Mini crane hire
Mini cranes are compact tracked cranes that get where a mobile crane cannot: through gateways and doorways, into back gardens and inside buildings.
- Free to use, no obligation
- One short form, about a minute
- We pass your request to crane hire firms that cover your area
- We are not a crane hire company and do not plan lifts
What is a mini crane?
A mini crane is a small crane, usually on rubber tracks, that folds down small enough to fit through a gateway or doorway and then sets up on outriggers to lift.
Many mini cranes are spider cranes, named after their outriggers, which fold out like legs. Some are narrow enough to pass through a single doorway. Capacities are far smaller than a mobile crane, typically from under a tonne to several tonnes.
What are mini cranes used for?
- Glazing: placing large glass panels, often with a vacuum lifting attachment.
- Steelwork: setting beams and frames in extensions and refurbishments.
- Indoor lifts: plant, machinery and materials inside atriums, shopping centres and factories.
- Back gardens and tight sites: where there is no room or access for a larger crane.
Access and floor loading
The two questions a hire firm will ask first are the narrowest point on the route in, and what the crane will stand on. Indoors, that means the floor's load capacity as well as the door width. Outdoors, it means paving, drains and soft ground under the outriggers.
Contract lift or crane hire with operator?
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), every lifting operation has to be properly planned by a competent person, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. BS 7121, the British Standard code of practice for the safe use of cranes, sets out how that is usually done. How that responsibility is split between you and the hire firm.
What to have ready
- The site address and postcode, and where the crane could stand.
- What is being lifted: its weight if you know it, its size, and whether it has lifting points.
- How far and how high: the distance from where the crane stands to where the load lands (the radius), and the height it has to clear.
- Access: gateway and door widths, overhead cables, trees, and whether the crane needs to set up on a road or pavement.
- Ground conditions: soft ground, cellars, drains and recent backfill all matter, because outriggers put a lot of load through a small area.
- Dates, and whether you want a contract lift or crane hire with operator.
Firms with mini or spider in their name
From the Google Maps results we collected for our town pages, firms whose name mentions mini or spider, most reviewed first.
Listed for information from Google Maps search results on 10 October 2026. These firms are not our partners, we have not checked them, and a listing here is not a recommendation. Ratings are Google ratings on that date.
My Spider Crane Ltd
Nearest town page: Kent. 5.0out of 5 from 10 Google reviews03302 290705 www.myspidercrane.co.ukDemplant - Haulage, Mini Digger Hire, Plant Hire, Low Loader, Hiab, Plant Transport, Rail Plant Transport, MEWPS
Nearest town page: Manchester. Unit 1, 2 + Demplant, Whitehill Business Industrial Estate, 4 Hibbert St, Stockport SK4 1NS4.7out of 5 from 6 Google reviews01614 319737A Mini Crane Hire Co Ltd
Nearest town page: London. Unit 5, Heathrow International Trading Estate, Green Ln, Cranford, Hounslow TW4 6HB4.0out of 5 from 4 Google reviews020 3725 6215 www.amchire.comSpider Crane Hire
Nearest town page: Sheffield. 5.0out of 5 from 2 Google reviews03302 290705 spidercrane.co.ukSpider Cranes Ltd
Nearest town page: Essex. 5.0out of 5 from 2 Google reviews07377 888848 spider-cranes.co.ukMini Crane Hire Birmingham
Nearest town page: Birmingham. 230 Witton Ln, Birmingham B6 6QE01216 613471Mini Crane Hire Stockland Green
Nearest town page: Birmingham. 188 Slade Rd, Birmingham B23 7RJ01216 613282Mini Crane Hire Trafford
Nearest town page: Manchester. Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester M17 1WT01615 430523Mini Crawler Crane Hire Lozells
Nearest town page: Birmingham. 97 Lozells St, Lozells, Birmingham B19 2TB01218 177894Mini digger sessex
Nearest town page: Essex. New Hall Rd, Kildare, Hockley SS5 5JT07947 732556Spider Crane Hire Abbey Hey
Nearest town page: Manchester. Abbey Hey Ln, Abbey Hey, Manchester M18 8RH01615 430661Spider Crane Hire Birmingham
Nearest town page: Birmingham. Corporation St, Birmingham B2 4LS01218 093073Spider Lifting & Movement Ltd.
Nearest town page: Essex. Shot Farm, Southend Rd, Wickford SS11 8RZ01268 204784 www.spiderlifting.co.uk
Questions people ask
Can a mini crane fit through a doorway?
Many can. Spider cranes are designed to fold down narrow enough for a standard doorway or garden gate, but models vary, so measure the narrowest point on the route and give it to the hire firm.
How much can a mini crane lift?
Typically from under a tonne to several tonnes, depending on the model, and less at full reach. The hire firm needs the weight, the radius and the height to pick a crane.
Can a mini crane work indoors?
Yes, this is one of their main uses. Some run on electric or battery power for indoor work. The floor must be able to take the load through the outriggers, so the hire firm may ask for floor loading details.
Need a crane?
Tell us the job once. We pass it to crane hire firms that cover your area and they contact you directly.
Request crane hire