10 Questions You Should to Know about Towable Light Towers

Author: Geoff

Apr. 28, 2025

Portable Light Towers: Everything You Need to Know

Portable Light Towers: Everything You Need to Know

Portable Light Towers: Everything You Need to Know

Reading time: 7 min

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit our website.

Some construction projects, like road repair or utility maintenance, can only be carried out at night. When project managers don’t have the benefit of sunlight, they rely on light towers to provide adequate lighting to job sites, improving safety and ensuring deadlines are met.

Also called construction lights or towable light plants, light towers consist of a trailer, a tall mast with lamps mounted to it and a diesel generator. Light towers represent a portable, efficient and dependable way to provide lighting on job sites. 

Let’s go over the benefits of portable light towers, how they’re used in industries like construction and what to look out for when purchasing one.

What are Portable Light Towers Used For?

Portable light towers are used to provide lighting in a number of settings like construction sites, mines, warehouses and sporting events. Since they’re portable and generate their own power, light towers are essential in situations where electricity is unavailable.

Here are some of the most popular uses for portable light towers:

  • Outdoor events and concerts
  • Construction sites
  • Roadwork and maintenance
  • Emergency response and disaster relief
  • Mining and exploration sites
  • Film and television productions
  • Sports fields and arenas
  • Military operations
  • Parking lots and garages
  • Agricultural operations and farming
  • Nighttime security and surveillance

Pros and Cons of Portable Light Towers

The primary advantages of working with portable light towers are that they can be moved around and generate their own power. Therefore, portable light towers can provide lighting in situations where electricity is otherwise unavailable. Portable light towers can be set up and taken down quickly and easily.

Compared to traditional lighting sources, like hard-wired street lamps, portable light towers require considerable maintenance. Since most portable light towers feature diesel engines, they need to be refueled often and the engine needs to be maintained. For long-term use, permanent lighting may be more efficient than using portable light towers.

Transportation

Most portable light towers are designed as trailers with roadworthy tires and wheels, allowing them to be towed easily using a work truck or utility vehicle. Other light towers are designed not as trailers, but as carts. This type of light tower can be moved around by a human operator without the use of a vehicle.

The most common type of light tower is designed as a trailer. This type of light tower has a simple trailer hitch attachment on one end and an axle with a single set of wheels on the other end.

Light towers designed with roadworthy wheels and tires can be easily connected to any vehicle with a trailer hitch and transported on roads and highways. Like other trailers made for the road, a light tower’s tires need to be maintained and occasionally replaced to keep the trailer safe for the road.

Cart-style light towers are typically lighter and more compact than trailer-style light towers. Unlike trailers, cart-style light towers can be moved around a job site by hand and don’t require a vehicle.

Types of Portable Light Towers

Portable light towers come in a variety of designs. When selecting the best design for your particular application, you’ll want to consider a number of key features. Some features to consider when choosing a portable light tower include:

  • Portability: some light towers are designed to be towed as trailers, while more compact models are designed to be moved by hand. If you’re planning on transporting your light tower between job sites, choose one with roadworthy tires that can be towed on public roads.
  • Power output: portable light towers typically feature a diesel generator with power output rated in kilowatts. These generators feature power outlets so they can power tools on the job. Light towers with a higher power output can power multiple tools simultaneously.
  • Lighting type: metal halide lamps are the most common lights found on light towers, but LED lamps are also popular. Metal halide lamps are more affordable, but not as bright as LED lamps and will need to be replaced more frequently.
  • Mast height: mast height, together with lamp brightness, determines the light throw of your light tower. Taller light towers are generally able to light larger areas. 30’ masts are a popular choice for construction projects.

For large areas, multiple light towers may be used in tandem to provide adequate illumination. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need 30 watts of brightness per square foot of illumination.

For example, if your light tower features 4 lamps with a brightness of 1,000 watts each, it can illuminate up to 133 square feet (4,000 watts divided by 30 watts) on its own.

Portable Light Tower Maintenance

Like other equipment, portable light towers must be properly maintained in order to keep them in good working condition.

The main areas of a light tower that require maintenance are its lamps, engine and tires.

Lamps:

Metal halide lamps have a life expectancy of around 10,000 hours. They’re relatively easy to replace, but become very hot during operation and need to cool down before they can be handled safely. LED lamps, on the other hand, do not have replaceable bulbs, so the entire element needs to be replaced. In contrast to halide lamps, LED lamps last a long time–with a life expectancy of about 50,000 hours.

Engine:

A light tower’s diesel engine needs to be properly maintained to avoid unnecessary breakdowns. Generally, maintaining a light tower’s engine will consist of routine tasks like checking coolant and oil levels, changing fuel filters, replacing air filters, routinely inspecting the engine’s belts for wear and using only high quality fuel.

Tires:

In order to keep your light tower roadworthy, you’ll need to maintain its tires. Like other wheeled equipment, a light tower’s tires are susceptible to balding, punctures and other forms of wear. It’s important to routinely inspect your light tower’s tires for signs of obvious wear and keep them sufficiently inflated.

Getting the Most Out of Your Portable Light Tower

To get the most out of your portable light tower, be sure to have a preventive maintenance plan in place and operate your light tower according to best practices. Here are some additional tips that will help you get the most out of your portable light tower:

  • Proper placement of the light tower is crucial for optimal illumination. Place the tower at a higher elevation to ensure a wider coverage area, and ensure the lights are directed toward the work area.
  • Regular maintenance is essential for portable light towers to maintain optimal performance. This includes checking and replacing bulbs, cleaning lenses and reflectors, inspecting the tower structure for damage and ensuring that all parts and components are in good working order.
  • Avoid using portable light towers in extreme weather conditions such as heavy rain, strong winds or lightning storms, as this may damage the equipment and create a safety hazard.
  • Make sure the light tower is secure and stable, especially when working on uneven terrain. Use stabilizers or sandbags to prevent tipping or movement.
  • Keep spare bulbs and other replacement parts on hand in case of emergency or equipment failure. This can help minimize downtime and ensure the work area remains safe and well-lit.
  • Study the light tower’s operation manual and train operators on proper usage, maintenance and safety procedures. Doing this can help reduce the risk of accidents and extend the longevity of your equipment.

How Much Do Portable Light Towers Cost?

Portable light towers range in price from $10,000 to $25,000. Portable light towers with a greater power output (higher kilowatt rating) are generally more expensive than portable light towers with a lower power output. Light towers can be rented for around $150 per day.

Conclusion

Portable light towers are essential to providing illumination on construction sites and in other situations where traditional lighting is unavailable.

The EquipmentShare Online Parts Store is a one-stop shop for everything you need to keep your portable light tower in prime operating condition. Our extensive online catalog includes OEM and aftermarket parts from popular light plant brands like Wacker Neuson, Generac, Allmand and Terex. Still can’t find the part you need? Reach out to one of our parts experts for personalized assistance.

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5 Commonly Asked Questions About Mobile Light Tower Hire

5 Commonly Asked Questions About Mobile Light Tower Hire

Are you looking for lighting tower hire? These unique portable lighting solutions are a fantastic addition to any work site, construction project or large-scale event. As one of the leading providers of mobile lighting hire and traffic management equipment, we know how important these options are to ensuring the smooth and efficient running of your site.

ygne are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Working with clients across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart, we are regularly asked a whole host of questions about our eco light towers, so to help you, we thought we would explore the five most commonly asked questions when it comes to light tower hire.

What is the ECO LED Lighting Tower, and how can it be used?

Before we take a look at the five most commonly asked questions when it comes to lighting tower hire, we thought we would first explore exactly what they are and the many uses they have. As the name suggests, our ECO LED Lighting Tower is a portable device that is able to provide essential lighting to a large area.

We focus on providing the very best solutions on the market, and our ECO LED Mobile Lighting Tower is helping to revolutionise how worksites and events operate. Capable of working 24/7, the tower features reduced fuel consumption, making it one of the most efficient on the market, and it can be used for up to 200 hours (around 30 nights) before needing to be refuelled. This long-lasting lighting ensures that you are not only able to save time on refuelling but also time, which is critical in the vast majority of projects.

Thanks to their versatility, our ECO LED Mobile Lighting Tower hire options can be used in a wide array of projects, including:

  • Traffic Control

One of the most common uses for our lighting is part of temporary traffic control. Management companies often use these towers in order to illuminate the area, improving the visibility and efficiency of roadworkers during maintenance and upgrade tasks.

  • Construction and mining sites

Many construction and mining sites need to be operational 24/7 in order to maximise both efficiency and security. Our ECO LED Mobile Lighting Tower helps to provide essential lighting throughout the night, allowing your team to work around the clock.

  • Events

Lighting hire is also very popular for a range of events. Whether it is a festival, concert or sporting event, these portable solutions provide light across a wide area, ensuring guests and staff can safely move across the event throughout the night.

Five commonly asked questions about lighting tower hire

If you have never thought about light tower hire before, it can be tough to know which is the right solution for your needs. That is why we thought we would take a closer look at five of the most common questions our customers ask, helping to ensure you have the information you need to find the perfect option.

1.How do lighting towers work?

One of the most commonly asked questions we have is from customers wondering how our RPM Hire ECO LED Lighting Tower works. Our products have been carefully selected so that they are as simple and as easy to use as possible, and to take this even further, our experienced team will deliver the lighting tower to your site and install it and show you how to manage it.

Powered by a highly fuel-efficient generator, our ECO LED Lighting Tower only consumes half a litre of diesel an hour, ensuring you can get up to 200 hours of lighting before it needs refuelling. This minimises the time you need to spend filling up with fuel, giving you time and helping you to save a significant amount on fuel.

Not only is the generator highly efficient, but it is also incredibly quiet, creating just 62dB at seven metres. This ensures it can be used in a huge array of projects, including those within residential areas, without causing any issues.

Of course, lighting tower hire requires these units to be used in a huge array of situations. That is why they are incredibly durable and weatherproof, allowing them to be kept outside for as long as you need. The trailer-mounted design also ensures that they can be easily manoeuvred around your site, giving you the illumination you need, wherever you need it.

2.How many lumens is a light tower?

Another very common question that our customers ask during the lighting hire process is how many lumens our ECO LED Mobile Light Tower offers. Lumens are the measurement of visible light, and the higher the rating, the brighter the lamp will appear.

We know how important lumens are when it comes to lighting tower hire, and that is why we offer the very best options possible. LED solutions are far more efficient than traditional Halogen bulbs, ensuring we can achieve greater illumination with lower power consumption.

Our highly efficient ECO tower is able to supply 129,500 lumens.

3. How tall are your light towers?

Our ECO LED Mobile Light Tower is incredibly versatile and can be used across a large range of projects and sites. However, it is always important to ensure that you are getting the correct size tower for your needs.

Our solution measures:

  • 2,420mm in length
  • 1,400 minimum and 1,550 maximum in width
  • 2,450mm and 9,000mm in height
  • A dry weight of 936kgs

4. How many hours does the light tower last?

Our ECO LED Mobile Light Tower is capable of offering up to 200 hours before it needs refuelling.

5. How many metres of light does it cover?

We understand the importance of effective illumination, which is why our lighting tower hire solution is able to provide 4,200 square metres of light coverage.

Want to find out more?

Are you in need of lighting tower hire? For over a decade, we have been providing the very best traffic management and lighting tower solutions for clients across Australia. Alongside the ECO LED Mobile Lighting Tower that we have been focusing on within this blog, we also offer a huge array of alternative lighting towers for hire.

Our 360° Portable Light Tower offers users a highly efficient diesel-powered tower that is able to provide full 360° of light dispersion and up to 200 hours of illumination. For those customers seeking a zero-emission alternative, our X-Solar Light Tower is fully powered by sunlight and can operate throughout the year without any running costs. Our X-Pole Solar Light Tower offers a similar eco-friendlier alternative but in a smaller and more compact solution.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Towable Light Towers.

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