Standard single-crane lifts
Routine picks with one mobile crane — precast units, plant, modules and steelwork. Load chart verified for the exact configuration on the day.
Lift Planning Services
Mobile Crane Lift Plans
CPCS Appointed Person mobile crane lift plans for all duty types — single picks, tandem lifts and contract-lift support. Every plan is built on a verified load chart and written to LOLER 1998 and BS 7121, with a site visit included where the operation needs it.
Get a QuoteWhat's Included
What goes into a mobile crane lift plan
A mobile crane lift plan is not a generic template with the site name changed. Every plan we produce is specific to the load, the machine and the ground it stands on, and includes everything an HSE inspector or principal contractor expects to see in a LOLER-compliant lifting documentation pack. Not sure which machine suits your lift? See mobile crane vs tower crane, or read what a lift plan is for the fundamentals.
- Configuration-specific load chart verification with documented capacity margin
- Ground bearing pressure calculations against site investigation data
- Outrigger and crane mat / spreader requirements
- Rigging design — slings, shackles and lifting beams with capacities at the working angle
- Exclusion zones drawn around the swept volume of the load, not just the crane base
- Set-up position, access route and travel path assessment
- Method statement and lift supervisor briefing pack
- Proximity hazard assessment — overhead lines, structures, public and live highways
Verified against the load chart — every time
The most common reason a crane lift plan fails an independent review is that the capacity has not been checked against the actual configuration. A 50t crane on full outriggers at 12m radius does not lift 50t — it lifts whatever the manufacturer's load chart says for that exact set-up. We show that calculation on every plan. If you want a second pair of eyes on a plan you have already received, that is our lift plan checking service.
Request a QuoteMobile crane lifts we plan
From a single routine pick to a tandem lift on a constrained urban frontage.
Tandem and multi-crane lifts
Two or more cranes sharing a load. We calculate the share on each crane through the lift, account for dynamic effects and define the supervision and signalling arrangements.
Contract lift support
Where a crane hire company provides a contract lift, we can act as your independent eyes — reviewing their plan against LOLER and BS 7121 before you accept it on your site.
Constrained and public-facing sites
Urban frontages, live highways and occupied buildings alongside the lift. Exclusion zones, public segregation and traffic management planned to keep the operation inside the site.
Our mobile crane lift plan process
A clear route from enquiry to a plan your site team can work to.
01
Enquiry
Tell us the load, the site and the crane if it is already chosen.
02
Quote
Fixed-price quote within 4 working hours, with the site-visit scope agreed up front.
03
Survey & plan
Site visit where needed, then full plan worked up with verified calculations.
04
Delivery
LOLER and BS 7121 compliant lift plan, ready for your file and site team.
Ground Bearing
The calculation most crane lift plans get wrong
A mobile crane does not spread its weight the way a tracked machine does. Set up on outriggers, the weight of the crane, the counterweight and the load is concentrated into four small pads — and as the crane slews, a single outrigger can end up carrying a large share of the total. That is why ground failure under one outrigger is one of the most common causes of mobile crane overturning on UK sites.
The figure that matters is not the crane's weight. It is the peak outrigger reaction from the manufacturer's documentation, divided by the area it is spread over, checked against what the ground can actually carry.
A worked example
Take a 100-tonne all-terrain crane where the manufacturer's outrigger load chart gives a peak reaction of 60 tonnes — roughly 589 kN — through one corner at the worst slew position.
- On the crane's own outrigger float, perhaps 0.5 m², that is about 1,180 kPa imposed on the ground.
- Well-compacted granular fill might safely carry 150–200 kPa — and that figure has to come from ground investigation or the principal contractor's temporary works designer, never from assumption.
- So the float alone is roughly six times over what the ground will take.
- To bring it inside 200 kPa you need about 2.95 m² of bearing area — a mat of roughly 1.75 m × 1.75 m under each outrigger.
And a mat only spreads load if it is stiff enough to do so. An undersized or flexible mat simply punches through and delivers very nearly the original pressure to the ground beneath it. Mat selection is part of the calculation, not an afterthought.
What else sits under the outriggers
- • Basements, cellars, culverts and drainage runs
- • Backfilled trenches and made ground
- • Buried services — the utility drawings rarely match reality
- • Excavations nearby: the crane must sit outside the zone of influence
- • Suspended slabs and podium decks, which need their own temporary works check
What we need to do the calculation
- • The crane make, model and proposed configuration
- • The manufacturer's outrigger load data for that machine
- • Allowable bearing pressure from the site investigation
- • The set-up position relative to any excavation or structure
- • What mats or spreader pads are actually available on site
Duty Charts
A 50-tonne crane does not lift 50 tonnes
The tonnage in a crane's name is its maximum capacity at minimum radius, on fully extended outriggers, with full counterweight, usually slewing over the rear. Move any one of those variables and the number changes — often dramatically. A plan that quotes the headline tonnage rather than the figure for the actual configuration is the single most common reason a crane lift plan fails an independent review.
Every one of these changes the capacity
- →Radius — capacity falls away sharply as the load moves out
- →Boom length — a longer boom at the same radius lifts less
- →Counterweight fitted — the chart is per counterweight configuration
- →Outrigger extension — full, intermediate and retracted are separate charts
- →Slew sector — over-rear, over-side and 360° capacities differ
- →On outriggers or on wheels — free-on-wheels duties are far lower
And these come off the top
The chart figure is gross. Everything hanging below the boom head is a deduction:
- −Hook block and any auxiliary hook
- −Slings, shackles, chains and spreader or lifting beams
- −Fly jib or extension — including when it is stowed alongside the boom
- −Any lifting attachment or handling frame
What is left is the net capacity. The load divided by that figure is your utilisation — and many principal contractors set a threshold (commonly around 75–80%) above which the lift gets additional scrutiny or is treated as complex.
Every plan we produce shows this calculation on the face of the document — the configuration assumed, the gross chart figure, the deductions, the net capacity and the resulting utilisation. If a plan you have been sent does not show its working, that is exactly what our independent lift plan checking service is for.
When a mobile crane lift becomes a complex lift
Under BS 7121 the category of the lift drives how much planning it needs and who is competent to plan it. These push a mobile crane lift into the complex category:
- •Tandem or multi-crane lifts sharing a single load
- •Blind lifts, where the operator cannot see the load or the landing area
- •Lifting over occupied buildings, live highways or the public
- •Working near overhead power lines or railway infrastructure
- •Loads of unknown or uncertain weight, or awkward centre of gravity
- •Multiple cranes with overlapping operating radii
- •Lifting people — see our guide to man basket rules
Read more on basic, standard and complex lift categories.
Exclusion zones are drawn around the load, not the crane
A common shortcut is to draw the exclusion zone at the crane's operating radius. That is not enough. The zone has to account for the swept volume of the suspended load, the area the load could reach if it swung, and the ground it could reach if it fell.
- •Load dimensions and orientation through every part of the slew
- •Overhead power lines — HSE guidance note GS6 sets the clearance approach
- •Adjacent occupied buildings, scaffolds and other trades working below
- •Site boundaries, footpaths and the public interface
- •Physical segregation and who enforces it during the lift
Wind is planned the same way — there is no single legal limit, the manufacturer's chart governs, and load sail area changes everything. See crane wind speed limits.
Mobile crane lift plan FAQs
Does a 50 tonne crane lift 50 tonnes?
No. The tonnage in a crane name is its maximum capacity at minimum radius, on fully extended outriggers, with full counterweight, usually over the rear. At working radius with a longer boom the figure is far lower — and the hook block, rigging and any fly jib all deduct from it. The plan must show the net capacity for the actual configuration.
What is ground bearing pressure and why does it matter?
It is the load each outrigger imposes on the ground, measured in kPa. On outriggers the whole weight of the crane, counterweight and load is concentrated into four small pads, and during a slew one outrigger can carry a large share of it. If that pressure exceeds what the ground can carry, the outrigger sinks and the crane can overturn. It is the calculation most often missing or wrong in the plans we review.
What size crane mats do I need?
It depends on the peak outrigger reaction from the manufacturer data and the allowable bearing pressure of the ground. Divide the reaction by the allowable pressure to get the minimum area. A 589 kN reaction against 200 kPa allowable needs about 2.95 m² — roughly a 1.75 m square mat. The mat also has to be stiff enough to actually spread the load rather than punch through.
When is a mobile crane lift a complex lift?
Under BS 7121, tandem and multi-crane lifts, blind lifts, lifting over occupied buildings or the public, working near overhead power lines or railways, loads of unknown weight, overlapping crane radii and any lifting of people all point to the complex category. Complex lifts need an experienced Appointed Person and a fully site-specific written plan.
Do I still need a lift plan if the crane hire company is providing a contract lift?
Under a contract lift the crane hire company takes on the planning and supervision, and supplies the Appointed Person. That does not remove your duties as principal contractor under CDM 2015 to plan, manage and monitor lifting on your site. Most tier 1 contractors have the contract lift plan independently reviewed before accepting it — that is our lift plan checking service.
How much does a mobile crane lift plan cost?
Mobile crane plans typically fall in the £250–£500 range, with complex operations such as tandem lifts quoted individually and usually £500–£1,500. You get a fixed written price within 4 working hours of sending the details — no hourly billing, and revisions arising from principal contractor review are included.
How long does a mobile crane lift plan take?
Straightforward single-crane lifts are typically 3–5 working days from receiving complete information. Complex and tandem lifts take longer because they need engineering checks against the manufacturer load chart and independent review. If the lift is programme-critical, say so when you enquire and we will tell you honestly whether the date is achievable.
What information do you need to plan a mobile crane lift?
Load weight, dimensions and lifting points; the crane make, model and proposed configuration if already chosen; a site plan showing the set-up position and any constraints; ground investigation data or the allowable bearing pressure; details of overhead and underground services; and the intended dates. If some of that is missing we will tell you what matters most and what can wait.
What is a mobile crane lift plan?
A mobile crane lift plan is the documented safe system of work for a crane lifting operation, required under LOLER 1998 Regulation 8. It records the verified load, the crane configuration and its load chart capacity at the working radius, ground bearing pressure calculations, rigging arrangements, exclusion zones, and the method statement for the lift. It is prepared by a competent person — in practice a CPCS A61 Appointed Person.
Do you need a site visit to plan a mobile crane lift?
For mobile crane operations a site visit is usually included, because ground conditions, access, set-up position and proximity hazards have to be assessed on the ground rather than from drawings alone. Straightforward lifts with full site information and good photographs can sometimes be planned remotely, but we confirm the scope on every enquiry.
Mobile crane in practice
See a mobile crane lift we verified on site
Our Chorlton Baths balcony lift case study shows what a mobile crane operation looks like when it is planned and checked properly — steel balcony units lifted into place on a constrained urban frontage in Manchester, with a live highway alongside and the public segregated from the lift.
Read the case studyGet a quote for a mobile crane lift plan
07803 8080933 fields, 30 seconds. We reply within 4 working hours.
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Most projects need more than one of these. Here's what often pairs with this service.
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Ongoing CPCS A61 Appointed Person contracts with 8-weekly audits, documentation management, and on-call AP support.
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Load share calculation, crane derating, synchronised control and side loading — tandem and multi-crane lifts planned to BS 7121.
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LOLER compliant lift plans for excavators, telehandlers, mobile cranes and lorry loaders. 24-48 hour turnaround.
Learn moreSteel Erection Planning
Combined lift plan, method statement and risk assessment for structural steel erection. BS 5531 compliant.
Learn morePlanning a mobile crane lift?
Get a fixed-price quote from a CPCS Appointed Person. We cover mobile crane lifts across the UK, with same-day site attendance practical across the North West — including Manchester. Need plain lift plan writing for other plant? See our lift plan writing service.
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