Artic HIAB hire
For the loads a rigid will not take
Most of what we move goes out on a rigid HIAB, because most loads fit one. Then somebody asks about a run of steel columns, a long tank, a full size cabin or a machine that is simply bigger than a rigid bed, and the answer is an artic.
An articulated HIAB is a tractor unit with the HIAB crane behind the cab and a trailer behind that. The trailer carries the length and the weight. The HIAB does the lifting at both ends. It is one vehicle, one driver and one visit, which is the whole point of hiring a HIAB rather than a flatbed and a separate lift.
We run flat trailers, and extendable trailers for anything long enough that it needs supporting along its full length. Tell us what the load is and we will pick the trailer for it.
What goes on the artic
The artic HIAB work we get asked for
- Structural steel, beams, columns and fabricated sections
- Long loads that need an extendable trailer under them
- Full size portable cabins and modular units
- Plant and industrial machines too big for a rigid bed
- Tanks, vessels and silos going to a fixed position on site
- Precast concrete planks, panels and units
- Timber frame panels and building components
- Collections straight from a fabricator or a manufacturer
- Long distance runs where the lift is needed at the far end
- Multiple items on one trailer to save a second journey
Access decides whether an artic is the right answer
An artic will carry more than anything else we run, but it needs the room to do it. It has to get in, it has to be able to stand somewhere the HIAB can work from, and it has to get back out again. A gateway that a rigid will walk through can stop an artic dead.
So when you email, describe the site as well as the load. Width of the entrance, any parked cars, overhead cables, a soft verge, a tight turn at the end of the street. None of those necessarily stop the job, but they change which vehicle we send. If an artic will not fit, we will say so and put a wagon and drag on it instead.
People ask for this as artic HIAB hire, articulated lorry hire or simply a big HIAB truck. They all mean the same booking: a tractor unit, a trailer long enough for the load and a lifting arm that can put it down at the far end.
Common questions
Artic HIAB hire, answered
When do I need an artic rather than a rigid?
Usually when the load is too long for a rigid bed, too heavy for one, or both. Steelwork, long sections, big cabins and machines are the common ones. You do not have to work it out yourself. Tell us what the item is and roughly how long it is and we will tell you which vehicle it goes on.
Does the artic come with the lift, or do I need something on site?
It comes with the lift. The HIAB crane is on the unit, so the same vehicle that carries the load takes it off and puts it where you want it. Nothing else has to meet us and nobody on your side needs to attend with lifting kit.
What is an extendable trailer for?
For loads that are longer than a standard flat will carry safely. The trailer draws out so the load sits properly supported along its length rather than hanging off the back.
Can an artic get onto my site?
That is the real question with an artic, and it is worth talking through before the day. An artic needs room to swing in and room to get back out. Some yards and most farm tracks are not it. If access is tight we will tell you straight away and suggest a rigid or a wagon and drag instead.
Is the driver trained to do the lift?
Yes. Every vehicle goes out with one of our own drivers, ALLMI and CPCS trained. We only do operated hire, so the lorry always arrives with the person who is going to work it.
Do you run artics outside Manchester?
Regularly. We are based in Miles Platting and work across Greater Manchester and the North West every day, and we run long distance jobs into England, Scotland and Wales. A long load going from a Manchester fabricator to a site in the Midlands is the same job with more motorway in it.
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