Jobsite access checklist: will the crane get to the pick?

1. Walk the route from the truck

Start where the flatbed will park and walk to where the crane will set up, writing down every opening, turn, slope, and obstruction in order. Most access failures are not the doorway everybody measured; they are the fire door around the corner, a wall-mounted electrical panel, or a step at the loading dock.

2. Doors and openings

• Clear width between the door stops or frame, not the rough opening
• Clear height under the door head and the closer
• Whether the door can be removed or held open, and by whom
• Double doors: is the center mullion fixed or removable?
• Rollup doors: the clear height with the curtain fully up, including the bottom bar

Transport dimensions above are with boom stowed and outriggers retracted. Never check access against operating footprint; never check setup area against transport width. They are two different checks.

3. Corridors, turns, and pinch points

Measure the corridor at its narrowest, often at a wall-mounted cabinet, fire extinguisher, column, or handrail. Then check the swept path around turns: fitting through a straight opening does not prove a long machine can turn into it. Allow for the front and rear corners and the steering behavior of the actual machine.

4. Overhead clearance along the way

Ducts, pipe, cable tray, sprinkler mains, door closers, and hanging signs all sit lower than the ceiling. Measure the lowest point along the route, not the ceiling height. The stowed boom on a Jekko SPX is the tallest part of the machine; on a Broderson it is the cab or the boom rest.

5. Thresholds, ramps, and steps

Tracked mini cranes climb ramps but not steps. Note every change in floor level, its height, and whether there is a ramp already in place. Ramp slope matters: check the machine's gradeability on its spec sheet and remember that a long boom stowed high raises the center of gravity. Loading docks are the usual problem, and a rented dock plate or a short ramp solves most of them.

6. Elevators and hoists

If the crane rides an elevator, obtain the car dimensions, clear opening, rated load, and approval for the proposed concentrated loads. Count the complete machine, fitted equipment, and any people or materials traveling with it. A machine that exceeds the elevator rating does not fit on paper or in practice. Confirm the route with the building operator and engineer before booking.

7. Floors and ground along the route

• Slab on grade or suspended? Over a basement, vault, tunnel, or parking level?
• Finished surfaces that need track mats: terrazzo, tile, wood, epoxy, pavers
• Trench covers, drains, pits, and grating the machine will cross
• Outdoors: soft ground, curbs, landscaping, and anything under the asphalt

8. Power, staging, and people

• An electrical supply and cable arrangement approved for the machine and fitted charger
• Where the crane will sit overnight if the job runs more than a day
• Who unlocks doors, kills alarms, and clears the route on delivery morning
• Where the flatbed can park and unload with a clear path to the door