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What a loader crane is
A loader crane is a folding, knuckle-boom crane mounted on a lorry, usually just behind the cab or at the rear of the bed. It carries a load on the lorry and lifts it off at the other end, so one vehicle does the delivery and the lift. In the UK it is often called a lorry loader or a HIAB, after one of the best-known makes.
In short
- A loader crane is a lorry-mounted crane with an articulated knuckle boom that folds away when not in use.
- It delivers and places loads in one visit: machinery, plant, cabins, steel and materials.
- Capacity is rated in tonne-metres, so the load it can lift falls as the reach increases.
- HIAB, Fassi and Palfinger are among the best-known makes.
We supply loader cranes for crane hire and contract lifting, and use them to deliver and place machinery. This guide explains how they work, what they can lift and when another crane is the better choice.
How a loader crane works
A loader crane is built to fold small for the road and unfold to lift where it is needed.
A knuckle boom
The boom is made of hinged sections that fold like an arm, with telescopic extensions in the outer boom. The joints let the crane reach over a wall, under a canopy or into a building, which a straight boom cannot do. HIAB and Fassi both describe their cranes as knuckle boom or articulated cranes.
Stabiliser legs
Before lifting, the lorry puts down stabiliser legs on each side to take the crane’s load. The legs have to be fully set on firm ground for the load chart to apply.
Attachments
Beyond a hook, loader cranes can use forks, grabs, rotators, winches and fly jibs for extra reach. The attachment changes the capacity, so it is part of the lift plan.
Remote control
Most modern loader cranes are operated by radio remote control, so the operator can stand where they can see the load and the landing position.
Loader crane capacity
Loader cranes are rated differently from most other cranes, and it helps to understand the number before comparing them.
Tonne-metres
A loader crane’s rating is its lifting moment in tonne-metres: the load multiplied by the distance from the crane. A crane rated at 20 tonne-metres, for example, can lift around 2 tonnes at 10 metres in the simplest terms. In practice the load chart for the specific crane and boom configuration sets the limits.
Range of sizes
Loader cranes range from small cranes on light lorries, used for building materials, up to large cranes on heavy multi-axle chassis that lift several tonnes at long reach.
Why reach matters
Because capacity falls with distance, how close the lorry can park to the landing position often decides whether a loader crane can do the job. Our guide What size crane do I need? explains how weight and reach decide the crane.
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Loader cranes compared with other cranes
A loader crane’s advantage is that it brings the load and lifts it. Other cranes win on height, reach and capacity.
Compared with a mobile crane
A mobile crane lifts much heavier loads at greater reach, but the load has to be delivered separately. For machines and plant within its capacity, a loader crane does the whole job with one vehicle. For heavier loads, see city cranes and all-terrain cranes.
Compared with a light truck crane
A light truck crane has a straight telescopic boom that reaches higher and further, which suits roof work. A loader crane’s knuckle boom is better at reaching around and under obstacles and placing loads at ground level. Our guide What is a light truck crane? covers those.
Where loader cranes are used
Loader cranes are the everyday tool for delivering heavy items that need lifting into place.
- Machinery delivery: lifting machines off the lorry and onto skates or into position. See machine delivery and installation.
- Machine moves and removals: loading equipment at one site and unloading it at another. See machine packaging and transport.
- Plant and building services: generators, tanks, transformers and air conditioning units.
- Cabins and containers: welfare units, site offices and storage containers.
- Construction materials: steel, precast units, pallets and bulk bags delivered to site.
What to plan for with a loader crane
A loader crane lift is usually quick, but the same planning applies as for any crane.
Where the lorry parks
The lorry needs to park close enough to the landing position for the crane’s capacity at that reach, with room to put down its stabiliser legs. On a public road, that may need permission from the highway authority or a lane closure.
Ground under the stabilisers
Stabiliser legs put concentrated loads into the ground. Soft verges, block paving and ground over drains or cellars are checked, and spreader mats used.
Overhead power lines
Loader cranes often work at delivery points in yards and streets with overhead lines. The HSE’s guidance on avoiding danger from overhead power lines sets out how work near them should be planned.
The lift plan and the operator
Under regulation 8 of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), every lifting operation must be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner. The HSE’s LOLER guidance explains what that means in practice. Loader crane operators are trained for the job, commonly through the industry’s ALLMI operator training.
Hiring a loader crane
We supply loader cranes with trained operators, and use them for machinery delivery, installation and transport. Our lifts are planned to BS 7121.
Crane hire or contract lift
You can hire the loader crane and operator and manage the lift yourself, or we can plan and carry out the whole job, including the transport, on a contract lift basis. Our guide to crane hire or a contract lift explains who is responsible for what under each.
What we need to know
- The weight and dimensions of the load, and where its lifting points are
- Where it is collected from and where it needs to be placed
- How close the lorry can park to the landing position
- Access to both sites, including any height, width or weight restrictions
Common questions
What is a HIAB?
HIAB is a manufacturer of loader cranes, and in the UK the name is often used for any lorry-mounted loader crane. Other well-known makes include Fassi and Palfinger.
How much can a loader crane lift?
It depends on the size of the crane and the reach. Loader cranes are rated in tonne-metres, so a crane lifts its most close to the lorry and much less at full reach. The load chart for the crane sets the limit for each lift.
What is the difference between a loader crane and a mobile crane?
A loader crane carries the load on its own lorry and lifts it off, while a mobile crane only lifts and the load arrives separately. Mobile cranes lift far heavier loads at greater reach.
Do loader crane operators need training?
Yes. Operators must be competent for the crane they use, and the industry’s recognised route is ALLMI operator training, which is refreshed every five years.
Do I need a lift plan for a loader crane?
Yes. LOLER requires every lifting operation to be planned by a competent person. On a contract lift we write the lift plan; on a crane hire, the hirer is responsible for planning the lift.
Get a quote for loader crane hire
Call us on 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk. Tell us what the load is, where it is going and how close the lorry can get, and we will recommend the right crane.
Find out more about our crane hire and contract lifting, machine delivery and installation and machine packaging and transport services.
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