Boom crane truck - Philadelphia area

out here rates are about 3-4k/month, and if you don't have means to pull it, hiring that is about $100/hr.  My nearest rental place is at least 2 hrs down the road, which means 4 hrs to pick up and to drop off, or 800 bucks just for transport, then the 3k for rental.  I bought one for a bit more than twice that (inc. new tires and delivery), so I could take a huge loss on it, and come out even.  I suspect that I'll be able to sell it for more than I bought it for.  Otherwise, I could rent it 3 times and pay for it.

If you can swing it, having equipment is generally better than renting it.

-Peter

I guess whether it reaches high enough depends on how many floors you're planning.  The boom crane is what is known as a sign crane, and was told it's load limit is around 1,300 pounds, (probably determined by the 1/4" load line.  6,800 lbs break strength, 20% working limit = 1,360 lbs) but it does look like it can be set up for a block and doubled line which would double the load limit. (though I'd probably think about not using it at full extension that way)  Without a manual, I'm cautious to work on the conservative side of things.  Also, I'm not even sure if the photo shows it at full extension.  Again, without a manual, I have no idea if there is a stop in the extension, and I didn't want to find out the hard way.  :-) 

Selling it to the wife can be relatively easy.  Take care of it, and you should be able to sell it for what you paid.  Plus it does double duty, as you can fetch bigger items your self, rather than paying to have them delivered.  All said and done, you should end up with more money in your pocket when you're done with it.

Come on by and take a look!