Crane Hire Services

Ultimately this comes down to whether you have a qualified appointed person to plan and manage your crane hire as well as the required personnel to work alongside our crane and operator.  If you do, then a standard CPA crane hire is more affordable, but we will need to see a copy of your Lift Plan and appointed persons credentials before commencing work.  We always hire out our cranes with one of our operators, so the minimum hire service you will need from us is a standard CPA crane hire.

However, if you don’t have this qualified personnel, or the insurances to cover the hire of the crane and operator, you will need to hire us on a CPA Contract Lift basis.

Legal responsibility could also be a reason to choose contract lifting over a standard crane hire, even if you do have qualified personnel who could plan the lift.  With CPA contract lifting, most legal conditions apply to the hire firm, so it significantly reduces your responsibilities and potential stress in managing the crane service.

If you are qualified to hire a crane and operator from us, then it is your responsibility to determine what size crane you require.   In contrast, if you book us on a contract lift basis, we will visit and survey the job and determine what size crane you need.  

In summary, if you are new to mobile crane hire, please rest assured that we can assist you throughout the process and that we have a wide range of cranes available to ensure we can get the job done for you.

The insurance you need will depend on the type of crane hire your book, whether it be a CPA standard crane hire or a CPA contract lift.

With a CPA standard hire, in most cases, you will need to ensure that you have adequately hired in-plant insurance to cover the value of our crane and adequate liability insurance to cover the lift itself. In some instances, we can add a percentage to our hire cost to cover the hired-in-plant insurance element for you, but you would still need to ensure you have adequate liability insurance.

With a CPA contract lift, A-Lift Crane Hire provides the insurance coverage. Our standard cover includes £25,000 for the goods being lifted on the hook, along with £5 million public liability insurance and £10 million employers liability insurance.  However, if the goods being lifted are worth more than £25,000, we can supply additional insurance to ensure the full value of the load is covered.  It is your responsibility to give us an accurate indication of the value of the load when you book a contract lift crane hire with us, to ensure this is covered sufficiently.

Excesses and exclusions apply to all insurances, so it is always important to ensure that you are fully familiar with the requirements and responsibilities of the particular type of hire you have. Copies of the CPA Standard crane hire terms and conditions can be found on our website’s Crane Hire Services page, as can a copy of the CPA Contract Lift terms and conditions of hire.

NOTE: Under a contract lift, the customer does still retain certain liabilities and should ensure that adequate insurance is in place to cover:

Own negligence.

Inadequate or unstable ground.

Inadequate/incorrect information supplied in connection with loads or sites.

The minimum hire period A-Lift Crane Hire will quote for is up to 4 hours on site (half day); therefore, it is impossible to provide an hourly cost. Other crane hire companies may have a minimum day rate hire period.

If a crane lift takes longer to complete than the allotted on-site time, an hourly rate would be charged after that initial hire period. However, we cannot guarantee that a crane will be able to remain on site after its booked time, especially if a shorter hire period has been opted for against our advice.

There isn’t a fixed price per hour for a crane because this will depend on the size of crane required and whether any additional personnel or equipment are involved in the hire, plus whether the crane is being hired outside standard working hours e.g during the weekend or at night.

Hot tubs and swim spas can weigh anywhere from a few hundred kilos to 2 tonnes, making them difficult to move without proper equipment, particularly if there is no clear access from the road to the area in the garden where they will be situated.  This is where mobile cranes come in handy.  

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that lifting a hot tub with a mobile crane is not a job for amateurs. It requires careful planning and execution and specialised equipment and skilled crane personnel to ensure that the lift is safe and successful.  Therefore, it’s always recommended to hire a professional crane service that has experience in lifting hot tubs.  Look no further than A-Lift Crane Hire for this service – we regularly carry out hot tub lifts throughout our areas of operation and work alongside many of the main hot tub retailers, having many very satisfied customers as a result.  Please have a look at our many Google reviews to see the positive feedback we have received.

The first step in lifting a hot tub with a mobile crane is to assess the area where the hot tub or swim spa will be located and the area where they will be lifted from.  They often need to be lifted over obstacles such as trees, buildings, and fences to reach their final destination. Using a mobile crane is a safe and efficient way to move the hot tub if no alternative means is possible, since it allows the hot tub to be lifted over any obstacles and lowered directly into place. Trying to move a hot tub without a mobile crane in these circumstances can be dangerous and can potentially cause damage to the hot tub, the property, and even the people involved.

To assess the lift, one of our qualified Appointed Persons will visit the property to carry out a free survey and will examine the lift areas to make sure that there is enough space to manoeuvre the crane, and that there are no obstacles in the way. The ground needs to be stable and able to support the weight of the crane and the hot tub.  Ground support pads can be supplied to protect the ground and reduce the load bearing weight of the crane.   When choosing a mobile crane for lifting the hot tub or swim spa, it is obviously crucial to ensure that the crane is capable of lifting the weight of the load and to determine the radius between where the crane will be able to set up and where the load is required to be positioned.  The crane must be large enough to lift the hot tub, but not so large that it damages the property or is difficult to manoeuvre in tight spaces.  It’s also important to check for any overhead power lines or obstacles in place that may hinder the crane’s movement.

Before the crane arrives you will need to prepare the site where the hot tub or spa will be landed.  Make sure there is a level and stable surface for the hot tub and clear away any obstables, where possible, that may get in the way of the crane. Also communicate clearly with the crane company to ensure they understand where the hot tub is to be placed. 

On arrival to carry out the job, the crane operator will set up the crane in a safe and stable location following the Appointed Persons lift plan, typically on the street or driveway depending upon the particular circumstances of the job. The crane will need to be set up on outriggers or pads to ensure stability and prevent it from tipping over during the lift and the area cordoned off.  If necessary, a partial road closure may have to have been applied for from the local authority in advance of the lift; this would be the case where the crane cannot be set up without blocking the highway.

Once the crane is set up, the slinger-signaller will attach lifting straps or chains to the hot tub, along with tag lines.  The straps or chains will need to be securely fastened to the hot tub to prevent it from slipping or falling during the lift. The crane operator will then use the crane to slowly lift the hot tub off the ground.

It’s important to note that lifting a hot tub with a mobile crane can be a delicate process. The crane operator will need to be precise and cautious when moving the hot tub to prevent any damage or accidents. Once the hot tub is lifted off the ground, it may need to be rotated or moved in a particular direction to reach the desired location. The crane operator will carefully move the hot tub to its new location and then lower it back down to the ground where it can be manoeuvred in to position and the slings removed.

In conclusion, lifting a hot tub with a mobile crane is a job that should only be done by professionals.  It’s important to hire a crane service such as A-Lift that has experience lifting hot tubs and that can ensure a safe and successful lift.  With the right equipment and skilled operators, a mobile crane can make lifting and moving hot tubs a relatively easy process, allowing you to enjoy your new tub, swimspa or pool within no time.