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What a mobile tower crane is
A mobile tower crane is a tower crane built onto a road-going mobile chassis. It drives to site like a mobile crane, unfolds its own tower and jib, and then lifts like a tower crane, with the load running out along a horizontal or raised jib. That lets it stand close to a building and reach a long way over it, which a telescopic mobile crane can only do at a much larger size.
In short
- A mobile tower crane combines a tower crane’s reach with a mobile crane’s quick arrival and set-up.
- It unfolds its tower and jib on site without an assist crane, then lifts with the load on a trolley along the jib.
- Jibs run up to about 60 metres. Capacity is highest close in and much lower at the jib tip.
- It suits lighter lifts that need long reach over a building, for days or weeks rather than months.
We supply mobile tower cranes with jibs of up to 60 metres for crane hire and contract lifting. The best-known makes are Spierings and Liebherr. This guide explains how the cranes work, when they beat other cranes and what to plan for.
How a mobile tower crane works
A mobile tower crane does the same job as a tower crane, but everything it needs travels with it.
A tower and jib that fold onto the chassis
For the road, the tower and jib fold down onto a multi-axle carrier. On site, the crane sets up on outriggers and unfolds itself hydraulically, with no assist crane and no separate ballast lorries. Spierings describes its mobile tower cranes as ready to lift within minutes of arriving in position.
Lifting from a trolley
Like a static tower crane, it carries the load on a trolley that runs along the jib. Because the tower is vertical, the crane can stand right against a building and place loads deep into it, over roofs, scaffolding and other obstructions.
A jib that can be raised
Many models can raise the jib to an angle for extra hook height when the job needs height more than reach. Liebherr’s MK mobile construction cranes offer several luffed jib positions for this.
Quiet, electric lifting
Both Spierings and Liebherr offer models that lift on mains electricity from the site supply, which keeps noise and exhaust down on urban and occupied sites.
Reach and capacity
A mobile tower crane is chosen for reach, not for heavy single lifts. Understanding how its capacity changes along the jib is the key to using one well.
Jib length
Mobile tower cranes come with jibs from around 40 metres up to about 60 metres. The longer the jib, the further back from the crane a load can be placed. We supply cranes with jibs of up to 60 metres.
Capacity along the jib
The maximum capacity, typically somewhere between 6 and 18 tonnes depending on the model, is only available close to the tower. At the jib tip the capacity is much lower, often around 2 tonnes. The lift plan checks every load against the load chart at the radius where it will be picked and placed.
Hook height
With the jib raised, hook heights can go well beyond the height of the tower. Where the lift goes high rather than far, the crane is set up with the jib luffed instead of flat.
For a single heavy lift, a mobile crane is usually the better tool. Our guide What size crane do I need? explains how weight and radius decide the crane.
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Mobile tower cranes compared with other cranes
A mobile tower crane sits between a telescopic mobile crane and a static tower crane, and takes something from each.
Compared with a mobile crane
A telescopic mobile crane lifts from an angled boom, so reaching deep over a building means a long boom at a shallow angle and a large crane. A mobile tower crane can stand close to the building and reach over it with a much smaller footprint. Our guides to all-terrain cranes and city cranes cover those machines.
Compared with a static tower crane
A static tower crane needs a foundation or base, an assist crane to erect it and weeks of planning, and it stays on site for the length of the build. A mobile tower crane needs none of that, so it suits jobs measured in days or weeks, or projects that need tower crane reach for a few phases only.
Where mobile tower cranes are used
Mobile tower cranes earn their place where loads have to travel a long way over a building or site, and there is no room or time for a static tower crane.
- Roof work: lifting materials, plant and roof sections over a building to the far side of the roof.
- Building and refurbishment: short construction phases, extensions and infill sites where a static tower crane is not justified.
- Steel and frame erection: placing lighter steel, timber frame and cladding panels across a structure. See steel erection and dismantling.
- Tight and occupied sites: town centres, schools and hospitals, where the crane has to stand in one corner and reach the whole site.
- Repeated lifts: many loads through a day, where the trolley’s precise placing speeds the work up.
What to plan for with a mobile tower crane
Most of the planning goes into where the crane stands, what it swings over and what it lifts at each radius.
Set-up position and ground
The crane needs a level position for its outriggers, with ground that can take the outrigger loads, and room to unfold the tower and jib. Buried services, cellars and backfilled ground under the pads are checked before the day, and spreader mats used to share the load.
Oversailing
With a long jib, the crane may swing over neighbouring property, public roads or railways. Oversailing someone else’s land or a highway needs permission, which can take time to arrange, so it is dealt with early in the plan.
Overhead power lines
A long jib on a busy site can come close to overhead lines. The HSE’s guidance on avoiding danger from overhead power lines sets out how work near them should be planned, and the lift plan fixes safe distances.
Wind and power
Wind limits depend on the crane, the jib configuration and the size of the load, so they are set in the lift plan and checked on the day. If the crane is to lift on site electricity, the supply needs to be confirmed in advance.
The lift plan
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, and the BS 7121 codes of practice cover the safe use of cranes.
Hiring a mobile tower crane
We supply mobile tower cranes with jibs of up to 60 metres, matched to the reach, the loads and the site. Every crane comes with a trained, carded operator, and our lifts are planned to BS 7121.
Crane hire or contract lift
You can hire the crane and operator and manage the lifts yourself, or we can plan and carry out the whole job 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 heaviest load, and the furthest radius it has to be lifted at
- Where the crane can stand, and a site plan or drawing if you have one
- What the jib will swing over, including neighbouring property and roads
- How long you need the crane and how many lifts a day
Common questions
How far can a mobile tower crane reach?
Mobile tower cranes have jibs from around 40 metres up to about 60 metres, and we supply them up to 60 metres. The capacity at that reach is much lower than close to the tower, so the furthest load decides the crane.
How much can a mobile tower crane lift?
Maximum capacities are typically between 6 and 18 tonnes depending on the model, available only close to the tower. At the jib tip, capacity is often around 2 tonnes, so every lift is checked against the load chart.
How long does a mobile tower crane take to set up?
Once in position, the crane unfolds itself without an assist crane, and manufacturers such as Spierings quote a set-up time of minutes rather than hours. The site preparation and permissions around it take longer, so they are planned ahead.
What is the difference between a mobile tower crane and a tower crane?
A static tower crane is erected on a foundation with an assist crane and stays for the length of a project. A mobile tower crane drives in, unfolds itself and leaves when the job is done, giving tower crane reach for shorter jobs.
Do I need a lift plan for a mobile tower 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 lifts.
Get a quote for mobile tower crane hire
Call us on 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk. Tell us the heaviest load, how far it needs to reach and where the crane can stand, and we will recommend the right crane.
Find out more about our crane hire and contract lifting, steel erection and dismantling and lift and shift services.
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