If the load has to be carried across the yard and set down in different places, the straddle carrier usually wins on cost per move because it replaces a crane plus a transport vehicle. If the load only has to be lifted and stacked within a small area, a reach stacker is enough and costs far less to buy. The crossover is not a capacity figure — it is the loaded travel distance multiplied by the number of moves.
The two machines are often compared as if they were alternatives at the same job. They are not. A reach stacker is a yard crane with a boom: it reaches, lifts and stacks, and it can travel a short distance with the load held low. A straddle carrier is a gantry on wheels: the load sits inside its portal and the machine drives with it, so horizontal transport is part of the machine rather than a separate operation.
That single difference explains most of the commercial outcome, and it is why two projects with the same tonnage can reach opposite conclusions.
1. Two different jobs
Put the two machines through the same four-step cycle and the difference becomes concrete.
- Reach stacker: pick from a stack or a trailer, retract the boom, travel with the load low, extend and place, then return empty for the next box. The travel is possible but it is not what the machine is designed around, so it is slow, and the operator's sight line over a long load is limited.
- Straddle carrier: pick from the row, drive with the load inside the portal, place directly in the destination row or on the trailer, then return. No second vehicle is involved at any point.
In a small yard where every move is a short pick-and-stack, the reach stacker performs the whole cycle efficiently. In a yard where the load travels a few hundred metres between the storage rows and the dispatch bay, the reach stacker needs a tractor and trailer to be productive — and that extra vehicle, its driver and its own cycle have to be paid for.
2. Head to head
| Item | Straddle carrier | Reach stacker |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Lift, carry and place in one cycle | Lift and stack within reach |
| Capacity | 10–500 t; container duty typically 30–80 t | Typically 30–45 t |
| Stacking | 1-over-1 to 1-over-3 | 1-over-2 to 1-over-4 |
| Loaded travel | Part of the design cycle | Short; longer moves need a trailer |
| Load path | Load travels inside the portal, low | Load carried on the boom, with the boom retracted |
| Aisle demand | Clear route for the full swept path | Space for the rear counterweight and boom swing |
| Ground | Load spread over several wheel stations | Concentrated on the front axle when laden |
| Non-container loads | Frames, saddles, clamps, multi-point lifting | Limited by the attachment and the boom rating |
| Entry cost | Higher per unit | Lower per unit |
| Machines per move | One | One, or two with a trailer |
Typical figures only. Both families are configured to the duty; the straddle carrier range extends far beyond container work, which is where most of the comparisons stop being like-for-like.
3. Decompose the cycle before comparing prices
Cost per move is a division: total cost of owning and running the equipment, divided by the moves it completes. The numerator is easy to argue about and the denominator is usually ignored — yet the denominator is where the two machines diverge.
Time a real cycle, stage by stage, for both options:
- Pick. Approach, align and lift. Similar for both, though a reach stacker needs boom extension and a straddle carrier needs portal alignment.
- Travel laden. This is the decisive stage. On a straddle carrier it is the design case: the load is inside the portal and the machine drives. On a reach stacker it is a compromise: boom retracted, load low, speed limited, and often a second vehicle is used instead.
- Place. Setting down in a row or on a trailer. A straddle carrier can place directly onto a trailer; a reach stacker can too, but the approach and the boom geometry constrain the position.
- Return empty. Short for both in a compact yard; decisive over a long route, because the empty return is pure overhead.
Multiply the cycle time by the number of moves and the labour rate, and the reach stacker's lower purchase price starts to compete with a second vehicle, a second driver and a longer cycle.
4. Cost per move, built from six inputs
Any honest comparison uses the same six inputs for both machines. Fill them in once, and the decision usually makes itself.
Capital, annualised
Purchase price spread over the service life, plus finance. Include attachments and the trailer if one is needed.
Civil works
Slab, joints, drainage, route reinforcement. The reach stacker concentrates load at the front axle; the carrier spreads it but covers more ground.
Energy
Fuel or electricity per operating hour. Loaded travel is the dominant term, which is why route length matters more than capacity in this comparison.
Tyres and wear
Driven by surface, wheel load and steering. Both machines wear tyres faster in tight yards with frequent turning.
Maintenance
Planned service plus repair. Reach stackers have a boom and hydraulic system; carriers have more wheel stations and steering components.
Labour and downtime
Operators per move, and the cost of an hour when the machine is stopped. Two machines for one move doubles this term.
Divide the total by annual moves. A reach stacker with the lowest capital cost can still lose if it needs a trailer for half its moves; a straddle carrier can lose if the yard is so compact that its travel capability is never used.
5. Where a reach stacker stops being enough
Reach stackers are excellent machines inside their envelope. The envelope ends at five points:
- The load exceeds the attachment rating. The 30–45 t class covers standard containers and many heavy units, not a 60 t precast beam or a 90 t module.
- The load is long or flexible. Beyond the spreader or the fork frame, the load needs multiple lifting points and controlled synchronisation. That is a frame on a carrier, not a boom on a stacker.
- Loaded travel becomes routine. Once the average loaded move is a few hundred metres rather than a few dozen, the travel stage dominates the cycle and a trailer becomes necessary.
- The yard is congested. A reach stacker needs room behind it for the counterweight and the boom swing. In a tight yard that space is the difference between a workable aisle and a blocked one.
- Ground is weak. The laden front axle is a concentrated load. On a marginal slab, the carrier's distributed wheel stations may be the only option that avoids reinforcement.
6. Starting with a reach stacker and adding a carrier
Many yards do not choose once. They start with a reach stacker because the volume is low, then add a straddle carrier when the route lengthens or the product mix changes. That path works if the layout is planned for it:
- Leave aisle width and corner radii for the carrier from the beginning, not just for the stacker.
- Keep the heaviest future load in the slab calculation, so the route does not need rebuilding.
- Plan the loading bay so both machines can reach it without blocking each other.
- Decide where the carrier will park, charge or refuel before it arrives.
Layout is harder to change than equipment. A yard designed for the second machine costs almost nothing extra at the concrete stage and a great deal afterwards.
Comparison FAQ
Is a reach stacker cheaper than a straddle carrier?
At purchase, usually yes. Over the life of the project it depends on how far the load travels and whether a trailer is needed. Compare cost per move, not the invoice.
Can a reach stacker handle 45 ft containers?
Yes, with a spreader rated for the size, within the machine's capacity at the resulting load centre. Check the attachment, not just the headline capacity.
Can a straddle carrier replace two reach stackers?
In some yards. A carrier that carries the load directly can remove the trailer from the cycle, and one machine may cover the moves that two stackers plus a tractor were doing. Confirm it with the real cycle time, not with a move count.
Which machine is better for a container depot?
For dense stacking in a compact area, a reach stacker or an RTG is usually more land-efficient. For horizontal transport across a large depot with moderate stacking, a straddle carrier is usually the better fit. The three-way comparison covers the RTG case.
Which one is easier to operate?
Both need trained operators. The reach stacker demands boom and load-moment judgement; the carrier demands route and clearance judgement, particularly with long loads at corners. Neither is a machine to hand to an untrained driver.