When the ground is soft, the programme is long, or the picks are too heavy for a mobile crane, a crawler is the answer. Tracks spread the weight, it travels rigged, and it holds capacity where wheeled cranes run out.
A crawler crane runs on tracks instead of wheels. The tracks spread the machine’s weight over a much larger footprint, so it works on ground that would sink a wheeled crane, and it can travel around a site with the boom rigged and a load on the hook — no packing up between picks.
The trade-off is mobilisation. A crawler is floated in on a low loader and assembled on site, We supply crawler cranes across Australia in metro and regional areas . Wet hire only, and we handle the transport and permits to get it there.
Structural steel and precast over an extended build programme, lifting from a position that moves as the structure goes up.
Bridge beams, culverts, piling support and drainage structures — frequently on unmade ground.
Tanks, vessels, silos and large mechanical assemblies where the pick is heavy and the radius is long.
Tower sections and headframe work, including the specialised tower work we already do across Victoria.
Panel erection to line and level over days or weeks rather than a single visit.
Component handling on regional sites where ground conditions and reach both rule out wheeled cranes.
| Your situation | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Soft, unproven or filled ground; wet sites; sites where outrigger point loads are a problem | Crawler crane | Tracks distribute weight over a far larger area. Often no matting needed where a mobile crane would need a lot of it. |
| Weeks or months of lifting from a changing position | Crawler crane | Travels rigged between picks. No set-up and pack-down cycle, so more of the day is lifting. |
| Heavy picks at long radius, tall structures | Crawler crane | Holds capacity further out than wheeled cranes of comparable rating, with longer boom options. |
| A single lift, or a few hours’ work | Mobile slew crane | Drives on, sets up on outriggers, lifts and leaves. Mobilising a crawler for a short job rarely stacks up. |
| Load has to be delivered as well as placed | Crane truck | Crane and transport in one vehicle. |
| Move loads around a tight site under load | Franna | Small footprint, drives while loaded, no outriggers. |
If you are not sure which side of that line your job falls on, ring 0419 150 698. The honest answer is often a mobile crane, and we would rather tell you that than mobilise a crawler you did not need.
Give Roy a call to organise your crawler crane lift or to discuss if a crawler crane is right for your job.
Tell us about your project — We’ll work out how we can get it done for you.
Ground bearing capacity, access route, assembly area and swing clearances. This one is not optional — a crawler cannot be squeezed in on the day.
Depending on the size of the crane, the crane, boom sections and counterweight arrive on low loaders. Oversize movements are permitted through VicRoads and we coordinate the escorts where they are needed.
Tracks, boom and counterweight assembled if required, and the machine commissioned on site, usually with an assist crane.
The crane works through the programme, tracking between positions as required, within the load chart for its configuration.
Crawler cranes are supplied with a licensed operator and the crew the lift requires — dogman, rigger, and an electrical spotter where the work is near powerlines. We do not offer dry hire on any crane.
Crawler set-up, ground assessment and load-chart configuration are specialist judgements. They belong with the operator, not the customer.
One number for the crane, the crew, the transport and the permits. One invoice at the end.
Operator licence, crane insurance and crew tickets all verified and lining up before the machine is floated in.
Not sure? That’s what the free site inspection is for. We’ll tell you honestly which one fits — even if it’s not the option you rang about.
Crawler cranes are quoted as a package rather than a straight hourly rate, because mobilisation, assembly, the working period and demobilisation are all separate cost components. Send the programme length, the heaviest pick, the radius and the site address and we will price the whole job.
No. Every crane we supply is wet hire, with a licensed operator and the crew the lift needs. With a crawler in particular, ground assessment, assembly and load-chart configuration are specialist calls that should sit with the operator.
Longer than a mobile crane, and the site assessment comes first. Transport has to be booked, oversize movements permitted, and assembly scheduled — often with an assist crane. Talk to us early on any crawler job.
Better than any wheeled crane, which is often the reason one is chosen. Tracks spread the machine’s weight over a much larger footprint than outrigger pads. “Better” is not “unlimited” though — ground bearing capacity still gets assessed, and very soft or filled ground may still need track matting or a prepared pad.
Yes, within the load chart for the configuration. Travelling rigged is one of the main advantages on a long programme, because it removes the set-up and pack-down cycle between lift positions.
Yes. The crane, boom sections and counterweight all need low-loader transport, and oversize movements need a VicRoads permit. That is arranged as part of the job — see Heavy Haulage and Permits & Planning.
