Rigging-Busters runs a forklift moving service in Ottawa for warehouses, plants and equipment dealers. It covers two kinds of work: forklift transport, where we load your forklifts and lift trucks, chain them down, haul them and unload them at the new site, and forklift-assisted machinery moving, where our machinery movers and riggers use heavy-capacity lift trucks to load, unload and place machines.
Jobs we take on in and around Ottawa include moving a counterbalance forklift from an east-end warehouse to a new building in Kanata North, shifting a fleet of reach trucks between two distribution centres, delivering a dealer’s lift truck across the river to Gatineau, and unloading a crated machine from a flatbed in South Merivale.
- Industrial only: forklifts, lift trucks and plant machinery; no household moves, forklift rentals or repairs.
- One crew from loading to placement: we load, secure, haul, unload and position each unit.
- Quick answers: quotes within 2–4 business hours, and estimates are free.
- Where: Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Orléans and the Ottawa Valley, with hauls to and from Gatineau (see the service area).
Need a rough figure before you send details? Our Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a price range in a few clicks.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Forklift Transport in Ottawa: How We Move Forklifts and Lift Trucks
Moving a forklift between sites is a heavy-equipment haul, not a parcel delivery. Even a mid-size counterbalance unit weighs several tonnes, most of it in the counterweight or the battery, so it needs a trailer matched to its weight and mast height, and proper tie-downs. This is how forklift transport works with our Ottawa crew:
- Unit details: make, model, rated capacity, service weight from the data plate, lowered mast height, attachments, and whether it starts and steers.
- Route check: both addresses, dock or ground-level access, and the road route, including downtown timing, NCC parkways and posted spring load limits.
- Trailer choice: a tilt-deck or flatbed for most forklifts, or a lowboy when a tall mast would push the load past 4.15 m.
- Preparation: forks lowered to the deck, parking brake set and key removed; the battery is disconnected on electric units and the cylinder valve closed on propane units.
- Loading: a running forklift drives up onto the deck; one that will not run is lifted on with a heavier lift truck or a hydraulic gantry.
- Tie-down and securement: chains and binders at the tie-down points. Under the National Safety Code cargo securement standard, a unit over 4,500 kg gets at least four tie-downs, front and rear.
- Delivery: unloaded and parked where you need it, in an aisle, at the dock or in the charging bay, ready for your operators.
Forklifts and Lift Trucks We Transport
- Electric counterbalance forklifts, battery included
- Propane and diesel forklifts from yards and loading docks
- Reach trucks, order pickers and narrow-aisle units
- Walkie stackers and heavy-duty pallet trucks
- Rough-terrain and yard forklifts
- One unit or a whole fleet, between buildings or across the region
Moving a Forklift That Doesn’t Run
A forklift with a dead battery, a seized engine or locked brakes should never be dragged or pushed across a yard. We lift it onto the trailer with a heavier lift truck or a hydraulic gantry and set it down the same way at the other end. Tell us when you ask for the quote if the steering or brakes are locked, so the crew brings the right gear.
Permits and Routes for Forklift Transport in Ottawa
Most forklifts travel within legal size limits on the right trailer, so no permit is needed. A tall or heavy unit can change that. On City of Ottawa roads, a vehicle and load that reaches 2.6 m wide, 4.15 m high, 21 m long or 63,500 kg needs an over-dimensional vehicle permit under By-law 2003-497. Single-trip permits take three business days to process, and over-dimensional loads cannot move in the downtown core from 7 to 9:30 a.m. or from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Highways 417 and 416 are provincial, so an oversize load there also needs an MTO permit, applied for at least 5 business days ahead.
Two local rules shape even a normal-size haul. Commercial vehicles are not allowed on the NCC parkways, and each spring the City restricts commercial vehicles to 5 tonnes per axle on roads where load-restriction signs are posted. Over-dimensional permits are not valid during those periods either, so we route around signed roads or schedule the haul after the limits lift.
Forklift Hauls Between Ottawa and Gatineau
A forklift going across the river has to go through downtown first: heavy trucks cross the core to reach the interprovincial bridges, and in 2023, 72% of interprovincial truck trips used the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, according to Public Services and Procurement Canada. We book cross-river hauls outside the morning and afternoon peaks and confirm the delivery window with both sites.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Forklift-Assisted Machinery Moving in Ottawa
The other half of a forklift moving service is moving machines with forklifts. For many Ottawa jobs, a heavy-capacity lift truck is the quickest way to take a piece of heavy machinery off a truck, carry it across a yard and set it in place at the door or on its new footprint. When the floor, the headroom or the weight rules a forklift out, our crew switches to machinery skates, a hydraulic gantry or jack-and-roll, and a licensed crane partner handles a lift that needs a crane.
Forklift Unloading and Delivery Service
When new equipment arrives at an Ottawa plant on a flatbed or in a sea container, someone with the right forklift has to take it off. Our forklift unloading service covers that: the crew lifts the machine or crate off the truck, moves it inside and places it where you want it. Our forklift delivery service works the other way round for dealers and auction buyers: we collect the unit, haul it and set it down at your site. For heavier or awkward loads, see heavy equipment loading and unloading in Ottawa.
Equipment Our Crew Brings
- Heavy-capacity lift trucks sized to the machine, not to the warehouse pallet
- Machinery skates and dollies for runs through doors and down aisles
- Hydraulic gantries where a forklift cannot reach or the floor cannot take its weight
- Jack-and-roll for very heavy equipment
- Tilt-deck, flatbed and lowboy trailers, with chains and binders for every load
- Crane lifts through licensed crane partners when the job needs one
Industries and Business Parks We Serve in Ottawa
Invest Ottawa lists telecommunications, semiconductors, smart mobility and aerospace and defence among the city’s key sectors, and Ottawa’s warehouses, printers, food producers and labs run forklift fleets of their own. Our industrial equipment moving for them happens in the business parks: Kanata North and Kanata West, Bells Corners, Colonnade and South Merivale, the Airport and Albion-Leitrim lands, Hawthorne-Stevenage, Sheffield and Canotek in the east end, and the Carp Road corridor.
Moving a whole machine shop or production line rather than a forklift? See our machinery movers in Ottawa, or industrial rigging services in Ottawa if you only need rigging.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Forklift Moving Cost in Ottawa: What Affects the Price
Our forklift moving services are priced per job, whether it is forklift transport or a forklift-assisted machinery move. These are the factors that change the number:
- The unit: weight, capacity class, mast height and attachments decide the trailer.
- Running or not: a dead or locked-up forklift has to be lifted on and off.
- Distance: across Ottawa, out to the Ottawa Valley, over to Gatineau, or on to Kingston or Montreal.
- Permits and timing: over-dimensional permits, downtown windows, spring load limits, and after-hours or weekend moves.
- Access: docks, ramps, gravel yards and snow at both ends.
- Quantity: one forklift or a fleet, plus any machines moved on the same trip.
Ask for one price that covers loading, the haul and unloading, so quotes compare like for like. Estimates are free, and quotes are in Canadian dollars (CAD).
Service Area: Ottawa, Kanata and the Ottawa Valley
As a forklift moving company, we cover the whole city, from Kanata and Stittsville in the west to Orléans and Gloucester in the east, and from Nepean and Barrhaven to the Airport lands. Outside the city we serve Arnprior, Carleton Place, Almonte, Kemptville, Rockland, Russell, Embrun and Casselman, and we haul forklifts to and from Gatineau, Aylmer and Buckingham. Nearby: forklift moving service in Kanata and forklift moving service in Kingston. En français : transport de chariots élévateurs à Ottawa.
The map shows the area our Ottawa crew covers day to day, about 50 km around the city.
Key Cities We Serve Around Ottawa
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | Ontario | Canada |
| Almonte | Ontario | Canada |
| Arnprior | Ontario | Canada |
| Aylmer | Quebec | Canada |
| Buckingham | Quebec | Canada |
| Carleton Place | Ontario | Canada |
| Casselman | Ontario | Canada |
| Embrun | Ontario | Canada |
| Gatineau | Quebec | Canada |
| Greely | Ontario | Canada |
| Kanata | Ontario | Canada |
| Kemptville | Ontario | Canada |
| Richmond | Ontario | Canada |
| Rockland | Ontario | Canada |
| Russell | Ontario | Canada |
| Stittsville | Ontario | Canada |
| Thurso | Quebec | Canada |
Longer hauls, including Kingston, Montreal and cross-border transport to the US, are quoted per trip: send the destination and we confirm the route and timing.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Why Ottawa Warehouses and Plants Hire Us
- Forklifts and machines, one crew: our forklift movers haul your lift trucks and also move the machines they serve.
- Industrial work only: plants, warehouses, labs and dealers; no household or office moves.
- Routes planned for Ottawa: downtown windows, NCC parkways, bridge crossings and spring load limits are checked before the truck is booked.
- Machine moving specialists, not a general moving company: rated rigging, skates and gantries when a forklift is not enough, and the best method chosen for each load.
- Planned around your shifts: we help you time fleet relocations and deliveries around operating hours to keep downtime short.
- Fast answers: quote replies within 2–4 business hours.
A good fit: forklift and lift truck transport, fleet relocation between warehouses, dealer and auction deliveries, and machines that need a forklift to load, unload or place.
Not a fit: forklift or lift truck rental, forklift service and repair, parts and new or used forklift sales, operator training or forklift jobs, general freight unloading, and household or office moves, where a residential moving company is the right call.
Have These Ready for an Exact Quote
The more of this you send with your quote request, the faster we can price the job:
- The unit: make, model and a photo of the data plate (capacity and service weight)
- Its condition: runs and steers, or needs to be lifted
- Both addresses: street, dock or ground-level access, and any gate or height limits
- Ottawa specifics: a downtown address, a route near an NCC parkway or a Gatineau destination
- Dates: the move day or window, and any after-hours rules at either site
- Extras: machines to move on the same trip, placement inside, or short-term storage
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Other Services in Ottawa
Need machinery moving services beyond forklifts? These come from the same Ottawa crew, or browse all our services in Ottawa, Ontario:
- Heavy Equipment & Machinery Movers in Ottawa, ON
- Heavy & Industrial Rigging Services in Ottawa, ON
- Factory & Plant Relocation Services in Ottawa, ON
- Lab & Medical Equipment Movers in Ottawa, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Ottawa, ON
- Printing Press Movers in Ottawa, ON
- Electrical Transformer Moving Services in Ottawa, ON
- Heavy Equipment Loading & Unloading in Ottawa, ON
Location of our sales office:
955 Green Valley Crescent, Ottawa, ON K2C 3K7, Canada 👇
Forklift Moving in Ottawa: FAQ
It does one of two jobs. It transports forklifts and lift trucks: loading them on a trailer, chaining them down, hauling them and unloading them at the new site. Or it uses heavy-capacity forklifts to load, unload and place machinery. In Ottawa, Rigging-Busters does both for warehouses, plants and equipment dealers, and does not rent or repair forklifts.
Most plant equipment a heavy-capacity lift truck can carry safely: CNC machines and lathes, presses, printing and packaging machines, crated equipment, electrical cabinets, generators and sea-container deliveries. Taller or heavier machines move on skates, a hydraulic gantry or jack-and-roll instead. Send the weight, the dimensions and a photo, and we confirm the method before we quote.
We note the make, model, service weight and lowered mast height, then pick a tilt-deck, flatbed or lowboy trailer. The forks go down, the brake is set, the battery is disconnected or the propane valve closed, and the unit is chained down. One over 4,500 kg gets at least four tie-downs under the National Safety Code. At your site we unload it and park it where you want it.
We never tow or drag it on locked wheels. A forklift that will not start or steer is lifted onto the trailer with a heavier lift truck or a hydraulic gantry, chained down, and lifted off the same way at the destination. Tell us about a dead battery, a seized engine or locked brakes when you ask for the quote, so the crew arrives with the right equipment.
Usually not, because most forklifts on a suitable trailer stay within legal limits. A City of Ottawa over-dimensional vehicle permit is needed when the vehicle and load reach 2.6 m wide, 4.15 m high, 21 m long or 63,500 kg. Single-trip permits take three business days to process, and over-dimensional loads cannot move in the downtown core from 7 to 9:30 a.m. or 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Yes. We load the forklift on one side of the river and unload it on the other, so a move between an Ottawa warehouse and a site in Gatineau, Aylmer or Buckingham is a single job. Trucks reach the interprovincial bridges through downtown, and most cross on the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, so we book the crossing outside the morning and afternoon peaks.
Yes, with planning. Each spring the City of Ottawa limits commercial vehicles to 5 tonnes per axle on roads where load-restriction signs are posted, and over-dimensional permits are not valid during those periods. We check the signed roads near both sites, pick a route and trailer that keep the axle weights legal, or schedule the haul for after the restrictions lift.
It is priced per job. The main factors are the forklift’s weight, mast height and condition, the trailer it needs, the distance (across town, to the Ottawa Valley or to Gatineau), permits, access at both ends and how many units move. Our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator gives a rough range, and quotes come back within 2–4 business hours.
No. We move forklifts and the machines they work with. We do not rent forklifts or lift trucks, sell new or used units, supply parts, carry out forklift service and repair, or run operator training; a forklift dealer or a training school is the right contact for those. When a forklift needs transporting, or a machine needs loading and placing with one, call us.
All of Ottawa, from Kanata and Stittsville to Orléans, Nepean and Barrhaven, including business parks such as Kanata North, South Merivale, Hawthorne-Stevenage and Canotek. We also cover Arnprior, Carleton Place, Almonte, Kemptville, Rockland, Russell and Embrun, and haul forklifts to and from Gatineau. Longer trips, including Kingston, Montreal and the US, are quoted per haul.
