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Crane or lift: does the machine pay?

A crane is charged by the day and by the mobilisation, not by the tree. That makes the whole decision a question of how many hours of climbing the machine displaces — and whether the tree is safe to climb at all.

Pre-filled with a realistic job. Change any input and the figure updates as you type — nothing is sent anywhere, and Print gives you a clean sheet without the buttons.

$4,506 – $5,6754.3 machine-hours · 1 day · Climbing likely wins
  • Machine day rate × days$2,200
  • Mobilisation$600
  • Ground crew, loaded$538
  • Same work climbed instead$3,346 – $4,392

Day rates, mobilisation, picks

LineLiftCrane
Day rate (stated assumption)$850$2,200
Mobilisation$250$600
Hours per pick0.550.35
Charged inWhole daysWhole days

Sound

These day rates are stated assumptions for the model, not quoted market prices — hire rates vary widely by region, machine class and how far the yard is from you. Change them mentally against a real hire quote and the comparison still holds.

Why whole days matter so much

A crane booked for three hours is a crane booked for a day. That is why the single strongest way to make a machine pay is to put more work under it: two or three trees on one set-up, or a neighbour's removal on the same morning. The calculator lets you add trees for exactly this reason.

It is also why the machine loses on a simple single tree with an open drop — the standard removal calculator will beat it comfortably.

The cases where cost is not the question

Some trees are not climbable at any price. A dead ash goes brittle fast enough that limbs will not hold a climber — see emerald ash borer — and a stem with a decay column or a lifting root plate is a hazard to be worked from outside.

Drop zone

If a company tells you a tree is a crane job on safety grounds and you can find someone who will climb it cheaply, you have not found a saving. You have found the person who will get hurt.

Sources

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