Why Choose a Hydraulic Crane for a Service Truck?

Many industries rely on electric truck cranes, which are suitable for a broad range of applications. Hydraulic truck cranes are more expensive, but these powerful, robust can be well worth the extra investment. Choosing a hydraulic crane for your service truck can bring a number of useful advantages to the table.

Electric truck cranes are powered by dedicated onboard batteries and remain fully operational while the truck's engine is switched off. This can be useful if your truck will be used in enclosed, poorly ventilated areas, and will also help to minimize additional fuel consumption and engine wear.

Unfortunately, relying on batteries places hard limits on a truck crane's lifting strength, and most electric truck cranes have maximum lift capacities in the 2000 to 6000lb range. Electric crane motors are also susceptible to excess wear when placed under sustained loads, and using an electric truck crane too frequently can significantly shorten its useful life.

Hydraulic truck cranes are a lot more powerful, and some heavy-duty hydraulic cranes can lift up to 7 tons. Hydraulic crane motors are also more resistant to wear than electric motors and can be safely used for extended lifts and long operation cycles. If your business needs a truck crane that can lift a wide range of loads on a daily basis, hydraulic cranes are the way to go.

Any crane motor must be able to handle the weight of the crane itself, as well as any load the crane is lifting at the time. Since hydraulic cranes are more powerful than electric cranes, they can be fitted with longer, telescoping booms without straining the motor. Hydraulic cranes can provide more vertical and horizontal reach, and allow your truck crane to work above or around obstacles more easily.

The limited power available to electric truck cranes means that they tend to run more slowly than their hydraulic counterparts. Electric cranes with long, telescoping booms can be particularly sluggish. This can substantially increase the amount of time needed for each individual lifting task, reducing project turnover speed and making it more difficult to schedule projects in advance.

Hydraulic cranes can rotate, extend and retract their booms more quickly than most electric cranes, and are more useful for time-sensitive projects. Choosing a hydraulic crane will also let you fit more lifts into a single working day, a useful quality for independent contractors who are paid piece rates for their services.

It goes without saying that electric motors react poorly if they come into contact with water. The electric motors fitted to custom crane bodies are well protected inside specially built enclosures, but any accidental damage to these enclosures can allow rainwater or other liquids to seriously damage delicate electrical systems.

Hydraulic cylinders are airtight, self-contained components, and are fitted with a variety of rubber or silicone seals to prevent air and fluid leaks. They are less likely to suffer damage if they are accidentally exposed to moisture, and any water that does enter the system can be flushed out along with the motor's hydraulic fluid supply.

If you need a crane for your service truck that can be safely used in the harshest conditions, hydraulic cranes are the obvious choice. They are ideal for telecommunications services, oil pipeline contractors, marine construction businesses, and other businesses that frequently work in isolated, unsheltered locations. 

If you have any more questions about custom crane bodies for service trucks, or you want to know more about custom truck bodies for other applications, contact the experts at Diamond Truck Body Manufacturing today.