Crane or Climber? How the Method Gets Chosen

People sometimes assume a crane is a premium option and a climber is the budget one. It is not that simple, and on some trees the crane is the only safe method.

When a climber is right

• The tree is structurally sound enough to support somebody working in it.
• There is reasonable room to rig sections down.
• Access for a crane is not available — a back yard behind a house, a narrow lot, soft ground.
• The job is pruning rather than removal.

A skilled climber with proper rigging can dismantle a tree in a remarkably confined space. It is slower than a crane and on the right job it is entirely the correct approach.

When a crane is right

• The tree is dead, decayed or structurally compromised — putting a climber into a tree that may fail is not acceptable, and this is the clearest case for a crane.
• Large sections need to come out over a structure in one movement. The crane holds the piece before it is cut, which removes shock loading completely.
• Speed matters — a crane removal is frequently a fraction of the time, which can make it cheaper overall despite the higher day rate.
• There is genuinely no rigging path.

What a crane needs

• Access for a machine that is large and heavy.
• Ground that will take it, which after heavy rain is a real question.
• Clear airspace — no power lines in the swing path.
• Set-up room for outriggers.

Sometimes the crane is the right method and the site simply will not take one, and then the answer is a longer, more careful climbing job.

Questions worth asking

1. What method are you planning and why?
2. If it is climbing, is the tree sound enough to climb? (A contractor who has not considered this is a warning.)
3. If it is a crane, where will it set up and what will it need?
4. Is the price fixed, or does it change if the method has to change?

Insurance, again

Whichever method, verify general liability and workers compensation directly with the carrier. Tree work is genuinely dangerous and the consequences of an uninsured crew being injured on your property are yours.