A mobile crane pre-lift check is not really a list, it is a sequence of gates. Each one has to be satisfied before the next matters, and a failure at any of them means the hook does not move regardless of how the rest of the machine looks. Ground conditions being wrong makes a perfect boom irrelevant. An outrigger not fully deployed makes the load chart meaningless. Treating these as items to tick in any order is how a crew ends up rigged and ready before anyone checks whether the configuration was ever within capacity. Running them as gates takes no longer and fails safely, and you can see the digital version in a free 30-minute demo.
Mobile Crane Pre-Lift Checklist — Run It as Gates, Not a List
Boom, outriggers, wire rope, hook and shackle, load chart, and operator authorisation, sequenced so a failure stops the lift at the point it is found rather than after the crew has rigged.
Five Gates Before the Hook Moves
The Checks Nobody Can See You Skip
Gates one to four leave physical evidence when they are done. Gate five does not, which is why it is the one most often assumed rather than performed.
Load weight
An estimate from a drawing or a supplier is not a confirmation, and rigging weight is frequently left out of it entirely.
Working radius
Measured at both pick and set-down, since capacity falls away sharply as radius increases.
Chart column
The right chart for the actual counterweight, outrigger position, and boom configuration in use today.
Authorisation
Current authorisation for this crane class, recorded rather than assumed from familiarity.
Run This as a Digital Gate Sequence
Each gate completed on a phone, with a critical failure raising a work order and notifying the site engineer immediately.
What a Critical Fail Sets Off
Marked fail with photo evidence attached at the gate where it was found.
Work order generated automatically and routed to the responsible supervisor.
Crane held until the item is closed and re-checked, not merely noted.
Parts, labour, and downtime logged against that crane's own history.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why sequence the checks rather than let the operator work through them freely?
Because the later checks depend on the earlier ones being true. A load chart calculation is only valid for the outrigger configuration actually deployed, so confirming stability first prevents a valid-looking calculation for a setup that does not exist. You can see the sequence on a demo call.
Does this replace a thorough examination or load test?
No. This is the pre-use check before a lift. Statutory examinations, load tests, and rope inspections run on their own intervals and are recorded separately against the crane.
How long does the full sequence take an operator?
A few minutes when items are grouped in the order the operator moves around and through the setup, with pass cleared by a single tap and detail captured by photo or voice note.
Can it be completed without signal on remote sites?
Yes. The whole sequence completes offline and syncs when the device reaches coverage, preserving the original completion time.
Does the checklist library cover other equipment?
Yes, including excavators, dump trucks, tippers, DG sets, and other plant machinery. Start with a free trial to load your own equipment.
Fail the Lift at the Gate, Not Under Load
Run ground, outriggers, boom, rope and rigging, and load verification as a sequence where each gate has to hold before the next one counts, with critical failures raising a work order and holding the crane until they are closed.
