Rigging-Busters provides heavy equipment loading and unloading in Ottawa. Our machinery movers and riggers lift a machine from its place, set it on a flatbed, tilt-deck or float, haul it, and take it off again at the other end, whether the run is across town to Kanata North or out into the Ottawa Valley.
Typical jobs are a machine bought from a dealer or at auction, equipment moving between two buildings, or a unit going across the river to Gatineau. We can do one end of the job or the whole run.
- Industrial only: machines and plant equipment, not furniture, freight or household goods.
- One crew: rigging, loading, hauling, unloading and set-in-place.
- Quotes within 2–4 business hours; estimates are free.
- Coverage: Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean and Orléans, the Valley towns, and hauls to and from Gatineau (see the service area).
Want a ballpark first? Our Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a rough price range in a few minutes.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Loading and Unloading Heavy Equipment for Ottawa Plants, Labs and Dealers
We are heavy equipment contractors for the riskiest part of industrial equipment moving: lifting a machine off the floor, onto a trailer and back down again. We work across the City of Ottawa and the surrounding area on the map below.
Our large equipment services cover what a truck driver usually does not: rigging the machine, loading it with the right gear, chaining it down, then unloading it and placing it at the receiving site. That suits:
- Plants and machine shops shipping presses, lathes, CNC machines or a production line
- Technology and research sites moving heavy test, lab or power equipment
- Dealers and buyers who need a used machine collected, or a new one unloaded on arrival
- Owners clearing a building: heavy equipment removal for a closure, a sale or a lease end
For moves inside a building, see our machinery and heavy equipment movers in Ottawa. For lifts in tight spaces, see industrial rigging services in Ottawa.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Heavy Equipment Loading in Ottawa, Step by Step
- Specs and photos: you send the make, model, weight and dimensions, plus photos of both sites, so we can choose the trailer and the loading method.
- Site check: door width and height, dock or grade-level access, floor condition, overhead lines, and where a truck can stand in the yard or on the street.
- Permits and timing: if the loaded truck is over-dimensional, we apply for the City of Ottawa permit, add an MTO permit for Highway 417 or 416, and book a window outside the downtown rush-hour bans.
- Shutdown and disconnect: your licensed electricians disconnect and lock out power, and your maintenance team drains fluids and secures loose parts. We release the anchors and prepare the machine for lifting.
- Rig and load: skates, jacks and slides, a heavy-capacity forklift or a gantry bring the machine to the trailer, where it is set down, blocked and chained.
- Haul: on a flatbed, tilt-deck or float, by a route that avoids posted bridges, load-restricted roads and the NCC parkways.
- Unload and set down: the machine comes off the same careful way, is moved to its spot and set level, ready for your trades to reconnect.
Just the Loading, Just the Unloading, or Both Ends
Not every job needs us to supply the truck. If you already have heavy haulers booked, we can rig and load the machine at your dock and hand it over, or meet another carrier at the receiving site and unload it. Tell us who is driving and when, and we plan around their arrival.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
The Gear We Bring: Forklifts, Skates, Jack and Slide Systems, Gantries and Cranes
What a job needs depends on the machine’s weight, footprint and centre of gravity, and on the access at both ends. A typical loading crew brings:
- Heavy-capacity forklifts for machines with a clear path to the trailer, with fork extensions for long frames
- Machinery skates and jacks to roll equipment out of rooms a forklift cannot enter
- Jack and slide (skidding on steel beams) when a machine has to be raised and pushed across onto a dock or a trailer deck
- Hydraulic gantries for lifts inside buildings with no overhead crane
- Slings, shackles and spreader bars matched to the load, with tag lines to guide it
- Load securement: chains, binders, dunnage and edge protection
Crane Services for Heavy Equipment
When a machine has to be lifted rather than rolled, such as over a low wall or out of a pit, we plan a crane lift with our crane or a partner crane. The crane and the lift plan are quoted with the rest of the job, so you deal with one contact. We do not rent out cranes on their own.
Forklift Services for Heavy Equipment
Many loading jobs are forklift work at a dock or in a yard. Our forklift moving service in Ottawa covers moves that never leave the site. For loading, the forklift is matched to the machine’s weight and load centre, not just to whatever forklift is already on site.
Rigging and Lifting Services for Heavy Equipment
Specialty rigging services come in when a machine is top-heavy, has no lifting points, or must be turned or lowered through a tight opening. Our riggers work out the centre of gravity, choose the pick points and rated slings, and bring the load down onto the trailer under control.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Machines and Equipment We Load and Haul in Ottawa
Manufacturing Equipment Loading and Unloading
- Presses, press brakes, shears and fabrication equipment
- CNC machines, lathes, mills and grinders
- Printing presses, folders and finishing lines
- Packaging, food and converting machinery
- Heavy lab and test equipment (see lab and medical equipment movers in Ottawa)
- Tanks, compressors and skid-mounted process units
Power Generation Equipment: Generators and Transformers
Standby generators, transformers, switchgear and UPS cabinets are top-heavy and easy to damage at the lifting points. We load and unload them. Your licensed electricians disconnect and reconnect power, and testing or generator service stays with your electrical contractor or the manufacturer.
Unloading Machines From Shipping Containers
Imported machines often arrive in a 20 or 40 ft container. We draw them out with skates, rollers and a forklift, or lift them out of an open-top container with our crane or a partner crane, then set them inside. This kind of industrial equipment unloading and offloading is our work; floor-loaded cartons and pallet freight are not, and a warehouse or lumper service handles those.
Industries We Serve in Ottawa
Ottawa’s industry leans on technology. Invest Ottawa lists telecommunications, cybersecurity, aerospace and defence, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing among its sectors, and Kanata North is among Canada’s largest technology parks. Our service suits those firms as well as machine shops, printers, food producers and research labs.
Construction, Farm, Mining and Oil and Gas Equipment
Construction equipment transport between job sites, farm machinery and mining or oil and gas gear sit outside our industrial focus and are taken case by case. If an excavator or a tractor has to move as part of a plant or dealer job, send its specs and we will say up front whether we can handle it.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Heavy Equipment Transport and Hauling in Ottawa
Within Ottawa, heavy equipment transportation is often a short run between industrial parks. Other loads head out along Highway 417 to the Valley or east toward Montreal, or down Highway 416 toward the 401. We arrange the truck and trailer for each load, so the heavy machinery transportation, the loading crew and the timing are planned together.
Flatbeds, Tilt-Decks and Floats
Light and mid-size machines ride on a flatbed or a tilt-deck (tilt and load) trailer, whose deck tilts down to the ground so equipment can be winched or rolled on. Tall or heavy machines go on a float, the local name for a lowboy, to keep the load under the height limit. Every load is blocked, chained and covered as needed before it leaves.
Over-Dimensional Permits for Oversized Loads in Ottawa
Oversized load handling in Ottawa starts with the City’s over-dimensional vehicle permit under By-law 2003-497. A truck and load need one at 2.6 m wide, 4.15 m high, 21 m long or 63,500 kg or more. The City asks for at least 10 business days of processing, though a single-trip permit can be issued in three, and a project permit covers repeat moves for up to six months.
Over-dimensional moves may not run through the downtown core from 7 to 9:30 a.m. or from 3:30 to 6 p.m., and permits are not valid during load restriction periods or on roads and bridges with posted load limits. The NCC parkways are closed to commercial vehicles. Highways 417 and 416 need an MTO permit, applied for at least five business days ahead. These heavy equipment permit services are part of our quote, and we arrange escorts when a permit calls for them.
Heavy Equipment Hauling: Ottawa, the Valley and Gatineau
Many loads leave the city: west to Arnprior, Almonte or Carleton Place, south to Kemptville, or east to Rockland, Embrun and Casselman. Loads for Gatineau cross the Ottawa River, where the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge and King Edward Avenue link Highway 417 with Autoroute 5. On Quebec roads, an outsized vehicle needs a special travel permit from Quebec’s Ministère des Transports. We haul to and from Gatineau; tell us what is needed at the Quebec end and we confirm the scope before quoting.
Heavy Equipment Logistics, Relocation and Storage in Ottawa
Heavy equipment logistics often comes down to timing: the old site must be empty by a set date while the new one is not ready. We can hold skidded machines in storage between pickup and delivery, and plan a heavy equipment relocation in stages. For a whole plant, see factory and plant relocation in Ottawa.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Pricing Heavy Equipment Loading and Hauling in Ottawa
Every job is quoted from your specs and photos, so the price reflects the real work. The main drivers are:
- Weight, size and centre of gravity of each machine, and whether it must be partly dismantled
- Access at pickup and delivery: docks, grade-level doors, stairs, tight corners or a long push
- The loading method: forklift, skates, jack and slide, gantry or a crane lift
- Trailer type and distance, from a cross-town run to the Valley or Gatineau
- Permits and escorts for over-dimensional loads, and windows outside the downtown rush hours
- Waiting time, weekend work during a shutdown, and storage between sites
For a quick range, use the Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator; for a firm price, send the details below. Quotes are in Canadian dollars (CAD).
Is Our Crew Right for Your Ottawa Job?
A good fit: machines that need rigging as well as a ride, such as presses, machine tools, generators, transformers, lab and test equipment, packaging lines and used machines bought at auction, plus plant closures and heavy equipment removal.
Not a fit: a freight unloading service or lumper work, loading trucks with boxes or pallets, household or office moves, scaffolding or shoring, equipment repair, heavy equipment leasing or crane rental, and towing.
What to Send for a Fast, Accurate Quote
A complete request gets a firm price fastest. Send these with your quote request:
- Machine details: make, model, weight and dimensions, ideally with a nameplate photo
- Pickup and delivery addresses, with photos of the doors, docks and the path to the truck
- Site limits: headroom, floor or yard surface, stairs, and where a truck can park
- Dates: when the machine is free, when it must arrive, and any shutdown window
- Who does what: who disconnects the machine, and whether another carrier is involved
- Extras: storage, crating, a Gatineau delivery or a crane lift
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Service Area: Ottawa’s Business Parks, the Valley and Gatineau
Inside the city we load and unload in the Kanata North and Kanata West business parks, Bells Corners, Colonnade and South Merivale, Hawthorne-Stevenage, Sheffield and Canotek in the east end, Albion-Leitrim and the airport lands, and along the Carp Road corridor.
Outside the city line we go to Arnprior, Almonte, Carleton Place, Kemptville, Rockland, Russell, Embrun and Casselman, and haul to and from Gatineau, Aylmer and Buckingham.
Key Cities and Towns Near 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 |
Hauls beyond the table, such as Kingston, Toronto or across the border into New York State, are planned and quoted per trip. Nearby pages: machinery movers in Kanata, machinery movers in Kingston and heavy equipment loading and unloading in Toronto.
or give a call +1-613-699-2692
Other Services in Ottawa
Browse all our services in Ottawa, or pick a related service below:
- 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
- Forklift Moving Service in Ottawa, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Ottawa, ON
- Printing Press Movers in Ottawa, ON
- Electrical Transformer Moving Services in Ottawa, ON
Location of our sales office:
955 Green Valley Crescent, Ottawa, ON K2C 3K7, Canada 👇
Heavy Equipment Loading and Hauling in Ottawa: FAQ
Mostly industrial machines: presses and press brakes, CNC machines and lathes, printing and packaging lines, generators, transformers and switchgear, tanks and compressors, and heavy lab or test equipment from research sites. Construction and farm machinery is taken case by case. Send the make, model and weight, and we confirm the loading method and the trailer.
By planning the lift before anyone touches it. We check the weight and centre of gravity, use the machine’s lifting points or a rigging plan with rated gear, and move it with skates, jacks, a forklift or a gantry suited to the load. On the trailer it is blocked, chained at several points and protected at sharp edges, and the same care applies when it comes off.
It depends on the machine, the access at both ends, the loading method, the distance and any permits. A cross-town forklift load costs far less than a super load that needs a City permit, escorts and a float. For a rough range, try our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator; for a firm price, send the specs and photos with your request.
Use the quote button on this page or call the number shown. Send the machine details, both addresses, photos of the access and your dates. Estimates are free, and most requests get a reply within 2 to 4 business hours. For larger jobs we may ask for a video walk-through or more photos before we confirm the price.
Only if the loaded truck is over-dimensional: 2.6 m wide, 4.15 m high, 21 m long or 63,500 kg or more, under By-law 2003-497. The City asks for at least 10 business days, though a single-trip permit can take three. Over-dimensional moves stay out of the downtown core at rush hours, and loads on Highways 417 and 416 need an MTO permit.
Yes. We load in Ottawa and haul across the river, or bring machines from Gatineau into Ontario. The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge and King Edward Avenue link Highway 417 with Autoroute 5. An outsized load on Quebec roads needs a special travel permit from the Ministère des Transports, which we plan with the route. Tell us what is needed at the Quebec site and we confirm the scope first.
Yes. Carriers often deliver to the curb or the dock and leave the unloading to the customer. We can meet the truck at your Ottawa site, take the machine off with a forklift, skates or a gantry, move it inside and set it in place. Share the carrier’s arrival window and the trailer type so the right gear is waiting when it arrives.
Yes. When a forklift cannot reach a machine, or the floor will not take a forklift’s wheel load, we jack the machine up, set it on steel beams or slide tracks and push it across in short, controlled moves. It is slower than a forklift but gentle on floors, and it works for loading onto a dock or a lowered trailer deck.
All of Ottawa, from Kanata, Stittsville and Bells Corners to Nepean, the south-end business parks, Orléans and the east-end industrial areas, plus Arnprior, Almonte, Carleton Place, Kemptville, Rockland, Russell, Embrun and Casselman. We also haul to and from Gatineau, Aylmer and Buckingham. Longer runs to Kingston, Toronto or New York State are quoted per trip.
No. We handle machinery and plant equipment only. Freight unloading, destuffing containers of boxed goods, and loading moving trucks for a household or office are labour services we do not provide. If your container holds a machine rather than cartons, or a truck is collecting a press from your shop, that is the work we do.
