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CraneHire

An extensive crane fleet and qualified operators, anywhere in the UK — from compact cranes for restricted access to long-reach all-terrains. Hire the crane and operator on CPA terms, or hand us the whole lift as a contract lift.

Get a quote Or call 01246 261915

What we do

Crane hire
across the UK.

Altida is a Chesterfield-based crane hire and transport company, lifting loads of almost any size and shape across the UK. We run an extensive fleet, from compact cranes for restricted access through to long-reach all-terrains for heavier picks.

We match the crane to the load, the reach and the site access, then send it with a qualified operator. Every machine is maintained and tested in our own Chesterfield workshop and kept to LOLER and BS 7121, so the crane that arrives is fit and ready to lift.

Altida runs transport as well as cranes. So when a load needs moving as well as lifting, the crane and the lorry come from the same yard — no handover between two separate firms.

CPA HireContract Lift

How to hire

Two ways to hire a crane.

The difference is who runs the lift. Hire the crane and operator and run the lift yourself on CPA terms, or hand the whole operation to us as a contract lift. If you're not sure which you need, tell us about the lift and we'll help you choose.

You run the lift

CPA hire.

We supply a maintained, tested crane and a qualified operator on CPA terms. You run the lift. You provide the Appointed Person, the lift plan and the insurance for the lifting operation. It suits teams that already carry their own lifting competence.

Best for Companies with their own Appointed Person, slingers and cover.

CPA Hire
We run the lift

Contract lift.

We take it all on. We appoint the Appointed Person, write the lift plan, supply the crane, operator and lift team, and carry the responsibility and the insurance for the lift. One firm is accountable for the whole lift, end to end.

Best for Anyone without an Appointed Person, or a complex lift.

Contract Lift

Getting it right

How we size the crane.

Choosing the crane is the part that takes experience. A crane's headline tonnage is what it lifts close in, not out where your load needs to go. Four things decide it. You don't have to work them out yourself — we size the crane from the details of the lift.

  1. The weight, and the reach A crane's capacity falls as the load goes further out. A crane rated at fifty tonnes close to the cab might lift only a few tonnes at the far end of its reach — so we size it on the weight and the radius together, never the headline figure alone.
  2. The height and what it must clear How high the load has to go, and what it has to clear on the way — a building, a roof, an existing structure — sets the boom length, and sometimes the crane class on its own.
  3. The ground it stands on A mobile crane puts large point loads through its outriggers. The standing has to take it, so the ground decides whether we spread the load on mats — and sometimes which crane can be used at all.
  4. The access to site Gateway widths, headroom and the room to set up decide the class — a compact city or difficult-access crane where a full all-terrain can't get in, a larger machine where there's space to rig.

The fleet

A crane to match the lift.

We run a mixed fleet so the crane fits the load, the reach and the access. We send the right machine for the lift, with a qualified operator.

An Altida all-terrain crane
Road-mobile

All-terrain cranes.

Road-mobile cranes that drive to site, set up on outriggers and reach out across the lift. Suited to general construction, plant installation and steel work where there's room to rig.

Good for Heavier picks, longer radius, open sites.

An Altida City crane
Tight access

City cranes.

Compact, narrow-tracking cranes with tight steering for inner-city streets and restricted yards — sized to get in where a standard all-terrain can't, then lift once they're there.

Good for Restricted access, town-centre work, narrow gateways.

An Altida Böcker crane
High reach

Böcker cranes.

Aluminium-boom cranes that reach high over a building rather than far across it, and take a man-basket where the job needs a person at height as well as a load.

Good for Roofing, facades, signage, work over a building.

An Altida compact tracked crane
Indoors & restricted

Difficult access cranes.

Difficult-access cranes like a Jekko — compact and tracked, small enough to fit through a doorway and lift inside a building, on rubber tracks that spread the load gently over a finished floor.

Good for Plant rooms, hall lifts, lifts inside a building.

Manufacturer specifications

Data sheets.

Load charts, dimensions and reach for each machine listed. Open the sheet for the crane you're sizing up, or ask us and we'll match the machine to the lift.

All-terrain

City

Böcker

Difficult access

Across industry

Sectors we lift for:

Construction

Steel erection, precast units, plant lifted into position.

Plant & manufacturing

Machinery installed, plant rooms, equipment lifted into place.

Power & utilities

Transformers, generators, switchgear set down on site.

Rail

Trackside machinery and structures lifted into position.

Exhibition & events

Stages and structures raised and dismantled to schedule.

Oil & gas

Pressure vessels, process equipment, fabricated assemblies.

Why Altida

One team for the lift
and the move.

Most crane firms sub the transport out; most transport firms don't have cranes. Altida runs both, which makes a lift simpler from the first call.

  1. The crane and the lorry, one team.

    When a load needs moving as well as lifting, the crane and the transport come from the same yard. No handover between two firms, no waiting on someone else's diary.

  2. Maintained, tested, certificated.

    Every crane is serviced in our own Chesterfield workshop and kept to LOLER and BS 7121 — so the machine that turns up is fit and ready to lift.

  3. Qualified operators.

    Our crane operators are qualified to CPCS or NPORS standards — competent on the machine and used to working to a lift plan, whether it's yours or ours.

  4. An extensive fleet.

    From compact city and difficult-access cranes to long-reach all-terrains, so there's a machine sized to your load, your reach and your access.

Recent work · Lifting

Lifts we've made

All projects

Common questions

What we
get asked

The questions site and project teams ask us most often about crane hire. Anything else, just call.

What's the difference between CPA hire and a contract lift?
The difference is who runs the lift. With CPA hire you supply the Appointed Person, the lift plan and the insurance — we supply the crane and operator. With a contract lift, we take all of that on — the planning, the crew, the responsibility and the insurance. CPA hire suits teams with their own lifting competence; a contract lift suits anyone without an Appointed Person or with a more complex lift.
Which one do I need?
If your team already has a competent Appointed Person, your own slingers and signallers, and insurance for the lift, CPA hire lets you take the crane and operator and run the lift yourself. If you don't, or the lift is complex, a contract lift hands the whole operation to us. Not sure? We'll help you decide.
Do you have a crane to fit my site?
We run an extensive fleet, from compact city and difficult-access cranes for restricted access through to long-reach all-terrains for heavier picks. We match the machine to the load, the reach and the access.
Are your cranes tested and your operators qualified?
Yes. Every crane is maintained in our own Chesterfield workshop and kept to LOLER and BS 7121, so it arrives tested and certificated. Our crane operators are qualified to CPCS or NPORS standards.
How do I know what size crane I need?
You don't have to work it out — that's our job. We size the crane from the weight, how far out and how high it has to go, and the site access. As a rule of thumb, a crane lifts most close in and less the further out it reaches, so the radius matters as much as the weight.
Will the ground take the crane?
A mobile crane puts large point loads through its outriggers, so the ground has to take it. On a contract lift we assess that and specify mats or pads as part of planning the lift; on CPA hire it sits with your Appointed Person. Either way, we factor in what the crane will be standing on.
How often are the cranes inspected?
Every crane is examined under LOLER — a thorough examination by a competent person at least every twelve months, and every six months for any equipment that lifts people — with the lifting accessories examined too. On top of that, the fleet is serviced and overhauled in our own Chesterfield workshop.
Can you do lifts that need two cranes?
Yes. Where a load is too big or awkward for one crane, we run a tandem lift with two cranes working together under a crane coordinator. On a contract lift our Appointed Person plans it; we've run tandem lifts on real projects.
Do you do restricted-access or indoor lifts?
Yes. Our compact city and difficult-access cranes are built for it — narrow enough for inner-city streets and tight yards, and small enough to fit through a doorway and lift inside a building, on tracks that spread the load gently over a finished floor.
Do you cover the whole of the UK?
Yes. From a central base in Chesterfield, near the middle of the country, we hire cranes and run lifts nationwide.
Can you move the load as well as lift it?
Yes. Altida runs transport as well as cranes, so if the load needs moving as well as lifting, the crane and the lorry come from the same yard — one team, one point of contact, no second firm to coordinate.

Get in touch

Talk to us
about your lift.

Send us a message
Get a quote
Call 01246 261915
Email cranes@altida.co.uk transport@altida.co.uk