Used rough terrain cranes

Rough terrain cranes are site machines: four-wheel drive, four-wheel steer, compact, and built to move around unfinished ground under their own power. They are not road legal, so they arrive on a lowbed and stay.

Where they fit

Single-site work of medium duration where the crane needs to reposition frequently across rough ground — industrial construction, plant maintenance, yard work and general site lifting. Their compact footprint and four-wheel steer make them manoeuvrable where a larger all-terrain machine cannot get in.

The transport consideration

Because they cannot travel on public roads, every move costs a lowbed. That makes them cost-effective on sustained single-site work and expensive on dispersed jobs. If your work pattern involves frequent relocation between sites, an all-terrain machine will cost less overall despite a higher purchase price.

Inspection

Boom extension and retraction through the full range, watching for hesitation and uneven telescoping. Wire rope and its certification. Outriggers and pads, and the levelling system. Slew ring. Load moment indicator and safety systems, tested. Four-wheel drive and steering functions — check all steering modes operate, since the crab and coordinated steer modes are what make the machine useful and they are frequently faulty on used units. Tyres, which are large and expensive.