Looking for CNC machine movers in Montreal? Rigging-Busters moves machining centres, CNC lathes, grinders, press brakes and other machine tools for shops and plants across Greater Montreal. Our riggers take the machine out of your shop, truck it with the permits it needs and place it on its marks at the new address.
Typical requests: a horizontal machining centre changing buildings in Saint-Laurent, or a Swiss-type lathe bought at an auction in Anjou. A bigger one could be a whole cell moving from Lachine to a new plant in Boucherville.
- Industrial work only: machine tools and plant equipment, no residential or office moves.
- One point of contact: from rigging in your shop to placement at the new site.
- Minimum project: 3,500 CAD. Most industrial moves cost more; your written quote spells out what is included.
- Free estimates: we usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
Need a budget figure first? The Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives an indicative price range online.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
How a CNC Machine Move Works, Step by Step
From the first call to the final set-down, every machine tool move follows six steps:
- Machine sheet: make, model, nameplate weight, dimensions, photos and both addresses.
- Access check: doors, docks, aisles, overhead clearance and floors at both sites, with a site visit when needed.
- Prep: done by your team or the OEM, following the list below.
- Rig-out: on skates, with a gantry or with a forklift, depending on the machine and the route.
- Loading and haul: the right trailer, full securement, and permits or escorts planned when the load needs them.
- Placement: the machine is set on its floor marks, ready for levelling and calibration.
Machine Prep: What Your Team or the OEM Handles
Before the crew arrives, your technician or the OEM’s takes care of:
- a backup of the programs, parameters and offsets
- locking the axes with the shipping brackets and securing the spindle or turret
- draining the coolant (or the dielectric on an EDM machine) and clearing chips and tooling
- shutting off power and compressed air, done by the licensed trades you hire
- recording the levelling readings and levelling-screw positions for the reinstallation
We go through this list with you before the lift.
Send the machine sheet and a few photos: we usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
CNC Machines and Machine Tools We Move
Our crews move:
- vertical and horizontal CNC machining centres, with or without pallet changers
- CNC lathes, turning centres and Swiss-type lathes with their bar feeders
- wire and sinker EDM machines, plus surface and cylindrical grinders
- press brakes and laser cutting machines, with their shuttle tables
- coordinate measuring machines (CMMs)
Presses and production lines: see machinery and industrial movers in Montreal.
Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs)
A CMM moves on its manufacturer’s terms. The vendor’s technician secures the bridge and probe head, then specifies the lifting points. The vendor recalibrates the machine after placement.
Auction Buys, Machine Swaps and Shop Closures
After an auction, machines often have to leave the site within about 5 days, by appointment: send the lot number, the address and the deadline. On a swap, the old machine goes out and the new one comes in during the same shutdown. Moving the whole shop? See factory and plant relocation in Montreal.
Auction deadline or a swap during a shutdown? Send your dates and the job is planned around them.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
Rigging a Machine Tool: Skates, Jacks, Gantries and Forklifts
The method depends on the weight, the centre of gravity, the route out and the floor:
- Machinery skates: raised a few centimetres, the machine rolls across the floor to the exit.
- Hydraulic jacks and cribbing: to lift a heavy base evenly.
- Hydraulic gantry: to lift a machine where there is no overhead crane and no room for a mobile crane.
- Heavy forklift: to load the trailer and make short moves across the yard.
- Mobile crane from a specialist partner: coordinated with the rigging when a machine must go through the roof or over a wall.
Floor Capacity and Tight Shop Access
On skates, the whole weight sits on a few small rollers. The crew checks the slab, trenches and joints along the route and lays steel plates where needed. In older buildings, doors, columns and overhead clearance often decide the method.
A lift with no road transport? See our industrial rigging services in Montreal.
Hauling Machine Tools in Quebec: Trailers and Permits
Air-Ride or Lowboy Trailer
Compact machines travel on air-ride trailers, which soften road shocks. A tall machine goes on a lowboy to stay under 4.15 m overall. The load is chained, blocked and tarped against snow and road salt.
MTMD, Borough and Street Occupation Permits
A machine within the legal size and weight limits needs no special permit. Beyond them, the load needs a special traffic permit (French) from Quebec’s transport ministry (MTMD), requested through its GPM system. A specific permit costs C$141 for classes 1–3 and C$305 for classes 4–7 in 2026. Classes 6 and 7 also require a feasibility study, so allow a few weeks.
In Montreal, each borough on the route also requires an oversize vehicle permit (French) when the loaded vehicle is over 2.6 m wide or 4.15 m high. It is also required over 50 t when the haul needs a class 6 or 7 permit. Apply after the MTMD permit, at least 5 business days ahead in most boroughs, or 10 in Saint-Laurent and Ville-Marie. A truck or crane on the street needs a public road occupation permit (French), issued in 2–10 business days. Permits and escorts are planned before the move date.
Escorts and the Spring Thaw
Very wide or very tall loads travel with escorts. For example, a rear escort is required above 3.75 m wide on a road with more than one lane in the direction of travel. Above 4.5 m high, a front escort is needed. In spring, thaw restrictions (French) cut allowed loads in southern Quebec: 16 March to 15 May in 2026. Most special weight permits are suspended then, so plan a heavy machine before or after that window.
Wide, tall or heavy machine? Send its dimensions and weight, and we check at the quote stage whether a permit is needed.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
Placement and Reinstallation: Who Does What in Quebec
At the new site, the machine is set on its marks, where your floor layout shows it. Our scope: moving, rigging, handling, transport and placement of machinery. Final installation (anchoring, levelling, alignment and connections) is done by contractors holding the required licences (RBQ, CMEQ, CMMTQ) and by CCQ-qualified workers where the law requires it.
On a CNC machine, calibration and geometry checks belong to the OEM technician. Your levelling readings help bring the machine back into production. We agree with your installer on the exact position and orientation before moving day.
Areas We Serve: Machine Shops Across Greater Montreal
On the island, we move machine tools in Saint-Laurent, a borough with about 4,500 businesses and 108,000 jobs. Anjou’s business park has more than 600 companies, and Lachine has one of the largest industrial parks in Quebec. We also work in Dorval, Pointe-Claire and Montréal-Est.
Off the island, we serve Laval, the South Shore (Longueuil, Boucherville, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu) and the North Shore (Mirabel, Saint-Jérôme, Blainville, Terrebonne). Boucherville’s industrial park had 664 companies in 2021, and Mirabel’s aerospace hub has more than 45. For Saint-Hyacinthe, Drummondville or Granby, give the address in your request.
Cities We Serve Around Montreal
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Montreal | Quebec | Canada |
| Beloeil | Quebec | Canada |
| Boucherville | Quebec | Canada |
| Brossard | Quebec | Canada |
| Candiac | Quebec | Canada |
| Chambly | Quebec | Canada |
| Châteauguay | Quebec | Canada |
| Laval | Quebec | Canada |
| Longueuil | Quebec | Canada |
| Marieville | Quebec | Canada |
| McMasterville | Quebec | Canada |
| Mercier | Quebec | Canada |
| Mont-Saint-Hilaire | Quebec | Canada |
| Otterburn Park | Quebec | Canada |
| Pointe-Claire | Quebec | Canada |
| Repentigny | Quebec | Canada |
| Richelieu | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Basile-le-Grand | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Eustache | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Jérôme | Quebec | Canada |
| Sainte-Julie | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Hyacinthe | Quebec | Canada |
| Saint-Rémi | Quebec | Canada |
| St-Bruno-de-Montarville | Quebec | Canada |
| Terrebonne | Quebec | Canada |
Machine headed for the Quebec City area? See our machinery movers in Quebec City.
Shop in Laval or on the South Shore? Give both addresses in your request.
or give a call +1–438-239-1237
What CNC Machine Moving Costs in Montreal
Each move is priced from the machine and both sites. What changes the price:
- The machine: weight, dimensions and separate pieces (chip conveyor, bar feeder, control cabinet)
- Access: dock or grade-level door, door width, floor level and floor capacity
- Method: skates and jacks, gantry, heavy forklift or crane
- Transport: distance, trailer, permits and escorts
- Timing: evenings, weekends, production shutdowns or the spring thaw
The minimum project is 3,500 CAD, and most industrial moves cost more. OEM work (prep, calibration and start-up) is not part of our quote. Grouping several machines and prepping them ahead lowers the bill. More on our pricing page.
What to Send With Your Quote Request
With these details, the quote comes back faster and fits the job better:
- Machine: make, model, year, weight and dimensions, with a nameplate photo
- OEM instructions: the manual’s section on lifting and transport
- Photos: the machine, its separate pieces and the route to the door
- Both sites: addresses, access, overhead clearance, floors and a site contact
- Dates: shutdown window or auction removal deadline
- Site rules: safety orientation and required documents
Other Services in Montreal
For everything we do in the region, see all our services in Montreal. Related services:
- Machinery and industrial movers in Montreal
- Industrial rigging services in Montreal
- Factory and plant relocation in Montreal
- Lab and medical equipment movers in Montreal
- Forklift moving service in Montreal
- En français : déménagement de machines CNC à Montréal
Location of our sales office:
605 Atwater Ave, Montreal, Quebec H3J 2T8, Canada
CNC Machine Moving in Montreal: FAQ
It depends on the machine, access at both sites, the method, transport, permits and timing. The minimum project is 3,500 CAD, and most jobs cost more. We usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
Your technician or the OEM’s: backup, axes locked, spindle or turret secured, coolant drained and levelling readings recorded. The licensed trades you hire disconnect power and air.
No. We move the machine and place it on its marks. Final installation (anchoring, levelling, alignment and connections) is done by contractors holding the required licences (RBQ, CMEQ, CMMTQ) and by CCQ-qualified workers where the law requires it. Calibration belongs to the OEM.
Yes, following its manufacturer’s requirements: the vendor’s technician secures the bridge and probe head and specifies the lifting points. The vendor then recalibrates it.
An air-ride trailer if it is compact, a lowboy if it is tall. The load is chained and blocked either way.
Only beyond the legal size or weight limits: then an MTMD special permit is required (C$141 or C$305 in 2026, depending on the class). In Montreal, a borough permit is also needed over 2.6 m wide or 4.15 m high. The same goes for loads over 50 t that need a class 6 or 7 permit.
Yes, if the load stays within the reduced limits. In southern Quebec, the 2026 thaw ran from 16 March to 15 May, and most special weight permits were suspended. For a heavy machine, pick another date.
Yes. Removal often has to happen within about 5 days, by appointment. Send the lot number, the auction address, the deadline and your delivery address.
Yes: Laval, the South Shore and the North Shore, including Boucherville, Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Mirabel, Saint-Jérôme, Blainville and Terrebonne. For Saint-Hyacinthe, Drummondville or Granby, give the address in your request.
No. We move machine tools: no machining, repair, calibration or used-machine sales. We don’t rent out cranes or forklifts, and we don’t do residential or office moves.
