Project Overview
About This Project
NorthPoint Equipment Rentals provided a telehandler rental to a commercial construction general contractor in Plymouth, NH for a two-week steel and material placement phase on a new commercial building. The contractor needed elevated reach with significant lift capacity — but the project scope didn’t justify the cost of a crane rental.
NorthPoint deployed a JLG telehandler with 10,000-pound lift capacity and 55-foot boom reach. The telehandler handled structural steel placement, roofing material staging, lumber and sheathing delivery to upper floors, and masonry block placement — tasks that previously required crane scheduling at $3,000–$5,000 per day on similar projects.
The Challenge
What the Job Demanded
The Plymouth commercial construction project had material handling demands that fell between what a forklift could reach and what a crane was economically justified for:
Reach requirements: Roofing material and structural steel needed placement at 28–35 feet elevation — beyond a standard forklift’s reach but well within telehandler range. Weight requirements: Steel beam bundles and masonry pallets ran 4,000–8,000 pounds — within telehandler capacity but requiring a machine with substantial reach-at-load ratings. Site mobility: The uneven construction site had soft areas, gravel, and rough grade transitions that demanded all-wheel drive and rough-terrain capability. Scheduling: Crane availability in the Plymouth area ran 3–4 days out, and per-day costs were adding up quickly on a tight schedule.
The Solution
Equipment Deployed
NorthPoint supplied a JLG telehandler combining forklift functionality with boom reach — the right tool for elevated material placement that doesn’t need the full power and cost of a crane.
Rough-terrain telehandler combining forklift versatility with boom reach for elevated material handling on construction sites. Four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering provide mobility on uneven, soft, and graded construction terrain. Accepts fork frame, bucket, and jib attachments for versatile material handling configurations. Replaces crane for most routine elevated placement tasks at a fraction of crane mobilization cost. Standard choice for NH commercial construction, barn framing, and roofing material staging projects.
Implementation Timeline
2-Week Commercial Deployment
The JLG telehandler was on site for the full two-week structural and envelope phase, handling multiple task types simultaneously with crew.
Telehandler delivered to Plymouth site Monday. Used for structural steel beam placement at 28–35 ft elevation. 4WD all-terrain capability navigated the rough graded site without getting stuck. All structural steel placed on schedule.
Fork frame swapped for masonry attachment. Concrete block pallets staged and placed at ground and mezzanine level. 10,000 lb capacity handled full block pallets without approaching rated limits — consistent safe operating margin throughout.
Roofing material pallets staged to roof deck at 32 ft elevation. Telehandler’s 55-ft max reach allowed placement on far roof sections without relocating the machine. Significant time savings versus manual carry from ground.
Remaining lumber and sheathing deliveries to upper floor. Final material staging completed. Machine returned to NorthPoint Friday afternoon. GC confirmed all material placement tasks completed on schedule.
Results
What Was Achieved
The telehandler replaced crane scheduling on all material placement tasks for the two-week structural and envelope phase — at a fraction of per-day crane rental cost.
We saved a significant amount by renting the telehandler instead of scheduling a crane for the structural phase. NorthPoint had it on site next day. Handled everything we needed at a fraction of the cost.
Jeff R. — General Contractor, Plymouth, NH
Key Takeaways
What This Project Demonstrates
This project demonstrates why telehandlers have replaced cranes on most routine NH commercial construction material placement tasks — better scheduling availability, fraction of the cost, and equivalent performance for standard reach and lift requirements.