What Is a Spider Crane?

Below we compare spider crane sizes from two makers and explain how the floor and access are planned for a lift.

Overview

What a spider crane is

A spider crane is a compact crane on rubber tracks that lifts from four fold-out outrigger legs, which give it its spider-like shape. The smallest models are narrow enough to pass through a single doorway and ride in a goods lift, so it can lift inside buildings and on roofs where a wheeled crane cannot set up.

In short

Makers sell the same machine as a spider crane or a mini crane.
Across the Maeda and Hoeflon ranges, maximum capacities run from under 1 t to 9 t, and lifting heights from about 5 m to over 30 m with a jib.
The crane’s weight and its outrigger loads go into the floor, so the floor and the access are checked before a crane is picked.
Charging supplies vary by model, so check what the site can provide: Hoeflon’s C1e Gen 2 charges from 110 V or 230 V, and its C30e from 230 V up to 400 V.

We supply spider cranes up to 10 t, including Maeda and Hoeflon models, for crane hire and contract lifting, with CPCS or NPORS carded operators.

How it works

How a spider crane works

A spider crane drives on its tracks to the lift and then stands on its legs to lift.

Tracks and remote control

The crane travels on rubber crawler tracks, and on the narrowest models the body is about 600 mm wide. Makers such as Maeda offer a remote control with a micro-speed mode for precision work, so the operator can stand clear of the load with a good view of it.

Fold-out outriggers

Four outriggers swing out from the body and lower to level the crane and spread its weight. On Hoeflon’s C30e the outriggers are hydraulically adjustable, so the crane can be set up in the best position, and the legs can make up a height difference of up to 1.6 m on uneven ground.

Boom and jib

The boom extends to give the crane its height and reach. Maeda offers a fly jib, a short extension fitted to the boom tip for extra height. It also offers a searcher hook, which it says lets the crane reach its full height where headroom is limited and is often used for glazing.

Electric power

Hoeflon builds its mini crane range as fully electric machines with zero emissions. Maeda offers an optional electric motor for clean work indoors and sells a separate range of battery cranes.

Sizes

Spider crane sizes and capacities

Maeda and Hoeflon build spider cranes from under 1 t to 9 t maximum capacity, and the table sets named models from each maker side by side.

Size	Example	Maximum capacity	Maximum lifting height
Small	Hoeflon C1e Gen 2	750 kg	6.3 m with options
Small	Maeda MC104C	995 kg at 1.1 m radius	5.5 m
Medium	Maeda MC285C	2.82 t at 1.4 m radius	8.7 m
Medium	Hoeflon C10e	4 t	22 m with jib
Large	Maeda MC815C	8.09 t at 2.4 m radius	19.6 m
Large	Hoeflon C30eL	7 t	30.5 m with jib
Large	Hoeflon C30e	9 t	22 m with jib

These are the makers’ own published figures, given as examples. Maeda states each maximum capacity at a set radius and each height without a jib; Hoeflon gives the maximum capacity alone, and its heights include the jib or options. For any real lift, the figure that counts comes from the load chart of the crane on the job.

Small spider cranes

The smallest models lift up to about 1 t. Hoeflon’s C1e Gen 2 lifts 750 kg and has a transport weight of 970 kg. Hoeflon says it can be taken up in a lift and is compact enough to fit inside a van.

Mid-size spider cranes

Cranes of 2 t to 4 t sit in the middle of the range. Hoeflon rates its C10e at 4 t maximum and gives a lifting height of 22 m with its jib.

The largest spider cranes

The 7 t to 9 t models are wider and much heavier. Hoeflon’s C30e is 1.17 m wide and weighs up to 8.7 t with options, so it needs a bigger opening and a floor that can take that weight before it lifts anything.

Capacity falls quickly with reach. On Hoeflon’s C30e it drops from 9 t close in to 380 kg at maximum outreach. What size crane do I need? explains how weight and radius decide the crane, and our guide on how to read a crane load chart shows where to find the figure for your lift.

Compared

Spider cranes compared with other cranes

Each compact crane works from a different kind of standing.

Compared with a pick and carry crane

Both work indoors. A spider crane does almost all its lifting from its outriggers, set up in one place, while a pick and carry crane takes the load on its wheels and can drive with it on the hook. Our guide What is a pick and carry crane? describes the wheeled type.

Compared with a city crane or light truck crane

A city crane lifts more and reaches further. A light truck crane carries lighter loads to a longer reach, and both work from the road or the yard over or into the building. A spider crane can be driven inside or set on a roof by a bigger crane, and then lift where the load is needed. Read What is a city crane? for compact road cranes and What is a light truck crane? for lorry-mounted booms.

Uses

What a spider crane is used for

Spider cranes take on the lifts a larger crane cannot reach because the building is in the way.

Glazing and curtain walling: placing glass panels from inside a building or from its roof.
Steel inside buildings: placing beams and structural steel under an existing roof. We handle it through our steel erection and dismantling service.
Plant installation: setting heavy plant into position, the kind of work described in lifting chillers and AHUs.
Roof work: lifted up to a roof by a larger crane or a service lift, then used to handle materials there.
Machinery and factories: installing equipment in factories and power plants, as part of machine delivery and installation.

Planning

Planning a spider crane lift

A spider crane lift inside or on top of a building makes the building’s floors and openings part of the plan.

Floor and ground loading

Each outrigger puts a concentrated load into the surface beneath it, and mats or spreader plates share the load. On a contract lift we submit the outrigger loads with our mat and ground bearing pressure calculations, and the site’s own competent person confirms the ground is suitable. On a suspended floor or a roof, what the structure can carry has to be confirmed before the crane goes on it. Our guide to outrigger mats deals with how mats spread the load.

The access route

Measure every doorway and corridor on the way in, and any goods lift or ramp the crane will use. The floor along the route also has to carry the crane’s own weight on its tracks.

Vacuum lifters and attachments

In Great Britain, LOLER counts a vacuum lifter or any other accessory for lifting as lifting equipment. Regulation 9 of LOLER requires it to be thoroughly examined before first use, with some exceptions, and at least every 6 months where it is exposed to conditions that cause deterioration, unless an examination scheme sets the intervals. Our glass lifting guide covers vacuum lifters in detail.

The lift plan

In Great Britain, regulation 8 of LOLER places the duty on the employer to make sure every lift is properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out in a safe manner. On a contract lift, the lift plan comes from our own appointed person, the role set out in BS 7121-1. What is a lift plan? walks through what goes into one.

Hiring

Hiring a spider crane

We match the spider crane to the load and the access, and our lifts are planned to BS 7121.

Crane hire or contract lift

On crane hire you take the crane and operator and manage the lifts yourself. On a contract lift we plan and carry out the whole job. Crane hire or contract lift: what is the difference? explains who is responsible for what under each.

How the hire is priced

We price crane hire by the day or the week, and delivery and collection are usually charged on the first day. How much does crane hire cost? goes through what moves the price.

What we need to know

The weight and size of the heaviest load, and how far and high it has to go
The access route, with door widths, heights and any lifts or ramps
What the crane will stand on, especially suspended floors and roofs
Any glass lifting equipment or other attachments needed

Questions

Common questions

What is a spider crane used for?

A spider crane is used where a wheeled crane has no room to set up or cannot reach the load, such as within a finished building or up on its roof. Glaziers use spider cranes to place glass panels and curtain walling, and they also install steelwork and factory machinery in spaces that a mobile crane cannot get near.

What weight can a spider crane lift?

In the Maeda and Hoeflon ranges, spider cranes lift from under 1 t on the smallest models to 9 t on the largest. Those maximums apply only close in. Hoeflon rates its 9 t C30e at 380 kg at full outreach, so what a spider crane can lift depends on how far out the load has to go.

Can spider cranes pick and carry?

Some larger models can. Hoeflon says its C30e can drive while carrying a load, and Maeda gives its MC815C a pick and carry rating of 1,000 kg. A spider crane without that function lifts only from its outriggers. For a load that travels across a floor, a pick and carry crane lifts on its wheels and drives with it.

Is a spider crane the same as a mini crane or a crawler crane?

A spider crane and a mini crane are the same machine: Hoeflon sells its range as mini cranes, and Maeda sells spider cranes and calls its battery models mini cranes. A spider crane runs on crawler tracks, but crawler cranes on large sites are far bigger machines, usually with a lattice boom, that lift on their tracks without outriggers.

Can a spider crane fit through a door?

The smallest spider cranes fit through a single doorway. Maeda says its smaller models can travel through a standard single door, and its MC104C is 600 mm wide. The largest are much wider: Hoeflon’s 9 t C30e is 1.17 m across and Maeda’s MC815C 1.67 m, so they need a far bigger opening into the building.

Can a spider crane work indoors?

Yes. Electric and battery models produce no exhaust fumes, so they can lift inside a building. Every Hoeflon mini crane is electric, and Maeda offers an electric motor and battery cranes. Indoors, the floor has to carry the crane on its tracks and the loads under its outriggers, and both are checked before the crane goes in.

How high can a spider crane lift?

Lifting heights run from about 5 m on the smallest models to over 30 m on the tallest. Maeda gives 5.5 m for its MC104C, and Hoeflon gives 30.5 m for its C30eL with the jib fitted. Maeda’s MC815C reaches 19.6 m on its boom and 25.5 m with a fly jib.

Do I need a lift plan for a spider crane?

Yes. In Great Britain, LOLER regulation 8 requires employers to have every lift, a spider crane lift included, planned by a competent person. On a contract lift our appointed person prepares the plan, in house. On crane hire, the hirer is responsible for planning the lifts.

Get a quote

Get a quote for spider crane hire

Call us on 0800 008 6096 or email office@synergy-lifting.co.uk. Send us the weight of the load and the route it has to take into the building, and we will come back with the crane and method we would use.

Our crane hire and contract lifting page lists the cranes we supply, and machine delivery and installation is the service for moving plant into buildings.