carry a long boom and reach over a building line from the street. A hydraulic jib at the tip adds height and outreach.

Outriggers and levelling

Böcker’s outriggers can each be extended to a different length from the remote, with the support position monitored electronically, so the crane can set up in a narrow street with one side shorter than the other. A self-levelling system brings the crane level, and Böcker says the crane needs no ballasting or conversion when it arrives on site.

Remote control

The operator works the crane by radio remote control and can stand wherever the view of the load is best. Böcker’s remotes carry a full-colour display with an optional hook camera. Klaas offers a cable connection in case the wireless signal drops, and a second remote so another operator can take over.

Crane or platform

Böcker says all its truck cranes can be converted quickly into an aerial work platform with its Easy-Lock system, and the platform on its AK 46 carries up to 350 kg.

Sizes

Reach and capacity

Capacity falls quickly as the boom goes out, so a crane’s headline figure applies only close in.

How makers quote height

Spec sheets word their heights differently, so check which figure you are reading. Klaas quotes hook height, from 34.5 m on its K700 to 58.5 m on its K2500. Böcker quotes a maximum extension length, from 35 m on the AK 37 to 52 m on the AK 52 (55 m as an option). Its lower “working height jib” figure runs from 23.6 m on the AK 37 to 38 m on the AK 52, and platform operation has its own range and working height figures.

Capacity close in and at reach

Böcker’s standard maximum payloads run from 1.5 t to 3 t, and Klaas lists hook loads from 1.6 t to 4.5 t. Heavier options lift only close to the crane: an AK 52 can be specified to lift 12 t at 5 m. At long reach the figure drops below a tonne, and Klaas gives 45 m at 500 kg for the K2500.

The lift planner checks each lift against the actual crane’s load chart at the radius it needs. Our guide on how to read a crane load chart walks through one, and what size crane you need deals with measuring the radius to the load.

The light truck cranes we supply

These are the Böcker light truck cranes listed in our crane library, each with its spec sheet.

Crane	Rated capacity	Extension length	Reach with a light load
AK 37	1.5 t	35 m	28 m at 250 kg
AK 36	2 t	36 m	30 m at 250 kg
AK 42	3 t	42 m	28 m at 500 kg
AK 46/6000	3 t	44 m	38 m at 250 kg
AK 48	3 t	49 m	32.8 m at 500 kg
AK 52	3 t	52 m	40 m at 500 kg

Compared

Light truck cranes compared with other cranes

A light truck crane overlaps with several other cranes, and the choice comes down to load weight against reach, and the space to set up.

Light truck crane or loader crane

A loader crane brings the load on its own lorry bed and lifts it off with a folding knuckle boom, rated in tonne-metres. A light truck crane has a straight telescopic boom built for reach to height, so it is the one for roof work and lifts set back from the kerb. Our guide What is a loader crane? covers the loader side.

Light truck crane or city crane

A city crane or all-terrain crane lifts far heavier loads, but it is a bigger machine to get into a street and set up. Where the loads are light and the job is height and reach, a light truck crane takes up less of the street. Our guides to city cranes and all-terrain cranes go into the heavier options.

Light truck crane or spider crane

A spider crane fits through doorways and works inside buildings and on upper floors, with less reach than the larger light truck cranes. A light truck crane works from the road or yard outside. The spider crane guide shows when one goes in.

Light truck crane or mobile tower crane

A mobile tower crane also drives to site on a road chassis, then unfolds a tower and a jib of up to about 60 m to reach over a building. It holds heavier loads at long radius than a light truck crane. Our guide to the mobile tower crane has the detail.

Uses

Where light truck cranes are used

Böcker names roofers, carpenters, façade builders and metal construction firms among the users of its truck cranes, and Klaas builds its range around work on roofs and façades. These jobs need many light lifts to height, where a large crane would be more machine than the work needs.

Roofing: tiles, sheets, insulation and battens lifted to the roof and set down where the roofers need them.
Façades and glazing: cladding panels and glazing units placed at height. For glass, read our glass lifting guide.
Timber frame and light steel: roof trusses and timber or steel frames on housing and small commercial builds.
Light rooftop plant: smaller units within the crane’s load chart. Heavier plant is covered in lifting chillers and AHUs, and our lift and shift service handles the move.

Planning

What to plan for with a light truck crane

The same planning questions apply as for any mobile crane, on a smaller scale.

Where the lorry stands

The crane needs a level standing with room for its outriggers at the spread the lift calls for. A crane on a public road or pavement may need a licence from the local highway authority and a lane or road closure. Our guide to crane site preparation names the authorities to ask, and we can arrange traffic management and road closures.

Ground under the outriggers

Outrigger loads are lighter than a large crane’s but still concentrated on small pads. Pavements, drives and yards can hide cellars or buried services, so each position is checked and outrigger mats spread the load. On a contract lift we submit the outrigger loads and mat details with ground bearing pressure calculations, and the site’s own competent person confirms the ground is suitable.

Overhead lines and wind

A long boom in a residential street can come close to overhead lines, and work near them is planned using the HSE’s guidance on avoiding danger from overhead power lines. Sheets and panels catch the wind, so the lift plan sets the limits for each lift from the maker’s figures. Our guide to crane wind speed limits goes through how those limits are set.

The lift plan

In Great Britain, regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) holds the employer responsible for every lift being planned by a competent person and supervised, light truck crane lifts included. The HSE’s guidance on planning lifting operations says the planning should be proportionate to the risks. Our guide What is a lift plan? lists what goes in one.

Hiring

Hiring a light truck crane

We supply light truck cranes with CPCS or NPORS carded operators, matched to the reach and loads on your job, and our lifts are planned to BS 7121.

Crane hire or contract lift

A crane hire gives you the crane and operator, and you plan and run the lifts yourself. On a contract lift our appointed person plans the job and writes the lift plan in house, and we carry out the lifts. Our guide to crane hire or a contract lift explains who is responsible for what.

How hire is priced

Crane hire is priced by the day or the week, with out-of-hours and public holiday work at a premium. Delivery and other one-off costs usually fall on the first day. Our guide to how much crane hire costs sets out what drives the price.

What we need to know

What you are lifting and how many lifts there are
The weight of the heaviest single load
Where the lorry can stand and how far and high the loads need to go
Whether the crane will stand on a public road or pavement
Anything overhead, such as power lines or trees

Questions

Common questions

How high can a light truck crane reach?

The largest light truck cranes reach well over 50 m. Klaas quotes hook heights from 34.5 m to 58.5 m across its range. Böcker gives a “working height jib” from 23.6 m to 38 m, with longer boom extension lengths. Capacity is low at full height, so the load and the height of each lift are planned together.

How much can a light truck crane lift?

Standard maximum loads run from about 1.5 t to 4.5 t across the Böcker and Klaas ranges, available only at short radius. At long reach it falls below half a tonne: a Böcker AK 46 lifts 250 kg at 38 m. Heavier single lifts call for a city crane or all-terrain crane.

What is the difference between a light truck crane and a loader crane?

The boom on a light truck crane is straight and telescopic, made for reaching high and far. A loader crane, also called a HIAB, has a folding knuckle boom rated in tonne-metres and carries its own load on the lorry bed, so its job is delivering loads and setting them down.

Can a light truck crane be used as an access platform?

Yes. Every Böcker truck crane can be converted into an aerial work platform without tools, using the Easy-Lock system. Böcker offers baskets from 200 kg to 600 kg depending on the model. Klaas cranes have a lifting platform mode too. The machine then works under the maker’s instructions for platform use.

Get a quote

Get a quote for light truck crane hire

Call us on 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk. Tell us the loads and where the lorry can stand, and we will recommend the right crane.

Find out more about our crane hire and contract lifting and lift and shift services. For roof work, see our cladding and roofing service.