You've all had great insight into the crane issue, thanks for the input.
We have always planned ahead budgetarily for the hired crane and have had good success. But as stated in my initial post, I believe we can do better by doing it ourselves. Since the start of this thread, I've done considerable research into owning and maintaining a small (10 ton - 60' boom) truck crane. The rough numbers work out to be about $1,000 per month to own and operate. With 4-5 raisings per year, plus assorted panel installations, it will work out to almost exactly the same amount of money as if I was hiring a crane. Then, if I do one full days work for another TF company each month, I'm putting $10,000 a year into our business, more than paying for the cost of owning the crane.
For me, this is an exciting opportunity to make my business more efficient, ultimately improving the finished quality of our frames and panel installs. I also like the freedom of not relying on outside help and their often busy schedules. I'll be able to get our crane onto a jobsite when the road is frozen and not worry about mud season complications (real life in Vermont). So yes, I've decided to buy a crane and go for it. And if it doesn't work out, I can always sell it...
Here's to a safe and productive building season!
