If you’re shopping for a truck-mounted crane in Texas, three names come up again and again: Hyde, Tiger Cranes, and Autocrane. All three make solid truck cranes used by oilfield crews, utility contractors, and heavy-duty service trucks across the Lone Star State — but they’re not created equal. Here’s a straight-shooting breakdown to help you pick the right one for your rig and your work.
Why Truck-Mounted Cranes Matter in Texas
Texas is a working state. From oilfield pads in the Permian Basin to telecom contractors running lines across the Hill Country, a truck crane isn’t a luxury — it’s a core piece of your operation. The right crane means you can load pipe, set equipment, and move heavy materials without waiting on a separate lift crew. The wrong one means downtime, callbacks, and money left on the table.
Hyde Truck Cranes
Hyde cranes have a loyal following, particularly in the utility and telecom world. They’re known for being rugged and relatively straightforward to operate. Key characteristics:
- Capacity range: Typically 3-ton to 5-ton models
- Strength: Simple mechanical design, easy field repair
- Weakness: Older product line — less innovation in recent years compared to competitors
- Best for: Utility crews, telecom work, light-to-medium lift applications
Hyde cranes are a workhorse choice, but buyers often find the product lineup hasn’t kept pace with the feature sets of Tiger or Autocrane in terms of modern controls and reach.
Tiger Cranes
Tiger Cranes are built specifically for the North American service truck market — and it shows. They offer a wide range of capacities, from light-duty picker cranes up to serious heavy lifters used in oilfield and pipeline work. Star Truck Equipment carries Tiger Cranes in Wharton, TX, making them our go-to recommendation for most Texas buyers.
- Capacity range: 3,500 lb-ft to 30,000+ lb-ft
- Models: Tiger T-Series and HD Series for heavy applications
- Strength: American-built, competitive pricing, strong dealer support network, fast parts availability
- Best for: Oilfield service trucks, mechanics trucks, contractor fleets — anywhere you need reliability and local support
- Control options: Hydraulic and remote control configurations available
Tiger Cranes mount cleanly onto crane body service trucks and integrate well with STI crane bodies and similar work truck platforms. If you’re building a crane truck from scratch or replacing an aging crane, Tiger is hard to beat for value at this price point.
Autocrane
Autocrane (now part of Manitex International) is one of the most recognized names in the truck crane world. They’ve been building cranes for over 60 years and have a strong presence in utility, construction, and oil and gas.
- Capacity range: Light picker cranes to 18+ ton models
- Strength: Broad product lineup, strong brand recognition, extensive dealer network
- Weakness: Higher price point; can have longer lead times on custom configurations
- Best for: Large fleet buyers, municipal and utility companies, buyers who need a wide range of crane sizes under one brand umbrella
Autocrane is a premium buy. For smaller fleets or owner-operators watching their capital, the price premium over Tiger Cranes may be hard to justify when the application is the same.
Side-by-Side Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hyde | Tiger Cranes | Autocrane |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity Range | 3–5 ton | 1.75–15+ ton | 2–18+ ton |
| Market Focus | Utility / Telecom | Oilfield / Contractor | Utility / Construction |
| Price Point | Mid | Mid-to-High | Premium |
| Innovation | Moderate | Strong | Strong |
| Parts Availability (Texas) | Moderate | Excellent | Good |
| Dealer Support in Texas | Limited | ✅ Star Truck Equipment | Regional dealers |
Which Crane Should You Buy?
Here’s the short version:
- If you need a serious oilfield or contractor crane and want strong local support in Texas, go with Tiger Cranes. We carry and install them at Star Truck Equipment in Wharton, TX.
- If you’re running a large utility fleet and already have an Autocrane service relationship, Autocrane remains a solid choice.
- If you’re replacing a legacy Hyde crane, it may be time to upgrade — Tiger offers comparable capacity with better modern engineering.
Buy or Install a Truck Crane in Texas
Star Truck Equipment is located in Wharton, TX and serves buyers across Texas and Louisiana — including oilfield country, the Gulf Coast corridor, and major metro areas like Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas.
We can help you configure a complete crane truck build — from the truck chassis and crane body to the Tiger Crane itself — or answer questions about swapping out an existing crane on an older service truck.
👉 Check out our crane bodies for sale or browse our full selection of truck service bodies.
📞 Call us at (979) 532-1486 — we’re here to help you find the right crane for your truck and your job.
