Tight Is Normal Here

Perth's established suburbs were laid out long before anyone was craning spas into backyards. Narrow verges, low single-phase lines, mature gums and cars parked both sides are the standard conditions, not the exception. Most of the work we do is on blocks somebody assumed were too tight.

That said, some things genuinely stop a lift. It is worth knowing which is which before you book.

What Actually Stops a Job

Power Lines

This is the real one. A crane cannot operate under or too close to a live line. There are minimum approach distances and they exist because the consequences are severe. If a line runs directly over the only place the load can travel, the job does not go ahead in that configuration.

Sometimes there is another angle. Sometimes the truck can sit somewhere else. Occasionally the line can be temporarily covered or isolated by the network operator, which is a planned job rather than something arranged on the morning. What never happens is working under it anyway.

Nowhere Stable to Set Up

A crane truck lifts by putting its stabiliser legs down and taking the weight off the suspension. Those legs need firm, level ground. Soft sand, a steep camber, an unsupported retaining wall edge, or a service pit under the only flat spot are all genuine problems. Most are solvable with packing and repositioning, but they need to be known in advance.

Reach Beyond the Crane

Our crane reaches 8.0 metres, and capacity reduces the further out it goes. If the load has to land twelve metres from where the truck can park, that is not a crane truck job regardless of how light it is. It is a larger mobile crane job and we will say so.

What Only Looks Like a Problem

A Narrow Side Gate

People often assume the container, spa or shed has to fit through the side access. With a crane truck it does not. The load goes over the fence rather than through the gate, which is the entire reason the crane exists. A 900 millimetre side gate stops a trolley, not a crane.

A Blocked or Awkward Driveway

The truck frequently does not need to come onto your property at all. If it can park on the street within reach of the drop spot, your driveway can be full, sloped or under construction and it changes nothing.

A Small Front Yard

The crane needs clearance to swing, not a large working area on the ground. A modest front yard with clear airspace is usually fine. A big open yard under a power line is not.

A Long Backyard

Distance only matters relative to where the truck parks. A deep block can sometimes be worked from a rear laneway, a side street or a neighbour's frontage, which turns a twelve metre reach into a four metre one.

The One Photo That Answers It

Stand where you think the truck would park, usually the street outside your place, and take one photo looking toward where the load has to end up. Make sure the shot includes anything above head height.

That single photo shows us the run in, the fence or roof line to clear, the power lines, the trees, the ground the legs would sit on, and roughly how far the load has to travel. It answers in seconds what a list of measurements often cannot.

If the drop spot is not visible from the street, a second photo from the backyard looking back toward the house completes the picture.

What to Do Before the Day

  • Move your cars, and ask the neighbours to move theirs if the truck needs that frontage.
  • Open gates and unlock anything that needs to be open.
  • Clear the drop zone, including pot plants, bins and furniture.
  • Have the pad or base finished and ready if the load is landing on one.
  • Be there, or have someone there who can make a decision if something needs adjusting.

None of that is fussiness. Every one of those items is a common reason a job takes longer than it needed to, and time on site is what you are paying for.

Ask Before You Commit

If you are not sure whether your place works, ask before the spa, container or shed is bought and sitting in your driveway. Send a photo and we will tell you straight, including when the answer is that you need a bigger crane than ours.

See how crane truck hire works, or send your photo through for an answer today.