The Advantages of Crane Hire in Sydney

If you’re doing any kind of construction, engineering or industrial project in Sydney, you’ll know about the challenges of handling loads. Not only will you have a vast range of things to move, lift and position, but you’ll probably have to do it on sites that resemble mazes, obstacle courses or a frightening mix of both. With these issues come two truly critical challenges – threats to both your safety and your productivity. If you don't have the right equipment, manoeuvring around your site can be extremely dangerous, staggeringly expensive and incredibly inefficient. Even relatively small buildings sites will involve a lot of movement of people, materials and equipment and all these moves must be safe and efficient. To keep your budget in the black, your project on track and your site staff safe, consider hiring a crane for your next project in Sydney.


Cranes Make a Big Difference on Any Job

Cranes can make a huge difference when it comes to efficiency and safety on the worksite. Modern cranes and tight access cranes can move tons of materials very quickly. They are also fast and accurate when it comes to positioning a load – this can minimise the time it takes to place large pipes, move the materials for an apartment block, and much more. Your selection of crane(s) offers you the chance to solve all your handling issues. You can hire a crane for your job to reduce your expenses, increase your manpower and accelerate your schedule. Cranes also solve many safety problems related to manual labour and, as long as they're respected on the worksite, they can increase your safety when moving and placing materials.

Make the Most of the Crane Hire Consultation Process

When you hire a crane, make sure you get the model that will work best for your site. Crane experts can take one look at your site and find the perfect solutions for things like boom length, the radius of the crane lift and carry, and more. Crane hire experts can also solve your movement issues. Having problems with simply getting loads onsite? Experiencing local traffic issues? Your crane hire experts know how to deal with these problems. Finally, your crane hire expert can also help you with your usual access issues. If your site seems claustrophobic and difficult to access, a Franna crane might be the perfect solution. If you're working on rough terrain, steep slopes, soils or low-lying land, your expert can recommend the best machine for those tasks, too. The right choice of crane eliminates your handling issues. Whether you need to move all the materials for an apartment block or build a new mansion on top of a cliff, your crane can do it. You can stay on schedule, stay safe and avoid delays caused by site problems.

Ask Us about Crane Hire in Sydney

St George Cranes are your local one stop shop for mobile crane hire in Sydney. Contact us online or by phone on 02 9546 6680. We can help you with crane selection, technical matters, and much more.

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Date posted: 2017-04-12 | Comments(0)


A Brief Introduction to Our Cranes

Cranes are used for an incredibly diverse range of jobs every day, from construction to infrastructure to every kind of heavy lifting imaginable. To manage every type of job, you need a diverse collection of cranes and that’s whereSt George Cranes comes in.

Our collection of cranes can do the job, whether that means tight access, rough terrain or heavily lifting. With such a diverse client base and so many jobs and worksites around, we’ve evolved our range of mobile cranes to go anywhere and complete any job.

We have crawler cranes, Franna cranes and heavy lifters available. To learn more about our range, explore our overview below.

The Great Crane Overview

Our range of mobile cranes reflects our work:

· 3T Crawler Crane: This crane is perfect on any construction site and it’s extremely versatile, too. The 3T Crawler Crane is a good space manager – it can manage heavy loads in almost any position and any environment.

· 10T City Crane: This crane is called a “rough terrain” crane for a good reason. It’s designed to go anywhere and deliver high productivity in all types of terrain. Variable boom options mean it can work with an impressive reach. You’ll almost certainly have seen one of our cranes on the job, working hard around Sydney.

· 20T City Crane: The big brother of the 10T crane, this is a very maneuverable heavy lifter with high load capacity and good onsite manoeuvrability. If you need a heavy load handled quickly and efficiently on a difficult site, this is your one-stop solution.

· 15T Franna Crane: Franna cranes are famous for their toughness and versatile “pick and carry” capabilities. They’re designed to manage loads over distances in any terrain and deliver excellent load capacity on any site. We use Franna cranes because they’re extremely good at their jobs and better suited to some roles and sites.

· 20T Franna Crane: A larger and highly agile Franna crane, the 20T is a good all-rounder when you’re dealing with a mix of heavy and other loads. It can do anything onsite and, like all Franna cranes, it has that added carrying capacity, which makes it invaluable.

· 55T Crane: The Godzilla of cranes, this machine is able to do any job that needs doing. It's ideal for jobs where you're dealing with load carriage, offloading large quantities of materials, and handling heavyweight objects. These heavy lifters are highly regarded by engineers and construction professionals as productive lifters and movers.

Find the Best Mobile Crane Hire in Sydney

If you’d like to find out more about our cranes or you’re looking for a top quality mobile crane for your job, talk to our experts. We can help you with technical details, onsite issues, and any guidance you need.Contact us online or by phone on 02 9546 6680. We’re happy to assist.

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Date posted: 2017-02-15 | Comments(0)


How to Select the Right Crane for the Job

Cranes are designed to lift and move items from one point to another, but not all cranes perform the same operations. The key to completing your job safely, quickly, and efficiently is finding the right crane. Let's take a closer look at that now.

Finding a Crane for Your Application

1. Narrow Lifters

A narrow lifter is a platform that helps you reach areas that are high. If you need to attend to lighting or wiring issues in places with limited access, use a narrow lifter. Because it’s narrow in width, it fits into smaller spaces and gives you a secure platform to stand on.

A cantilever system is a better version of a narrow lifter. The only difference between the two is that the cantilever system comes with several safety features.

2. Floor Cranes

Floor cranes transport heavy objects like building materials. They’re perfect for lifting objects at construction sites. Floor cranes have hydraulic mechanisms and can move or store them without too much effort. You can lift items weighing up to 2000 kilos with a heavy duty floor crane.

3. Mini Crawler Cranes

If you want to construct a small shed, install windows or move a swimming pool, a mini crawler crane may be a good option. These cranes are compact. They fit through narrow door openings and help you do the job, safely and accurately. You can also use them with a glass handling attachment to lift and transport glass safely.

4. Tower Cranes

If you’ve ever passed by a building construction site, you’ve probably seen a tower crane. These cranes reach a height of approximately 265 meters and they generally have a maximum reach of 70 meters.

The crane comprises of three parts; the base, the tower, and the slewing unit. Since these cranes can lift a maximum load of 18 metric tonnes, they're the perfect option for lifting all types of building materials.

5. Gantry Cranes

Gantry cranes are also known as portal cranes. They lift very heavy loads and they’re perfect for loading and unloading shipping containers.

The term gantry crane is also used to describe overhead cranes. You will have to fix these overhead cranes to the wall or the ceiling to perform operations. They come with a movable hoist.


Each crane performs different functions and has its own benefits. Review your requirements and the work environment before making a choice. 

Crane Rental in Sutherland and Beyond

If you’re looking for cranes for hire in Sydney, visit St. George Cranes. With more than 25 years of industry experience, we can find the perfect machine for your projects quickly.

We have a wide selection of mobile cranes, ranging from 3 to 300 tonnes and they are all safe and reliable.

   Whether you need tower cranes or tight access cranes, give us a call on 02 9546 6680. We’ll help you find the right crane for your application.

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Date posted: 2017-01-12 | Comments(0)


Things to Consider when Choosing a Crane

Choosing a crane is a big decision and it involves a lot of other smaller decisions. What are you using your crane for? What sort of crane do you need? Where will it be located on your worksite?


To guide you through the process of choosing a crane, we have compiled some of the most important factors you need to consider.

Factors to Consider:

  1. The type of application
  2. The construction or manufacturing environment
  3. The physical limitations of the worksite
  4. The lifting capacity of the crane
  5. The reliability of the crane
  6. The cost of the crane
  7. The type of tower crane foundation selected
  8. The size of the worksite
  9. The location and the position of the crane

Types of Cranes


Cranes come in various types. You can choose from freestanding jib cranes, mobile cranes, monorail cranes, and gantry cranes.

Tower Cranes


Tower cranes are the ones most popularly used in the construction of tall buildings. Site engineers have to secure tower cranes to the ground before carrying out operations. These cranes have the ability to lift up to 20 tonnes and they can reach a maximum height of 265 feet. 

Mobile Cranes

Mobile cranes travel across different surfaces and you can design them to travel on both paved and unpaved surfaces. They’re ideal for earthmoving projects because you can use them on uneven terrain.

Truck mounted movable cranes feature outrigger pads for increased stability. These cranes are ideal for construction jobs, the transportation of materials and machine parts, railroad work, and landscaping projects.

Monorail Cranes


Monorail cranes allow you to transport items along a straight line. You could either have a freestanding monorail crane or you could mount it on a roof.If you need to transport things from one end to another, a monorail crane may be the perfect choice for you.

Gantry Cranes


Gantry cranes are similar to monorail cranes. The only difference is that they cover a wide work area in comparison to monorail cranes.An overhead gantry crane is generally fixed to the ceiling of the building and the hoist travels across a series of overhead rails. This type of crane is ideal for loading containers onto cargo ships and trains.

Other Important Considerations
When choosing a crane, look at the dimensions and weight of the loads in relation to the manufacturer’s crane capacity chart.Also find out whether your crane will have a detrimental impact on the other cranes working in the vicinity. Choose a good location to install your crane (if you’re using a fixed crane), and make sure it won’t interfere with neighbouring structures.

Rent a Crane Today

If you’re not sure which crane is right for your application, talk to the experts at St. George Cranes. We have a team of professional crane operators and dogmen. You can choose from our range of freestanding, mobile or tight access cranes in Sydney.Give us a call on (02) 9546 6680 to discuss your requirements or request a quote.

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Date posted: 2016-12-09 | Comments(0)


What You Need to Know about Boom Deflection

Have you noticed your crane bending when it’s carrying a heavy load? If you have, then you have witnessed boom deflection.

Said simply, boom deflection is the bending of a crane’s boom when carrying a load. It most commonly occurs in hydraulic cranes and it perfectly safe as long as it meets the manufacturer’s limits. If the deflection exceeds the manufacturer’s specified upper limit, the load may roll off and cause serious injury.

Let’s learn a little bit more about boom deflection and the role it plays in crane operation.

What Causes Boom Deflection?

A boom is not rigid; it bends to a certain degree after absorbing loading forces. The speed of the wind and changes in atmospheric pressure can have a direct impact on boom deflection. The further away the boom moves from the tower while carrying a load, the greater the deflection.

How to Calculate Deflection for Workstation Bridge Cranes

To calculate deflection for workstation bridge cranes, look up the manufacturer's specified deflection limit and divide it by the length of the bridge. Calculate the length of the bridge in inches. You can use the same formula to measure deflection for steel and aluminium gantries.

The deflection limit for steel gantries is usually higher than that of aluminium. Check the manufacturer’s installation manual to obtain the right figures.

Once you take deflection into account, you’ll know the capacity of your crane.

He: Boom Deflection and Shock Loads

When a crane picks up loads attached to the ground, the compression load increases. This could break the boom or cause crane failure. Sometimes the load may suddenly come off the ground and cause a shock load. The shock load will break the structure of the crane and cause serious damage. If you’re trying to lift poles or objects that are partially buried under the ground, make sure you dig out the soil around the object before lifting the load.

The soil that surrounds buried objects helps to secure the object in place. This increases the weight of the load.

If the load is attached to a concrete base, you will have to detach the object from the base. If this is not possible, calculate the weight of the concrete together with the weight of the object before lifting the load.

Tips for Crane Operators

Booms are not meant to be rigid. They have to bend to a certain degree so they don’t snap when lifting heavy loads. One thing you must remember to not use the crane’s horizontal swing to pull out objects buried under the soil. You should only use the swing function to transport freely suspended objects.

Always refer to the load chart capacity before lifting loads. If you exceed the limits specified, you will damage various components of the crane.

Finding the Right Cranes for Hire in Sydney

If you’re looking for tower cranes, gantries or tight access cranes in Sydney, visit St. George Cranes. We have a team of dedicated staff members who will help you in your selection.

Whether you need crane rental in Sutherland, Bankstown or Canterbury, we'll offer you high-quality machines that are safe and reliable.

Call us on 02 9546 6680 for a free quote or visit us online to learn more about our mobile cranes for hire.

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Date posted: 2016-11-11 | Comments(0)