Rigging-Busters plans and carries out crane rigging and heavy lifts for machinery and industrial equipment in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Our riggers work out the weight and the pick points, rig the load with rated slings and spreader beams, control it through the lift and set it in place. When a lift needs a crane, it is our own compact carry-deck crane or a licensed partner’s crane, sized to the lift and run under one rigging plan.
Plants, mechanical and electrical contractors and equipment dealers use our heavy lifting and hoisting services when a machine, generator, transformer or rooftop unit has to go up, over or into a building. We sell crane and rigging services as one job. If you only need a crane with an operator, a crane rental company is the right call.
- Industrial and commercial equipment only: machinery, electrical gear and mechanical units, never furniture or household items.
- One crew and one plan: lift planning, rigging, the crane lift, set-in-place and levelling.
- A crane when the lift needs one: ours or a licensed partner’s, with its time included in your quote.
- Fast replies: quotes within 2–4 business hours, for Toronto and the whole GTA.
Need a ballpark first? The Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator gives a rough price range in a minute; an exact price for a crane lift needs the details listed further down this page.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Crane and Rigging Services for Heavy Machinery Lifts
A crane supplies the hook. Everything else that makes a heavy lift safe is rigging: knowing what the load weighs and where its centre of gravity sits, choosing the pick points, slings, shackles and spreader beam, keeping the load level with tag lines, and landing it on its exact footprint. That machinery rigging is what our crew does on every crane lift, whether the hook belongs to our crane or to a partner’s.
Call it crane lifting, crane and lifting work or hoisting, the goal is the same: move a heavy item from where it sits to where it has to go, with nothing damaged and nobody hurt. Typical lifts for our crane and rigging crew in Toronto and the GTA:
- Presses, CNC machining centres, moulding machines and lathes going into or out of a plant
- Equipment lifted onto mezzanines, through roof openings or down into basements and pits
- Rooftop units, chillers, cooling towers and air handlers within a mechanical installation
- Generators, transformers, switchgear and UPS units for plants, hospitals and data centres
- Tanks, vessels, large moulds and dies
- Machines lifted on or off trailers where a forklift can’t reach or carry the load
Crane-Assisted Machinery Moves
Many crane lifts are one step in a longer move. The crane lifts a machine out through a roof or wall opening and onto a trailer, the same crew hauls it across the GTA, and it is skidded into its new bay at the other end. With the rigging, the crane, the transport and the set-in-place under one plan, you deal with one schedule and one contact. For moves that need no crane, see our machinery movers in Toronto.
Machinery Hoisting into Buildings: Roof Openings, Mezzanines and Upper Floors
Crane hoisting is often the only way a heavy machine reaches a mezzanine, a rooftop mechanical room or an upper floor when the freight elevator, stairs or doors can’t take it. We check the size of the opening, the capacity of the floor or roof where the load lands, and the path from the landing point to the final position. Then we hoist the load through, land it on cribbing and roll it in on skates. Your general contractor opens and closes the roof or wall; our hoisting services start once the opening is ready.
To be clear about the words: we hoist equipment with mobile cranes, gantries and chain hoists as part of a rigging job. We don’t sell, install, inspect or repair overhead cranes or hoists; an overhead crane service company looks after those.
Rooftop Equipment and Mechanical Units
Rooftop units, chillers, cooling towers, make-up air units and exhaust fans go onto roofs and into mechanical penthouses as part of a building or plant project. We work out where the crane can stand, the lift radius and the landing spot, rig the unit to its lifting points and set it on its curb or dunnage, while your mechanical contractor or engineer confirms that the curb and roof can carry it. The same goes inside the building: we rig old boilers and heat exchangers out of the mechanical room and skate or lift the new ones into place, while the mechanical contractor disconnects and reconnects the piping. Lifting one HVAC unit with nothing else to rig is plain crane hire, which a crane company can usually book faster.
Chiller Rigging and Replacement
A chiller replacement is usually two moves in one shutdown: the old unit out of the mechanical room and the new one in, through a wall or roof opening by crane, or across the floor on skates and gantries. We plan both routes, from the old pad to the truck and from the truck to the new pad, rig each unit by the manufacturer’s lifting points and keep it level, then set the new chiller on its pad for your mechanical contractor to connect. When a unit is too large for the route, ask the manufacturer whether it can be shipped or split in sections; we then move and set each section.
Before an old chiller is dismantled or scrapped, Ontario’s O. Reg. 463/10 requires a certified technician to confirm that no refrigerant remains and to tag the unit, so your refrigeration contractor recovers the refrigerant before we rig it out. On the new side, chillers that use a refrigerant with a global warming potential (GWP) above 750 can no longer be made in or imported into Canada since 1 January 2025, so replacements arrive as new lower-GWP units, and we plan each lift from the new unit’s submittal drawings, weights and lifting points.
Generators, Transformers and Switchgear
Standby generators, transformers, switchgear lineups and UPS units are heavy, often top-heavy and costly to damage. We lift them only by the manufacturer’s lifting points, keep within their tilt limits and set them on their pads or in their electrical rooms; your licensed electricians disconnect and reconnect them. More on transformer moving and rigging in Toronto and data centre equipment rigging in Toronto.
Data-centre projects keep this kind of lift busy across the GTA. In Vaughan, Microsoft said in August 2026 that equipment installation and testing at its new data centre will continue through early 2028, with a second phase expected to begin in mid-2027.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
When a Crane Can’t Reach: Jack and Slide, Gantries and Skates
Inside a plant, under a low roof or in a basement electrical room, a mobile crane often has no way in. That is where jack and slide services and other methods without a crane take over. Our crew works with:
- Jacking and skidding (often called jack and slide): the load is raised in small stages on hydraulic jacks and cribbing, then skidded or rolled sideways onto its footprint.
- Jack-and-roll and power jacking: very heavy machines are jacked up, set on rollers and rolled into place.
- Hydraulic gantries: a vertical lift from above wherever there is no overhead crane, including inside buildings.
- Machine skates and cribbing: to roll machines across the floor and support them at every stage of the lift.
These methods suit tight indoor spaces, low ceilings and sites where a crane can’t be set up safely. Many jobs use both: a crane sets the machine at the door, and jacks, rollers and skates take it the rest of the way. For heavy rigging inside a plant with no crane at all, see industrial rigging services in Toronto.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
How We Plan a Crane Lift in Toronto
Every crane lift we take on follows the same seven steps, and each step has an owner:
- You send the details: what the item is, its weight and size, where it is now, where it has to go, photos of both spots and your dates.
- We work out the rigging: weight, centre of gravity and pick points (lifting lugs or a lifting frame), then the slings, shackles and spreader or lifting beam to suit.
- We choose the crane and its position: crane size, lift radius, outrigger footprint, ground bearing and crane mats, overhead obstructions and the swing path.
- We write a lift plan when the lift or your site calls for one, for example a critical lift, a pick over an occupied building, or a site that requires a written plan.
- Permits and notices: a City permit to occupy the street, a noise exemption for out-of-hours work and transport permits, when the job needs them.
- Lift day: your team has locked out the equipment; we rig, lift with tag lines and a signal person, and land the load.
- Set-in-place and hand-off: we set, level and anchor the equipment, ready for your licensed electricians and mechanical trades to reconnect it.
Toronto Permits for a Crane on the Street
A crane or boom truck that stands on a Toronto street, sidewalk or lane needs a City of Toronto Street Occupation Permit, which lists hoisting with a mobile crane or boom truck among its uses. The City’s posted fee schedule charges hoisting by the day: $73.89 + HST outside a Construction Hub and $92.35 + HST inside one, with extra daily fees when lanes are closed. The City’s posted processing time is about 12 weeks once all the required information is submitted, and permits are obtained in person and paid for when they are issued, so book a street-side lift early.
Large crane work outside the hours allowed by the noise by-law also needs a Noise Exemption Permit. The application goes in at least 28 calendar days before the work, and the permit holder must notify everyone within 120 m at least 7 days ahead.
Who Operates the Crane
The crane comes with its own operator, from our crew or from the licensed crane partner. In Ontario, the operator of a mobile crane rated above 16,000 lb must hold a certificate of qualification: Mobile Crane Operator 1 above 30,000 lb, and Mobile Crane Operator 1 or 2 from 16,000 to 30,000 lb (O. Reg. 213/91, s. 150). The crane’s load chart must be at the controls (s. 151), and slings and rigging hardware must hold at least five times the maximum load (s. 172). Ask to see the operator’s certificate on lift day.
Overhead Power Lines and Site Safety
Overhead lines along streets and plant yards often decide where a crane can stand. Ontario’s construction regulation keeps cranes, loads and rigging at least 3 m from energized lines of 750 V to 150 kV, and 4.5 m from lines up to 250 kV (O. Reg. 213/91, s. 188). On the plant side, your team locks out and tags the equipment before we touch it, and an in-plant overhead crane you want us to use needs its yearly inspection record (Reg. 851, s. 51).
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Crane and Rigging Cost in Toronto: What Affects the Price
We price each crane lift as a whole job, after we see the details or the site. What moves the price:
- Weight, size and centre of gravity of the item, and whether it has proper lifting points
- Crane size and radius: the farther the crane must stand from the set point, the bigger the crane
- Access: roof or wall openings, doors, floor capacity, overhead lines, and underground parking or vaults under the crane spot
- Street permits and timing: days of street occupation, lane closures and out-of-hours work
- Crew hours: rigging time before and after the lift, shutdown windows, nights or weekends
- Transport: trailer, distance and oversize permits when the item travels
When a lift needs a crane, the crane partner’s time is included in your quote, so you compare one price for the whole job. A crane rental cost covers the crane and its operator only; riggers, rigging gear, permits and set-in-place come on top. Before a high-value lift, agree in writing who insures the load; our guide to riggers liability coverage explains the cover. For a first estimate, try the Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
Quotes are in Canadian dollars (CAD), and we accept cash, debit and credit cards and bank transfers.
Areas We Cover in Toronto and the GTA
Our crane and rigging crew works across Toronto, from the Rexdale and airport employment lands in Etobicoke and the Downsview area of North York to the Golden Mile in Scarborough, and across the GTA in Vaughan, Markham, Mississauga, Brampton and Oakville. For rigging-only work in Peel Region, see industrial rigging in Mississauga and industrial rigging in Brampton.
When a lifted machine also travels, City of Toronto streets need a single-trip oversize load permit once the truck and load reach 2.59 m wide, 4.15 m high, 21.33 m long or 50 t, which normally takes 7 to 10 business days, and provincial highways need an MTO oversize permit applied for at least 5 business days ahead. Oversize loads can’t use the Don Valley Parkway, Black Creek Drive, Allen Road, the elevated part of Lake Shore Boulevard West or the Gardiner Expressway east of the Humber, so we route around them.
Searching for lifting services near me from a plant or other facilities in Vaughan, Markham, Mississauga or Brampton? The same crew, lift plan and quote process covers the whole GTA, as the map below shows.
Key Cities We Serve for Crane Lifts Around Toronto
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | Ontario | Canada |
| Mississauga | Ontario | Canada |
| Milton | Ontario | Canada |
| Vaughan | Ontario | Canada |
| Markham | Ontario | Canada |
| Richmond Hill | Ontario | Canada |
| Brampton | Ontario | Canada |
| Bolton | Ontario | Canada |
| King City | Ontario | Canada |
| Whitchurch-Stouffville | Ontario | Canada |
| Oakville | Ontario | Canada |
| Burlington | Ontario | Canada |
| Whitby | Ontario | Canada |
| Ajax | Ontario | Canada |
| Pickering | Ontario | Canada |
| Newmarket | Ontario | Canada |
| Aurora | Ontario | Canada |
| Oshawa | Ontario | Canada |
| Georgetown | Ontario | Canada |
| Halton Hills | Ontario | Canada |
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Why Toronto Plants and Contractors Hire Our Riggers
- Rigging comes first: our crane lifting services start with planning and rigging the lift ourselves, not with renting out a crane and leaving the rest to you.
- One plan from pick to set: rigging, crane, transport, set-in-place and levelling under one schedule.
- The right method for the space: crane, gantry, jacking or skates, chosen for the load and the site.
- Permits and route planning arranged for street-side lifts and oversize loads.
- Planned around your shutdown: lifts are scheduled around your production and site rules.
- Quick replies: quotes within 2–4 business hours.
- Insured: liability and workers’ compensation insurance (WSIB in Ontario), with a certificate of insurance on request.
A good fit: heavy lift services for machinery, electrical and mechanical equipment at plants, contractors’ sites, hospitals, data centres and equipment dealers, from one machine through a roof opening to a full line installation.
Not a fit: crane rental or operated crane hire on its own, boom-truck material deliveries and tower cranes (one of the GTA’s crane companies is the right call); overhead crane and hoist sales, inspection or repair; furniture, condo or residential crane lifts; crane operator jobs and hoisting and rigging courses; and tree work by crane.
Have These Ready for an Exact Quote
Send these with your quote request and we can price the lift without guesswork:
- The item: make and model, weight and dimensions, and where the lifting lugs are (a nameplate photo or drawing helps).
- Pick-up and set points: photos of where the item is now and where it has to land.
- Access: door and roof openings, floor capacity, overhead lines, and any underground parking or vaults near the crane spot.
- Where a crane can stand: street, parking lot or yard, and what the ground is like.
- Your dates: the target day or shutdown window, and whether the work must happen at night or on a weekend.
- Site rules: contractor prequalification, a required lift plan, and the inspection record of any in-plant crane you want us to use.
Other Services in Toronto
Other jobs our Toronto crew takes on, from rigging-only work to plant relocations (or browse all our services in Toronto):
- Heavy Equipment and Machinery Movers in Toronto, ON
- Heavy and Industrial Rigging Services in Toronto, ON
- Factory and Plant Relocation Services in Toronto, ON
- Lab and Medical Equipment Movers in Toronto, ON
- Forklift Moving Service in Toronto, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Toronto, ON
- Printing Press Movers in Toronto, ON
- Electrical Transformer Moving and Rigging in Toronto, ON
- Data Centre Equipment Rigging in Toronto, ON
- Heavy Equipment Loading and Unloading in Toronto, ON
- Plant Closure and Auction Removal in Toronto, ON
- Millwright Services & Machinery Installation in Toronto, ON
- Robotics Equipment Moving in Toronto, ON
- Solar Manufacturing Equipment Moving in Toronto, ON
Location of our sales office:
120 Eglinton Ave E, Toronto, ON M4P 1E2, Canada 👇
Crane Rigging in Toronto: FAQ
No. We take on crane lifts as part of a rigging job: we plan the lift, rig the load, lift it with our own crane or a licensed partner crane, then set and level it. If you only need a crane and an operator for a simple pick, a crane rental company can usually book it faster. If the load needs rigging, planning or set-in-place, send us the details.
Crane rigging is everything between the crane hook and the load. Riggers find the weight and centre of gravity, choose the pick points, and select slings, shackles and spreader or lifting beams rated for the load. During the lift they control it with tag lines, follow a signal person and land it on its footprint. A good rigging plan matters as much as the crane.
Each crane lift is priced as a whole job. The cost depends on the weight and size of the item, the crane size and lift radius, access and overhead lines, street permits and timing, crew hours and any transport. When a lift needs a crane, its time is included in our quote. For a rough range first, use our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
Yes. Inside buildings, under low roofs and in basement electrical rooms we use jacking and skidding, often called jack and slide, plus jack-and-roll, hydraulic gantries and machine skates. The load is raised in stages on jacks and cribbing, then moved sideways or rolled onto its footprint. Many jobs combine both methods: a crane sets the item at the door and skates take it inside.
Yes, when the crane or boom truck stands on a Toronto street, sidewalk or lane. The City Street Occupation Permit lists hoisting with a mobile crane or boom truck among its uses, is charged per day, and costs more inside a designated Construction Hub or when lanes are closed. Permits are obtained in person, and the City’s posted processing time is about 12 weeks once the application is complete. Crane work outside permitted hours also needs a noise exemption.
The crane comes with its own operator, from our crew or from the licensed crane partner. In Ontario, the operator of a mobile crane rated above 16,000 lb must hold a certificate of qualification under O. Reg. 213/91, section 150, and the load chart must be at the controls. Ask to see the certificate on lift day; any professional crew expects the question.
Yes, as part of a rigging scope. We plan the crane position and lift radius, hoist the unit onto the roof or mezzanine or through a roof opening, and roll it to its curb, pad or bay on skates. Your contractor makes the opening and confirms that the structure can carry the load. A single HVAC unit with nothing else to rig is better booked directly with a crane company.
Yes, as a rigging job. Your refrigeration contractor recovers the refrigerant and tags the old unit, as Ontario’s O. Reg. 463/10 requires before equipment is dismantled, and your mechanical contractor disconnects the piping. We rig the old chiller out and the new one in through the wall, roof or floor route, by crane or on skates, then set it on its pad and level it for reconnection.
No. We hoist equipment with mobile cranes, gantries and chain hoists as part of a rigging job, but we do not sell, install, inspect or repair overhead cranes, bridge cranes or hoists. For an overhead crane installation, a yearly inspection or a repair, contact an overhead crane service company. For lifting and setting heavy machinery in Toronto and the GTA, we are the right call.
No. We lift industrial and commercial equipment only: machinery, generators, transformers, switchgear and mechanical units. Crane lifts of furniture, hot tubs or appliances into condos and houses are a job for a residential mover, or for a crane company that offers small picks. If you are lifting a machine or plant equipment anywhere in the GTA, send us the details for a quote.
As early as you can. A noise exemption for crane work outside permitted hours must be applied for at least 28 calendar days ahead, with notice to neighbours within 120 m at least 7 days before. The Street Occupation Permit for the crane has a posted processing time of about 12 weeks and is obtained in person, and an oversize load permit normally takes 7 to 10 business days. Plan around your shutdown window too.
