Mini crane hire · Sydney + Central Coast
Mini crane hire Sydney — the compact cranes that fit where a truck crane can’t.
Parramatta Cranes hires out Maeda mini cranes with a ticketed operator across Sydney and the Central Coast, 24 hours a day. Our two machines fold down to 750 mm and 1,280 mm wide, walk through a doorway or down a side path on rubber tracks, then set up on four outrigger legs. Close in they lift up to 2.98 tonnes, and the 305 reaches a 12.5 m hook height for lighter loads over a roof. Whether you searched for a mini crane, a small crane, a spider crane or a mini crawler crane, this is the page: the same two machines cover all four names, and everything you need to book one — sizes, capacities, rates and the questions builders ask us — is below.
- Access from 750 mm
- Up to 2.98 t · hook height to 12.5 m
- From $195/hr + GST, operator included
- 24/7 · Rydalmere + The Entrance
Two mini cranes, one phone call
Maeda 285 or Maeda 305 — we match the machine to your gap.
Every mini crane hire in Sydney comes down to two numbers: how wide is the narrowest point the crane has to pass through, and how far does the load have to reach once it is set up. Send us those two numbers (a photo of the gap with a tape measure across it is perfect) and we will tell you in one call which machine fits.
| Spec | Maeda MC285C-3 · “the little one” | Maeda MC305C-3 · “the reach” |
|---|---|---|
| Travel width | 750 mm — through a standard doorway or side gate | 1,280 mm — through a double gate or driveway |
| Max lift | 2.82 t at 1.4 m radius | 2.98 t at 2.5 m radius |
| Hook height | 8.7 m | 12.5 m — clears a two-storey roof |
| Max radius | 8.2 m (150 kg at full reach) | 12.2 m (260 kg at full reach) |
| All-up weight | 1,990 kg — works indoors and on suspended slabs | Heavier, but still runs on outrigger mats on most slabs |
| Setup footprint | 4.8 × 4.7 m on full outriggers, about 3.2 × 2.5 m in confined mode | 5.2 × 4.8 m on full outriggers, smaller on short legs |
| Best for | Indoor lifts, backyards through the house, renovations, steel through a window | Over-the-house sets, pool and spa shells, second-storey steel, roof beams, basements (hook travels 16 m below ground) |
| Rate | $195 per hour + GST | $205 per hour + GST |
| Full spec + range chart | Maeda 285 page | Maeda 305 page |
Both are true tracked spider cranes: rubber tracks to travel, four extendable outrigger legs to lift. The closer the crane sets up to the load, the more it can lift — so a 2 t beam that is easy at 3 m is out of reach at 8 m. That is why we ask for the reach, not just the weight. When the load has to travel further than the crane can reach, we add the tracked carrier, a 780 mm wide electric platform that carries up to 1.2 t through the house or down the side path to where the crane is waiting.
Mini, small, spider, crawler
Four names, one kind of crane.
Builders in Sydney call these machines four different things, and Google treats them as four different searches. They are not. Here is what each word is actually describing, and where to read more:
| Term | What it refers to | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Mini crane | The umbrella term — any compact crane built for restricted sites | You’re here |
| Small crane | The same thing, said by people who are not crane operators. If you searched for small crane hire in Sydney, a Maeda mini crane is almost certainly what you need | You’re here |
| Spider crane | The setup — four extendable outrigger “legs” that plant on uneven or tight ground | Spider crane hire |
| Crawler crane | The base — rubber tracks that drive over soft or rough ground without a truck | Crawler crane hire |
Our Maedas are all four at once: compact body, spider-leg outriggers, tracked base. Whichever word you used, you are looking at the right machine. Weighing one up against a Franna? The owner has years of Franna seat time and we do not hire Frannas out, so we can tell you straight when a Franna is the better call — see Franna crane hire Sydney. For the situations where nothing else fits, read tight access crane hire.
What Sydney hires mini cranes for
Lintels and structural steel for wall removals, extensions and knock-throughs — lifted over the house, through a window, or walked through the front door. See steel beam lifting.
Shopfronts, balustrades and oversized panels set with the Glassboy vacuum lifter on the hook — inside houses, on rooftops and in laneways. See glass lifter hire.
Fibreglass shells and spas lifted over the house with the 305, or carried down the side of the house on the tracked carrier when powerlines rule out the lift.
Packaged units, condensers, switchboards and equipment onto low roofs, into plant rooms and through factory doors.
The 285 weighs under two tonnes, so it works inside warehouses, on suspended slabs and on upper floors of high-rise sites where a wheeled crane cannot go.
Pallets of bricks and pavers, roof trusses, bulk bags, timber packs and landscaping stone into yards with no side access for a truck.
On the job
Mini crane hire rates Sydney
The rates, with nothing hidden.
Most crane hire quotes arrive as one number. Ours are built from this card, and travel to and from your site plus GST are the only things added on top. Every hire is wet hire — a licensed operator is always included in the hourly rate, so there is no separate operator charge and you do not need your own crane licence.
| Machine | Hourly rate | 6-hour minimum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maeda 285 mini crane | $195 per hour + GST | $1,170 + travel + GST | Operator included |
| Maeda 305 mini crane | $205 per hour + GST | $1,230 + travel + GST | Operator included |
| Tracked carrier (TC1) | $800 per day + GST | Day rate | Walks the load in where the crane cannot reach |
| Glassboy 600 vacuum lifter | $400 per day + GST | Day rate, every day of the hire | Pairs with either crane for glass |
Three jobs we run every week, priced from the card: heavy materials up to a first floor with the 285 or 305 for six hours is $1,170 to $1,230; steel beams into a tight-access renovation with the 285 plus the tracked carrier for the day is $1,970; glass panels into a home with the 305 plus the Glassboy is $1,630. All plus travel and GST.
The minimum is six hours on site plus travel. Most residential lifts finish inside that. If a job runs over, we keep charging the same hourly rate in 15-minute increments — not rounded up to another hour, and never a surprise second day. Longer projects get weekly and monthly rates. The full card, including lifting gear, crew and after-hours rates, is on our mini crane hire prices guide.
How a mini crane hire runs
Text us a photo of the narrowest access point with a tape across it, the load weight, and where it has to land. Or use the instant estimator.
We check the reach against the crane’s real load chart and tell you honestly whether it is the 285, the 305, or crane plus carrier. See how to prepare your site.
The crane arrives on our truck, unloads at the kerb and drives itself to the setup point on its tracks — through the door, down the side, across the slab.
Outriggers out on mats, operator and dogman run the lift, then the crane folds up and tracks back out. Six hours covers most jobs including setup.
The numbers that matter
The fleet behind this page
Maeda 285
Maeda 305
Tracked carrier
Glassboy 600What builders say
“A structural steel job in Arcadia Vale with extremely difficult access. Three companies said they couldn’t do it — Alex did it with no trouble. 10/10, highly recommend!”
“We used Parramatta Cranes for a job we couldn’t reach with our normal 40t crane. Efficient, no time wasting, straight to the cut. Job done — highly recommended!”
“A very difficult job — 8 tonnes of pebbles moved between two houses and lifted onto a rear rooftop, with multiple machines in a tight space. Most wouldn’t attempt it. Alex does what he says he will.”
Where we hire mini cranes
Sydney jobs run from our Rydalmere depot, Central Coast and Newcastle-side jobs from our base at The Entrance. Travel is quoted from the nearer base, both ways, before you book — there is no float or mobilisation fee on top.
Why hire your mini crane from us
- Tight access is all we do — three generations of crane and rigging experience, and a fleet chosen for the sites big crane companies turn down
- Ticketed operator on every hire — plus riggers and dogmen where the lift needs them, fully insured, WHS documentation and lift plans supplied
- An honest answer on the machine — the owner is an experienced Franna operator, so if a Franna or a mobile crane is the better call for your site, we will say so
- Two bases — Rydalmere for Sydney, The Entrance for the Central Coast — so travel is short and quoted straight
- Open 24/7 — night shifts, weekends and after-hours retail and CBD work
- Rates published — everything above is on our pricing guide, so you can compare before you call
Frequently asked questions
How much does mini crane hire cost in Sydney?
What is the difference between a mini crane, a spider crane and a crawler crane?
How narrow an access can a mini crane get through?
What can a mini crane lift, and how high?
Is a small crane cheaper than a mobile crane?
Can a mini crane work indoors or on a suspended slab?
How much room does a mini crane need to set up?
Do you provide an operator, or can I dry hire a mini crane?
What do I need to have ready before the crane arrives?
Do you hire mini cranes across all of Sydney and the Central Coast?
Get the right mini crane for your job. Text a photo of the gap to 0434 242 777, or get an instant estimate. Sydney + Central Coast, open 24/7.