There are times when renting a crane is necessary, and it can be smart to rent one instead of investing in one of these heavy pieces of equipment, particularly if your business will not use it often. However, even rental services can be expensive. Luckily, following a few tips can help you cut costs while still renting the crane that you need.

1. Use Your Own Crane Operator

Are any of your staff members qualified to operate a crane? If so, there is no reason to opt for a pricey full-service rental. With full-service rentals, the crane rental company will send along an operator to operate the crane for you. This can obviously be handy if you have a need for this service, but it is obviously more expensive than having one of your employees handle it for you.

2. Haul it Yourself

Many crane rental services will deliver the crane to your place of business for you. If you have the equipment on hand to move a large crane yourself, however, it can be smarter to do so. Just remember that you will probably be held responsible for any damage that occurs to the crane during the transporting process, so make sure that you use caution. You may want to contact your insurance company to inquire about whether or not the crane will be covered during transport on your equipment if it is damaged along the way. If so, and if you have the necessary equipment, then it can be more affordable to transport it to and from your job site yourself.

3. Rent a Smaller Crane

Bigger is not always better. Look carefully at the job that you need to do, the space that you have to work with and the weight of the items that you will be moving with the crane. Then, consider renting the smallest crane that you can while still ensuring that the job gets done. Renting a smaller crane will generally be less expensive than renting a larger one, and you'll save on things like fuel costs, too. Plus, having a smaller crane can make it easier for you to maneuver in your work area, so it can actually make things easier as well as cheaper.

Renting a crane can be expensive, but it's still a great alternative to buying. This is especially true if you keep these three tips in mind for cutting costs when using a crane rental service (like Lockwood Brothers Inc).