A builder in Nairobi asks for a Hiab. A haulier in Manila asks for a boom truck. A tender in Lusaka specifies a lorry mounted crane. They are all describing a truck with a crane fixed to its frame, so that the driver can load and unload without waiting for a separate crane. The names, though, hide real differences in boom type and capacity, and those differences decide whether the truck can do your job.
Why people say "Hiab truck"
Hiab is a brand. It is the name of a crane manufacturer, founded in Sweden, whose loader cranes became so common on British and Commonwealth roads that the name passed into everyday speech, in the way people say "Hoover" for a vacuum cleaner. When a customer in the UK, Kenya, Australia or New Zealand says "Hiab", they usually mean any lorry with a loader crane, whoever made the crane.
To be clear about our own products: the cranes on our truck mounted cranes are not made by Hiab. Most are SQS-series telescopic cranes, and the crane model is given on the product page. If your contract specifies a particular crane brand, tell us at the start. If it asks for "a Hiab" in the everyday sense, what you need to specify is lifting capacity, reach and deck length.
Lorry mounted crane, boom truck, self loader: what each means
| Name | Where it is used | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Lorry mounted crane, lorry loader | UK, East and Southern Africa | A crane mounted on a lorry that also has a cargo deck |
| Truck mounted crane | International and factory catalogues | The same vehicle |
| Boom truck | Philippines, North America, the Gulf | The same vehicle, usually with a straight telescopic boom |
| Hiab, Hiab truck | UK, Kenya, Australia, New Zealand | Everyday name taken from a crane brand |
| Self loader | Kenya, the Philippines and others | Two meanings: a crane truck that loads itself, or a tilting flatbed that loads machinery over its own ramps |
"Self loader" needs a second question. If you want to lift pallets, pipes, poles or blocks onto the deck, you want a crane truck. If you want to carry an excavator or a forklift that drives on by itself, you want a flatbed with ramps or a tilting deck, which is a different product in our flatbed trucks range.
One more distinction: a truck mounted crane keeps a cargo deck and carries its own load. A mobile crane (an all-terrain or rough-terrain crane) only lifts and carries nothing. Their capacities are not comparable ton for ton.
Telescopic boom vs knuckle boom
Telescopic (straight) boom
The boom is a set of box sections that slide out in a straight line, with a winch and a wire rope carrying the hook. It reaches high and far and lowers loads precisely on the rope. When stowed it lies over the cab or along the deck. Most cranes in our range are this type, with four or five sections. This is what "boom truck" normally means.
Knuckle (folding) boom
The boom has a joint like a finger. It folds into a compact package behind the cab, leaving the whole deck free, and it can reach over a wall and down behind it. It usually works with a hook fixed to the boom tip instead of a winch, and it takes attachments such as a brick grab or a pallet fork. Our Dongfeng 4x2 knuckle boom crane truck lifts 6,300 kg, and the crane itself weighs 2,200 kg. A folding loader crane of this kind is what many British users picture when they say "Hiab".
As a rule, choose a straight boom for height, reach and placing loads on a hook; choose a knuckle boom for deliveries, tight sites and work with attachments.
Reading capacity: 5 t, 10 t, 20 t at what radius?
The tonnage in a crane truck's name is its maximum lift, and the maximum is only available with the boom short and the load close to the crane. Capacity falls quickly as the load moves out. The published ratings of our HOWO 8x4 crane truck with the SQS350-5 crane show the pattern:
| Working radius | Rated lift |
|---|---|
| 2.5 m | 14,000 kg |
| 5 m | 8,000 kg |
| 10 m | 3,000 kg |
| 19.9 m (maximum outreach) | 850 kg |
This "14 ton" crane lifts 14 tonnes only at 2.5 m. At 10 m it lifts 3 tonnes. The same holds for every size: our FAW 6x2 crane truck is rated at 10 t at a 2.5 m radius. So do not order by the headline figure. Decide the heaviest item you lift and the distance from the crane's center to where it must land, then check that point on the load chart. Our guide to truck-mounted crane capacity explains how to read the chart.
Crane capacity is not cargo payload
The crane sits on the truck and uses up part of its legal weight. Our HOWO 8x4 with a 20 t crane has a 31,000 kg gross weight and a rated cargo payload of 9,505 kg. The FAW 6x2 with the 10 t crane carries 7,870 kg. A "10 ton boom truck" can lift 10 tonnes close in; it cannot drive away with 10 tonnes on the deck.
Deck length, outriggers and chassis choice
- Deck length. Match it to your longest regular load. Our Isuzu GIGA 8x4 with a 16 t crane carries an 8,500 × 2,500 mm deck; the Dongfeng knuckle boom truck has a 5,100 × 2,450 mm cargo box. Long poles and pipes need the long deck, block and pallet deliveries do not.
- Outriggers. The legs that steady the truck while lifting. They need firm ground and room to extend on both sides. Ask for the outrigger spread and whether rear outriggers are fitted; large cranes need them.
- Chassis. A 2.8 t crane sits on a light 4x2 with a double cab. An 8 t crane takes an 18,000 kg 4x2. Cranes of 10 to 12 t go on three-axle 6x2 or 6x4 chassis at 25,000 kg, and 14 to 20 t cranes need a four-axle 8x4 at 31,000 kg. For rough sites there is a 4x4 with a 5 t crane.
- Crane position. Behind the cab is standard and keeps the deck clear at the rear. Rear mounting suits trucks that tow a trailer or unload behind them.
What to send for a quotation
- The heaviest single item you lift and its size.
- The distance from the truck to where the load must be placed, and any height to clear.
- Your usual cargo and its length, so the deck can be sized.
- Straight or knuckle boom, and any attachment such as a grab, fork or man basket.
- Road or site conditions, destination port and steering side.
Common questions
Is a Hiab the same as a lorry mounted crane?
In everyday speech, yes. Strictly, Hiab is one manufacturer's brand of loader crane, and a lorry mounted crane can carry a crane from any maker.
Do you sell Hiab cranes?
No. Our crane trucks use other crane makes. If a tender names a brand, send us the clause before you ask for a price.
What can a 10 ton boom truck lift at 10 meters?
Far less than 10 tonnes. The exact figure is on the load chart for that crane and boom length; for comparison, our 14 t crane is rated at 3,000 kg at a 10 m radius.
What is a self loader truck?
Either a truck with its own crane, or a flatbed with a tilting deck or ramps that machinery drives onto. Tell the supplier which you mean.
Does the operator need a special licence?
Many countries require crane operator training or certification in addition to a driving licence, and some require periodic inspection of the crane. Check with your labour or road authority before the truck arrives.
