8 ton crane truck for hire
Last updated
8 ton crane truck price
The truck comes with an operator who drives it and runs the crane. Prices exclude VAT.
| Size | Rate | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 8–10 t crane truck | Per day, with operator | R2,500–R5,200 |
| 8–10 t crane truck | Per hour, with operator | about R1,000 * |
* Few price points for this one, so treat it as a guide; the exact price comes back on WhatsApp.
The machine-only rate is for clients with their own operator, who must hold a truck-mounted crane certificate (code C32) and the right licence code. By the hour suits one delivery with a lift at each end; by the day suits setting trusses, offloading several trucks or a day of moves. Inside a main centre the truck drives to site and travel is small. Out of town it's per kilometre each way, as in this example of two days placing tanks and steel at a house in Hartbeespoort:
| Example quote (for illustration only) | Amount |
|---|---|
| 8–10 t crane truck, 2 days at R2,500–R5,200 a day with operator | R5,000–R10,400 |
| Transport both ways to Hartbeespoort | R3,360–R4,060 |
| Example total, excl. VAT | R8,360–R14,460 |
What "8 ton" means, and why two 8 ton cranes differ
On a crane truck, "8 ton" is the most the crane lifts right next to the truck. Two cranes sold in this class show why that number alone doesn't tell you enough:
| Crane | Most it lifts | Lifting moment | Hydraulic outreach | Longest outreach | Crane weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palfinger PK 18500 | 8,000 kg | 18.3 t·m | 14.6 m | 18.8 m (with fly jib) | 2,117 kg |
| Palfinger PK 32080 | 8,500 kg | 30.4 t·m | 14.3 m | 21.0 m | 3,130 kg |
The lifting moment (load × reach) is the real strength. Both lift about 8 t close in, but at 10 m the bigger crane lifts more than half as much again. Some people also say "8 ton truck" for the truck's carrying capacity, so we confirm both numbers, the crane's chart and the truck's payload, in writing with your price.
How much an 8 ton crane truck lifts at each reach
| Outreach | PK 32080 or similar | PK 18500 or similar, at most |
|---|---|---|
| 3.6 m | 8,300 kg | about 5.1 t |
| 4.3 m | 6,920 kg | about 4.3 t |
| 6.1 m | 4,780 kg | about 3.0 t |
| 8.0 m | 3,630 kg | about 2.3 t |
| 9.9 m | 2,900 kg | about 1.8 t |
| 11.9 m | 2,340 kg (manual extension) | about 1.5 t |
| 14.0 m | 1,920 kg (manual extension) | about 1.3 t |
| 16.2 m | 1,300 kg (manual extension) | manual extension: check chart |
| 18.4 m | 900 kg (manual extension) | manual extension: check chart |
The maker measures outreach with the boom at 20°, from the crane's slewing column behind the cab, not from the side of the truck. The PK 18500 column is an upper limit from its lifting moment; its own chart is lower, and the long-reach version (14.6 m) is rated at 16.6 t·m rather than 18.3. We check the actual crane's chart before we price.
Will an 8 ton crane truck do your lift?
- An empty 6 m container, about 5 m from the column: the 30 t·m crane lifts 4.78–6.92 t between 4.3 m and 6.1 m, so a container whose doors say about 2.3 t is comfortable. The lighter crane, at about 3.0–4.3 t, also does it.
- 1.5 t of roof steel, 10 m away over a wall: 2.9 t at 9.9 m on the bigger crane, fine. The lighter crane's ceiling is about 1.8 t, too tight for comfort.
- A 3 t machine, 9 m into a yard: the bigger crane holds about 3.2 t there, which leaves no margin. That's a 12–15 t job.
Rule of thumb: under about 3 t, within about 10 m, and needing delivery anyway? An 8 ton crane truck. Heavier or further? Go up a size.
Deck length and payload
The crane sits between the cab and the deck, so it takes chassis length and payload away from the truck:
- Deck: the crane needs about 0.88 m of chassis on a PK 18500 and 0.97 m on a PK 32080. A 6 m container needs at least 6 m of clear deck behind the crane, which usually means a three-axle long-deck truck.
- Legal mass: the National Road Traffic Regulations allow 7,700 kg on a steering axle, 9,000 kg on a single axle with dual wheels and 18,000 kg on a tandem. That puts a two-axle truck at up to 16,700 kg gross and a three-axle at up to 25,700 kg.
- Payload: take off the truck's own mass, the deck and 2.1–3.1 t of crane, and what is left is the load it may carry. A three-axle truck carries far more than a two-axle. We confirm the payload of the truck we send, in writing.
If the load only needs moving and someone at the other end can offload it, a flatbed truck carries more for the same truck.
Typical 8 ton crane truck jobs
Tanks
Plastic water tanks onto stands and steel tanks into place, lifted with tag lines because they catch the wind.
Containers and site offices
Empty 6 m containers and park homes on and off sites.
Roof work
Trusses, lintels and roof-sheeting bundles straight onto the walls; aircon condensers and solar kit onto low-rise roofs.
Bricks and precast
Pallets of bricks and blocks with a brick grab or pallet forks; manholes, kerbs and culverts placed from the deck.
Machines
Generators, compressors and workshop machines in and out of yards. The mass is on the plate.
When to go up to a 12–15 t or 20–34 t crane truck
| Class | Crane | Lifting moment | At about 10 m | Hydraulic outreach | Stabiliser spread | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–10 t | PK 32080 | 30.4 t·m | 2.9 t | 14.3 m | 6.0 m | R2,500–R5,200 a day |
| 12–15 t | PK 42002 SH | 41.1 t·m | up to about 4.1 t | 21 m | 7.4 m | R3,200–R5,200 a day |
| 20–34 t | PK 65002 SH | 62 t·m | up to about 6.2 t | 20.4 m | 8.6 m | about R1,900 an hour |
Go up a class when the load is over about 3 t at 10 m, when you need more than 14 m of reach without dropping to a manual extension, or when the truck must also carry a heavy load. For several tonnes high over a building, a 20–25 t mobile crane (about R4,500 a day with operator) lifts 7.8 t at 10 m and reaches 27.9 m: see mobile crane hire.
Set-up, certificates and where we send them
Stabilisers: a PK 18500 or similar spreads its stabilisers 4.8 m as standard and 6.6 m at most; a PK 32080 6.0 m. They need firm, level ground, clear of trenches, manholes and fresh fill. Power lines: nobody may bring the boom or the load inside a line's safety clearance without the utility's permission (Electrical Machinery Regulations, reg 19(5)).
Certificates: a truck-mounted crane is a lifting machine, so it needs a load test by a registered lifting machinery entity at least every 12 months, and the operator a certificate of training (Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015, reg 18). Ours have both; copies come before the truck, on request. See safety and certificates and the load test guide.
We send 8 ton crane trucks across all 9 provinces. Town pages: crane truck hire in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. Every size: truck crane hire.
WhatsApp us the weight and the reachQuestions people ask
How much can an 8 ton crane truck lift?
8 t only close in, at about 3.5 m from the crane column. Further out it drops: on a 30 t·m crane (PK 32080 or similar) 4.78 t at 6.1 m, 3.63 t at 8.0 m, 2.9 t at 9.9 m and 1.3 t at 16.2 m on the manual extension. A lighter 18.3 t·m crane sold as 8 t lifts under 1.9 t at 10 m.
How much is an 8 ton crane truck per hour?
About about R1,000 an hour with operator; we have few hourly price points, so treat it as a guide. By the day it's R2,500–R5,200. Send the pick-up and drop-off points and we price it both ways.
Can an 8 ton crane truck lift a container?
An empty 6 m container, yes, at short reach and on a truck with a long enough deck: the tare (empty mass) is printed on the doors. A loaded container is a job for the 20–34 t class or a mobile crane.
What licence does an 8 ton crane truck driver need?
Two things. To drive it: Code C1 for a goods vehicle up to 16,000 kg gross, or Code C above that (National Road Traffic Regulations, reg 99), plus a professional driving permit. To run the crane: a certificate of training for a truck-mounted crane (code C32) from an accredited training provider. Our operators hold both.
Related
Sources we checked
- National Road Traffic Regulations, reg 115: drivers who must hold a professional driving permit
- Palfinger PK 32080 loader crane leaflet (lifting capacities and technical data)
- Palfinger PK 18500 catalogue excerpt (technical data)
- Palfinger PK 18500 loader crane technical data
- Palfinger PK 42002 SH technical data
- Palfinger PK 65002 SH technical data
- National Road Traffic Regulations, reg 240: axle massload limits
- National Road Traffic Regulations, reg 99: categories of driving licences
- National Code of Practice for Training Providers of Lifting Machine Operators 2024 (Notice 5588), crane codes
- Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 (GN R.540), regulation 18: lifting machines
- Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011 (GN R.250), regulation 19: overhead power lines
Need a crane truck?
WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.
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