A lorry crane can lift 1 to over 200 tonnes, depending on its size and boom extension. For example, small models handle 1–10 tonnes, ideal for light materials, while large cranes lift 100 tonnes or more, perfect for heavy industrial tasks like moving turbines or bridge components.

Small Lorry Cranes

Small lorry cranes are suited for light-duty applications in a city environment or residential building construction sites. The capacity of these cranes ranges from 1 tonne to 10 tonnes and is suitable for moving building material, small machinery, or light industrial equipment. For example, a 5-tonne capacity lorry crane would have adequate capacity to handle two pallets of bricks, each weighing approximately 2.5 tonnes, with some additional capacity for other materials.

Due to this fact, operators combine the small cranes with a shorter boom extension to get a higher lifting capacity; for example, 8 tonnes at a 3-meter radius can be comfortably lifted but reduces to about 2 tonnes at a 10 meters reach. They are mostly utilized in industries such as landscaping for transportation of trees and soil and at event setups for lifting sound systems and stages.

Medium Lorry Cranes

Medium lorry cranes are versatile and can handle moderate loads, typically in the range of 10 to 30 tonnes. These cranes are quite often used for warehouse logistics, mid-sized construction sites, or infrastructure projects. For example, a 20-tonne crane can lift prefabricated concrete slabs weighing 15 tonnes and still have some reserve capacity for added stability.

Medium cranes are fitted with booms that can be hydraulically extended to about 20 meters, hence enabling the lifting of steel beams to higher floors in medium-rise buildings. Their ability to adjust the boom angle gives better precision, which is quite useful for assembling large components like prefabricated walls in construction.

Operational efficiency is their forte. By optimizing the angle of a crane lift along with placing a stabilizer, operators attain that perfect balance between lifting capacity and reach. These cranes cost averagely in the range of $150,000 to $250,000 depending on the brand and model applied, hence the reason it perfectly suits mid-budget projects where one requires reliable and long-lasting equipment.

Large Lorry Cranes

Large lorry cranes, from 30 to over 200 tonnes of lifting power, are a common sight in heavy industries. In places where one has very high demand for lifting large machinery in the power industry, oil rigging, or the construction of bridges, such cranes become a must. For example, a 100-tonne lorry crane would move a 75-tonne turbine into place with complete ease.

These cranes feature extendable booms up to 50 meters in height and further jib extensions to handle loads at extreme distances. The installation of wind turbine blades is an example where it has to lift components weighing 20 tonnes each over more than 40 meters high. Quality hydraulic systems make them very stable, even under those conditions.

Large lorry cranes are very expensive to maintain, averaging at about $10,000 annually, since special parts are required, along with regular safety inspections. For industries requiring exceptionally great lifts, such as these, it is justified because of the toughness and capability of handling such loads. These usually operate at optimized speeds for safety, lifting 10 tonnes a minute at the lower boom extension.