Lift Planning
By Mike Larson
Lift Planning Support
Powerful programs make designing and doing crane work smoother, safer, and more efficient
Lift planning software gives engineers, fleet managers, crane users, crane operators, and safety teams powerful digital tools to design, simulate, and verify lifts before equipment reaches a jobsite.
Three major companies are in the business of providing lift planning programs for U. S. crane operations.
They are A1A Software, CRANIMAX, and LiftPlanner Software.
Lift planners can purchase access to those companies’ planning programs, which generally include information about cranes from the principal manufacturers serving the U. S., including Broderson, Grove, Kobelco, Liebherr, Link-Belt, Load King, Manitowoc, National Crane, Sany, Shuttlelift, Tadano, Raimondi( formerly Terex), XCMG, Zoomlion, and others.
Link-Belt and the Manitowoc brands( Grove, Manitowoc, National Crane, and Shuttlelift) sponsor their cranes in A1A’ s 3D Lift Plan, so users of that program can
select those crane brands for free.
In addition, Manitowoc has a similar arrangement with CRANIMAX’ s CRANEbee lift planning program.
Other crane manufacturers, including Liebherr and Tadano, have developed their own lift planning software, which they offer their customers.
Here’ s a rundown of the lift planning software available to crane users in the U. S.
A1A Software
A1A Software produces 3D Lift Plan and related lift planning programs that work with a variety of crane brands.
Founder and president Tawnia Weiss talked about A1A’ s lift planning programs.
General Description: A1A’ s lift planning software helps crane professionals plan lifts more safely, efficiently, and accurately.
Our tools allow users to select cranes, visualize lifts in 3D, evaluate jobsite conditions, plan rigging, calculate ground bearing pressures, and create clear lift documentation.
The idea is to give users a better understanding of the entire lift before equipment arrives on site.
Key Features and Benefits: One of the biggest benefits is being able to visualize the lift before it happens.
Users can position cranes, loads, and jobsite objects; check clearances and capacities; review rigging; and identify potential problems early in the planning process.
That can improve safety, reduce costly in-field changes, and help everyone involved communicate from the same plan.
Our product suite includes tools for lift planning, rigging design, jobsite design, and sketching, so users can handle more of the planning process within one connected group of applications.
Types of Cranes: We support a wide variety of cranes, from smaller
The extensive crane library of A1A Software’ s 3D LiftPlan includes models from many leading manufacturers in a wide range of configurations.
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November 2026 • www. cranehotline. com