Hiab hire is hiring a lorry-mounted crane, with its operator, to deliver a load and lift it into place in one visit. WB Services UK Ltd hires small, medium, long reach (up to 32m) and heavy lifting Hiabs, each with a trained, ALLMI-qualified operator, across London and the South East from our Dartford depot. Same-day hires available.
Working in the capital? See Hiab hire London. Based in Kent, our depot is close to the A2 and the M25.
What is Hiab hire?
Hiab is the common name for a lorry-mounted crane. The truck delivers the load and its own crane lifts it into place, so you often don't need a separate mobile crane or forklift on site. One vehicle, one visit: the load arrives, the stabilisers go down and the crane places it where you need it, whether that's a pallet of blocks on a driveway, steel on a slab or a cabin over a hoarding.
Hiab (lorry loader crane): A truck with its own crane, also called a lorry-mounted crane or lorry loader. It delivers the load and lifts it into place in one visit.
Every Hiab hire from WB Services comes with an operator. Our trained, ALLMI-qualified driver operates the crane, so you don't need to find a crane operator yourself.
Our Hiabs: small to long reach
- Small Hiabs for tight residential streets, building materials and everyday site deliveries.
- Medium Hiabs for heavier loads such as cabins, plant, steel and pallets of materials. See mid-sized Hiab hire for the medium Hiab specifications.
- Long reach Hiabs with up to 32m reach for lifting over buildings, scaffolds, hoardings and gardens.
- Heavy lifting Hiabs for the biggest loads, matched to the weight and the radius.
For the biggest jobs, our Volvo FMX with a Fassi F1050 and L436 flyjib gives a 37m tip height and up to 33.4m hydraulic outreach.
| Crane class | Typical jobs | Max hydraulic reach | With fly jib | Max capacity (close in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Hiabs | Pallets, building materials, garden and domestic lifts | 12.25–14.55m | Ask us | 8,000–11,500kg |
| Medium Hiabs | Steel, plant, cabins and general site lifts | 14.4–16.3m | Ask us | 13,500–15,500kg |
| Long reach Hiabs | Lifts over buildings, scaffolds and gardens; glazing | 18.25–18.3m | Up to 32m | 16,000–21,500kg |
| Heavy lifting Hiabs | Heavy machinery, containers, large plant | 19.65m | Ask us | 22,000kg |
| F1050 HXP + L436 fly jib | The biggest reach jobs: roof-level glazing, steel and plant | 21.7m (main boom) | 33.4m hydraulic outreach · 37m tip height | 22,000kg (main boom, close in) |
Typical figures by crane class from our manufacturer load charts. Every lift is checked against the actual chart for the machine, the radius and the set-up. See our Hiab fleet and the full which crane do I need? guide.
Hiab, spider crane or mobile crane: which do you need?
Use a Hiab when the load needs delivering and lifting from the road; use a spider crane when access is too tight for a truck or the lift is indoors; WB Services does not offer mobile or crawler cranes.
A Hiab is usually the simplest answer when the truck can park near the drop zone: it brings the load and lifts it in the same visit. When the lift is through a doorway, inside a building, in a courtyard or a back garden the truck can't reach, a compact Jekko spider crane can be set up on a small footprint and the Hiab can deliver it, and the load, to site.
| Hiab (lorry-mounted crane) | Jekko spider crane | Mobile crane | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A truck with its own crane: delivers the load and lifts it in one visit | Compact tracked crane that fits through narrow gaps and doorways and sets up on a small footprint | A separate crane set up on site |
| Best for | Road-side deliveries and lifts; long reach over buildings, scaffolds, hoardings and gardens | Indoor lifts, courtyards, back gardens, rooftops; glazing and plant installs | Lifts beyond the reach or capacity of a Hiab |
| Reach / capacity | Long reach up to 32m; F1050 37m tip height, up to 33.4m outreach. See which crane do I need? | 2,800kg to 8,000kg lifting capacity; SPX328 and SPX532 fit through a standard doorway | n/a |
| Delivers the load too? | Yes | No. Can be combined with a Hiab delivery | No |
| Offered by WB Services? | Yes. See our Hiab fleet | Yes. See Jekko spider crane hire | No. WB Services does not offer mobile or crawler cranes |
With the L436 flyjib fitted, the F1050 reaches the places other Hiabs can't, so many jobs that would need a mobile crane can be done from the truck.
Not sure? Send us the load, the distance and the access and we'll tell you whether a Hiab or a spider crane is the better fit, or whether both together work best.
Same-day and urgent Hiab hire
Same-day hires available. Our line is diverted 24/7, so call free on 0800 032 5021 with the postcode and the load and we'll check availability. Our depot on Green Street Green Road, Dartford is close to the A2 and the M25, which puts London, Kent, Essex and Surrey within easy reach.
What affects the cost of Hiab hire?
The cost of Hiab hire depends mainly on the mileage to your site, whether the job is in the day, at night or at the weekend, and the size of Hiab the lift needs.
Every job is priced on its own details, so the more you can tell us about the site and the load, the quicker we can come back with a price.
| What affects the price | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Mileage | The distance from our Dartford depot to your site and back |
| Time of the job | Day, night or weekend work |
| Size of Hiab | Small, medium, long reach or heavy lifting, matched to the weight of the load and the distance to the drop zone. See which crane do I need? |
For a price, call free on 0800 032 5021 or send the quote form with your postcode and load details.
CPA hire or a CPA contract lift
With standard CPA hire you get the Hiab and a trained operator, and you plan and supervise the lift. If you'd rather hand it over, book a CPA contract lifting service: our Appointed Person plans the lift, with 2D/3D CAD lift plans and RAMS, and we supply the crane supervisor and slinger/signaller and manage the lift on the day.
Appointed Person: The person who plans the lift. Under a CPA contract lift, our Appointed Person plans it and we send you a 2D/3D CAD lift plan, drawings and RAMS.
What we lift
Building materials, steel, glass and glazing, cabins, containers, plant and machinery, and garden lifts over the house. We also provide Hiab and lifting support for rail projects, including possession work, weekends and nights. For moving loads into tight spaces after the lift, see tracked carrier hire and machinery installation, and browse recent lifts and case studies.
What we need to quote
- Site postcode
- The load, with weight and size (a best guess is fine)
- Distance from the kerb to the drop zone
- Any access limits
- Preferred date and time (day, night or weekend)
- Photos of the site, if you have them
Get a Hiab hire quote or use the form below.
Standards and accreditations
Our trucks are FORS Gold accredited, CLOCS compliant and meet the Direct Vision Standard, with Euro 6 engines. We hold ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, and we're members of the CPA, RHA and ALLMI. Read more about our accreditations.
Where we cover
We hire Hiabs across London, Kent, Essex, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and the wider South East, from our depot on Green Street Green Road, Dartford DA2 8DP.
Hiab hire London · Hiab hire in Dartford and Kent · Hiab hire Essex · Hiab hire Surrey and South London · Hiab hire Hertfordshire · Hiab hire Buckinghamshire · Hiab hire Berkshire · all areas we cover.
Related services: CPA contract lifting · spider crane hire · tracked carrier hire · machinery installation · general haulage · our trucks.