--- title: Mobile Cranes 101 description: How well do you think you know mobile cranes? Here's a good tutorial on ours. image: http://solutions.ameonline.com/hubfs/Blogs/Mechanical-equipment-installaton.png --- [![AME Inc.](https://solutions.ameonline.com/hs-fs/file-1653471597-png/images/logo.png)](http://ameonline.com/) [1.800.849.7766](tel:1.800.849.7766) Search this site on Google Search - [Home](http://ameonline.com/) - [Featured Services](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/) - [Crane Rental with Operator Services](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#crane-rental-operator-services) - [Machinery Moving, Plant Relocation, Plant Dismantlement and Equipment Installation](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#machinery-moving-plant-relocation-plant-dismantlement-equipment-installation) - [Rigging & Heavy lifting](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#rigging-heavy-lifting) - [Millwright & Optical Alignment](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#millwright-optical-alignment) - [Precision Concrete Foundations](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#precision-concrete-foundations) - [Industrial General Contracting](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#industrial-general-contracting) - [Steel Fabrication](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/#steel-fabrication) - [Projects](http://ameonline.com/projects/) - [Crane Services](http://ameonline.com/type/crane-services/) - [General Contracting and Precision Concrete](http://ameonline.com/type/general-contracting-and-precision-concrete/) - [Manufacturing Machinery Moving Projects](http://ameonline.com/type/manufacturing-machinery-moving/) - [Specialized Heavy Lifting/Rigging](http://ameonline.com/type/specialized-heavy-liftingrigging/) - [Steel Fabrication](http://ameonline.com/type/steel-fabrication/) - [Equipment](http://ameonline.com/equipment/) - [Hydraulic Cranes & Boom Trucks](http://ameonline.com/equipment/#hydraulic-cranes-boom-trucks) - [Specialty Lifting / Moving Equipment / Rigging](http://ameonline.com/equipment-list/specialty-lifting-moving-equipment-rigging/) - [Fabrication Equipment](http://ameonline.com/equipment/#fabrication-equipment) - [Sandblasting & Industrial Paint Booths](http://ameonline.com/equipment/#sandblasting-industrial-paint-booths) - [About Us](http://ameonline.com/our-history/) - [Contact Us](http://ameonline.com/contact-us/) - [Our Locations](http://ameonline.com/contact-us/locations/) - [Our News](http://ameonline.com/company-news/) - [Our Jobs](http://ameonline.com/our-jobs/) - [Our History](http://ameonline.com/our-history/) - [Our Culture, Community & Industry Support, and People](http://ameonline.com/culture-community-industry-support-people/) - [Blog](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog) # AME Inc. Blog ## [Mobile Cranes 101](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/mobile-cranes-101) Posted by [AME Inc.](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/author/ame-inc) on 7/30/16 8:00 AM - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) How well do you know mobile cranes? Let's discuss what a mobile crane is as well as [the different types of mobile cranes we use at AME](http://ameonline.com/heavy-equipment-services/). **![Mechanical-equipment-installaton.png](http://solutions.ameonline.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blogs/Mechanical-equipment-installaton.png?width=258&name=Mechanical-equipment-installaton.png "Mechanical-equipment-installaton.png")What is a mobile crane?** A mobile crane is a type of crane that can be driven down the highway. If you go to a job site and see a bunch of cranes, you might think that they're all the same, but chances are most of the ones you see aren't the type of crane that you can drive down a highway. Instead, these "other" cranes are hauled to the job site on tractor-trailers and put together (often by mobile cranes). **How many different types of mobile cranes does AME have?** We have boom truck cranes, truck-mounted cranes, and all-terrain cranes.  **Tell us more about boom truck cranes.** A boom truck crane is smaller. Most of the time, a boom truck is used for smaller type jobs, such as setting air conditioners on a smaller building and setting roof trusses on houses (not condos). Basically, when it comes to cranes, it's all about weight and reach. If we need to set a heavy thing farther away, we're probably not going to use a boom truck. For example, if we're working at a big factory and we need to place a 13,000-pound unit *way* across the roof, the weight is heavier and the reach is farther than if we have to place an 800-pound unit on a little strip mall. We'd use a boom truck for the strip mall, but not for the big factory. **Let's talk about truck-mounted cranes and all-terrain cranes.** They're bigger than a boom truck and so the variety of work they're able to do is larger. Let's go back to our example about setting a rooftop unit on a building. We'd use a boom truck for setting the unit on a small strip mall or, say, a McDonald's. But we'd use a truck-mounted or all-terrain crane to set a unit on a real three-story model or four-story model, a big factory, or a high-rise downtown. Think higher reach, further reach, and heavier reach. The bigger the crane, the more capacity it has to pick up heavy things and place them far away.  **What's the difference between truck-mounted cranes and all-terrain cranes?** Size. An all-terrain crane is about as big as a crane can go and still travel down the highway. **Here's how it breaks down:** - All-terrain cranes: 120 ton and up - Truck-mounted cranes: 40 ton through 90 ton - Boom trucks: 28 ton through 38 ton. **What goes into choosing the right mobile crane?** A lot of physics and discussions around safety. [Our crane load charts serve as a guide](http://ameonline.com/heavy-equipment-services/load-charts/). We also conduct site visits to make sure we have a thorough understanding of what we're dealing with. Are you looking for [crane rental and operator services](http://ameonline.com/commercial-construction-services/#crane-rental-operator-services)? [Request a site visit today](https://solutions.ameonline.com/commercial-contractor-request-a-visit). [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/402778/cb205677-de9d-4dcf-9441-1d34d699bc64.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/402778/cb205677-de9d-4dcf-9441-1d34d699bc64) Topics: [Cranes](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/cranes) Read the latest information on Rigging and Heavy Lifting, Cranes, Millwright, General / Industrial Contracting and Fabrication in the Carolinas from AME Inc. ### Get AME delivered to your inbox. ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Topic - [Cranes (4)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/cranes) - [Plant Relocation (3)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/plant-relocation) - [Running Your Business (2)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/running-your-business) - [Safety (2)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/safety) - [Case Study (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/case-study) - [Concrete (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/concrete) - [Fabrication (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/fabrication) - [Life Lessons (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/life-lessons) - [Mechanical equipment installation (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/mechanical-equipment-installation) - [equipment installation agreement (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/equipment-installation-agreement) - [factory relocation (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/factory-relocation) - [plant and equipment relocation (1)](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog/topic/plant-and-equipment-relocation) see all ![AME Inc.](https://solutions.ameonline.com/hs-fs/file-1670333051-png/images/logo_footer.png) **What We Offer.** Crane Rental with Operator Services Rigging & Heavy Lifting Millwright & Optical Alignment Industrial & General Contracting **Corporate Office** 2467 Coltharp Road P.O. Box 909 Fort Mill, SC 29716-0909 **P:** 803.548.7766 **F:** 803.548.7448 [+ Contact Us](http://ameonline.com/contact-crane-rental-charlotte-nc/) © AME Inc. by Proforma - [Home](http://ameonline.com/) - [Featured Services](http://ameonline.com/featured-services/) - [Projects](http://ameonline.com/projects/) - [Equipment](http://ameonline.com/equipment/) - [About Us](http://ameonline.com/our-history/) - [Blog](https://solutions.ameonline.com/blog) ![](https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/viewthroughconversion/881678921/?value=0&guid=ON&script=0)