Rigging-Busters provides heavy equipment loading and unloading in Windsor, Essex County and Chatham-Kent. Our machinery movers and riggers take machines out of the plant, load them onto flatbeds, step-decks, tilt-decks and lowboys, haul them, and unload them at the far end, whether that is across town, up Highway 401 or over the border in Michigan.
We work for auto parts plants, tool, die and mould shops, plastics moulders, machine shops, equipment dealers and auction buyers. Typical jobs include a press that has to leave on a truck by Friday, a machining centre from a US supplier that has to come off a trailer, or a container of imported machinery that has just reached the dock. One crew rigs, loads, hauls, unloads and sets the machine in place.
- Industrial work only: machines and plant equipment; no household moves, freight or pallet unloading.
- One crew from pickup to placement: rigging, loading, hauling, unloading, set-in-place and levelling.
- Quick replies: quotes within 2–4 business hours, and estimates are free.
- Minimum job: 3,500 CAD. Most industrial jobs cost more, and your written quote shows the full price.
- Where we work: Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent and southwestern Ontario, plus cross-border runs to Detroit and Michigan (see areas we cover).
Want a rough number before you call? Our Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives an instant price range.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Heavy Equipment Loading and Unloading Services in Windsor
On a heavy equipment move, the riskiest metres are the ones between the floor and the truck deck: a top-heavy machine can tip on the forks, slide on a wet deck or drop off a trailer edge. Our heavy equipment loading and unloading services treat both ends of the trip as rigging work. Before anything is lifted we confirm the weight, the centre of gravity and the pick points, and the crew stays until the machine is off the trailer and standing where you want it.
As heavy equipment contractors in Windsor we also take on oversized load handling, industrial equipment moving and specialized transport services, so one team plans the pickup, the haul and the delivery. That helps most when the timeline is tight, such as a retool during a model changeover or a mould that has to be in the press for the next shift.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
How We Load, Haul and Unload Heavy Equipment in Windsor
From a single press brake on a tilt-deck to a stamping line leaving on several lowboys, every job runs through the same seven steps:
- You send the details: make, model, weight and dimensions of each machine, both addresses, your dates and a few photos. If the OEM has a lifting drawing or marked lift points, include it.
- We check both sites: dock height or grade-level door, door width, floor capacity, the path from the foundation to the trailer, and where a truck can stand in the yard or on the street.
- We choose the method and the trailer: forklift, skates, hydraulic gantry, jack-and-roll, or a lift with our crane or a partner crane, and a flatbed, step-deck, tilt-deck or lowboy that suits the height and weight.
- Your team prepares the machine: power is disconnected by your electricians, and your maintenance staff drain oil, coolant and hydraulic fluid and pull loose tooling. Our riggers lock rams, slides and tables, and skid or crate the machine when it needs it.
- Loading and tie-down: the machine goes onto the deck with its weight centred over the axles, then it is blocked, chained and strapped, with edge guards on machined or painted surfaces.
- The haul: a route checked for clearances and load limits, with City of Windsor, County of Essex or MTO permits and escorts for oversize loads, and the border crossing booked for US deliveries.
- Unloading and set-in-place: the machine comes off at the receiving dock or yard, travels inside on skates or a forklift, and is set on its marks and levelled, ready to be reconnected.
Under Ontario’s O. Reg. 570/05, electrical work for hire must be done by a Licensed Electrical Contractor, so your licensed electricians disconnect and reconnect power. Our crew does the rigging, loading, hauling, unloading and positioning.
When You Only Need Loading or Only Unloading
Often only one end of the trip needs riggers. A dealer’s carrier drops a new machining centre at your dock and leaves, so we take it off the trailer and roll it to its foundation. An auction buyer sends a flatbed for a press, so we rig it out of the building and put it on the deck for their driver. When you would rather hand over the whole trip, we load, haul and unload it as one job. If you need a rigging company for lifts inside the plant with no trucking, see our industrial rigging services in Windsor.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Equipment We Use for Loading and Unloading Heavy Machinery
No single tool fits every machine. We choose by weight, footprint, headroom, the floor and how close the truck can get. Heavy equipment rigging and forklift work do most of the lifting, with these tools:
- Forklifts and heavy-capacity lift trucks to side-load flatbeds in the yard and load trailers at the dock door
- Machinery skates and dollies to roll presses, lathes and mould bases from their foundations to the dock
- Hydraulic gantries to lift a machine straight up and onto a deck where there is no overhead crane and no room for a forklift
- Jack-and-roll and skidding (jack and slide) to raise very heavy equipment in stages and move it on or off a trailer over cribbing
- Tilt-deck (tilt and load) trailers so a machine on skates can be winched up the deck without a ramp
- Specialty rigging and cargo control: rated slings, shackles and spreader bars for the lift, and chains, binders, straps and edge guards for the trip
When a machine has to come off the trailer and over a wall, onto a mezzanine or into a pit, the crane service is planned and quoted with the rest of the job, using our crane or a partner crane. We do not rent out cranes or forklifts; if the forklift itself is the load, see our forklift moving service in Windsor.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
What We Load and Unload in Windsor-Essex
Windsor-Essex builds cars and the tools that build them. Invest WindsorEssex counts more than 250 machine, tool, die and mould makers in the region, which is also home to Stellantis’ Canadian headquarters and, in east Windsor, the NextStar Energy battery plant, which started a battery pack line in June 2026. So the machines that go on and off trucks here are often heavy, dense and expensive. For a full plant-to-plant move with installation, see our machinery and heavy equipment movers in Windsor.
Presses, Moulds and Machine Tools on Flatbeds, Lowboys and Tilt-Decks
Stamping presses and press brakes; plastic injection moulding machines, moulds and dies; CNC machines, lathes and EDM machines (see CNC machine movers in Windsor); welding cells, conveyors and robot bases; generators and transformers (see electrical transformer moving in Windsor). A heavy mould or a press crown rides low on a lowboy or step-deck, a machine a forklift can reach goes on a flatbed, and a long machine on skates is winched up a tilt-deck. Large equipment that travels in sections is match-marked so it goes back together the same way.
Container Unloading for Imported Machinery
Machines bought overseas usually arrive in a 20 ft or 40 ft container. When the box is on a chassis at your dock, we unload it there: the machine is jacked off its blocking, set on skates and drawn to the door, where a forklift takes over. Open-top and flat-rack containers can be lifted out with our crane or a partner crane. We also transload machines from a container onto a flatbed, and load machines into containers for your freight forwarder.
Industries We Serve in Windsor-Essex
Auto assembly and parts plants; tool, die and mould shops; plastics moulders; metal stampers and fabricators; food processors and greenhouse operators around Leamington, which has the largest concentration of commercial greenhouses in North America; machine shops; equipment dealers; and buyers at plant auctions and closures. For line moves inside auto plants, see auto and EV plant equipment rigging in Windsor.
Construction equipment transport and earthmoving equipment hauling between job sites are not our core work. If excavators, bulldozers and other earth movers, wheel loaders or tractors have to move as part of a plant, yard or dealer job, send the specs and we will confirm whether we can take them, and on which trailer, route and permits, before we quote. The same goes for very large oil and gas, mining or power generation equipment.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Heavy Equipment Hauling and Transportation Services in Windsor
Many heavy machinery transport companies and haulers send a truck and a driver and leave the loading to you. Our heavy equipment transportation services include the loading and unloading at both ends, so the riggers who chain the machine down are the ones who take it off. The logistics, route and timing are settled before moving day. For deck heights, Ontario’s size limits and the permits a haul from Windsor-Essex may need, see machinery transport across Ontario.
Flatbed, Lowboy and Wide Load Transport
Most machines ride on a flatbed or step-deck. Tall presses, heavy moulds and anything that must sit low travel on a lowboy (float). Loads too wide, tall, long or heavy for normal limits become wide loads that need permits and, on some routes, escort vehicles. We haul across Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent, to London and the rest of Ontario, and run lowboy transport across the border.
Oversize Load Permits in Windsor and Essex County
Which permit you need depends on whose road the load uses. On City of Windsor streets an oversized load needs a City of Windsor moving permit: the application must reach the City at least 72 hours before the move, Traffic Operations approves the route, and the Engineering Department then issues the permit. On County roads through towns such as Tecumseh, LaSalle, Lakeshore and Kingsville, a County of Essex moving permit is needed for loads wider than 2.6 m, higher than 4.15 m, longer than 12.5 m (14.65 m for a semi-trailer) or heavier than 36,364 kg. The County asks for at least 10 business days of notice, its permit covers County roads only, and some County roads drop to 5 tonnes per axle during load restriction periods. Highway 401, Highway 3 and the other provincial highways need an MTO oversize/overweight permit, which Ontario asks carriers to request at least 5 business days before the trip. We apply for the permits and book escorts as part of the job.
Cross-Border Heavy Equipment Transport to Detroit and Michigan
The Ambassador Bridge is the busiest crossing on the Canada–US border by trade. We haul machines, moulds and tooling between Windsor-Essex plants and suppliers, dealers and auctions in Detroit, the rest of Michigan and other states in the United States, over the Ambassador Bridge or the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which opened to traffic on 27 July 2026. For oversize loads, the Gordie Howe bridge’s specialized-load rules call for MTO and/or Michigan DOT permits and a call to its Traffic Management Centre at least 24 hours before crossing. Your customs broker clears the machine; we rig, load, haul and unload it, including heavy equipment transportation to Ontario from US sellers.
Heavy Equipment Storage in Windsor
If the receiving building is not ready, for example while a new line is still being installed, we can keep skidded or crated machines in short-term storage between pickup and delivery and bring them in when you call. Loading, storage and delivery are then quoted together, and nobody else handles the machine.
Heavy Equipment Hauling Cost in Windsor: What Affects the Price
There is no flat rate for heavy equipment hauling services in Windsor. Each job is priced after we see the machine list and both sites, and these are the factors that move the number:
- The machine: weight, height, footprint and pick points, and whether it travels whole or in sections
- Each end of the trip: dock or grade-level door, how far the machine sits from the truck, floor strength, and room to set up a forklift or gantry
- Loading method: forklift, skates, gantry, jack-and-roll, or a lift with our crane or a partner crane
- Trailer and kilometres: flatbed, step-deck, tilt-deck or lowboy, plus the distance and any waiting time
- Permits, escorts and the border: City, County and MTO permits for oversize loads, and the crossing on runs to Michigan
- Extras: crating, container work, storage, set-in-place and levelling
Ask for loading, hauling and unloading in one quote, so you compare the whole job instead of a truck rate. Estimates are free, and the Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator gives an instant rough range.
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Why Windsor-Essex Plants and Dealers Hire Us
- The same riggers at both ends: the crew that chains your machine down at pickup takes it off at delivery.
- Methods for tight plants: skates, gantries and jack-and-roll where a forklift will not fit, and our crane or a partner crane when a lift needs one.
- Border runs planned: permits on both sides and timing agreed with your customs broker for Michigan deliveries.
- Local permits handled: City of Windsor route approval and permit, County of Essex and MTO permits, and escorts.
- Quick answers: quote replies within 2–4 business hours.
- Insured: liability and workers’ compensation insurance (WSIB in Ontario), with a certificate of insurance on request.
A good fit: presses, moulds, machine tools and production equipment going on or off a truck; new machines delivered by a dealer or carrier; containers of imported machinery; heavy machinery removal for auctions and plant closures; and cross-border hauls between Windsor-Essex and Michigan.
Not a fit: household or office moves, gym and exercise equipment, safes, freight unloading services for boxes and pallets, warehouse unloading and lumper work, construction equipment hauling between job sites, towing, building material delivery, equipment repair or field service, crane or equipment rental, and operator jobs.
Have These Ready for an Exact Quote
Quotes come back within 2–4 business hours and are most accurate when your quote request includes:
- The machine: make, model, weight and size, plus a photo of the nameplate
- Pickup and delivery addresses, and for each one whether there is a dock, a grade-level door or an open yard
- Who brings the truck: our trailer, your carrier, or a 20 ft or 40 ft container
- The path to the truck: door sizes, floor load limits, steps or ramps, and any overhead crane at either site
- Timing: pickup and delivery dates, your shutdown or changeover window, and for US runs, your customs broker
- Photos of the machine, the route out and the spot where it will sit
For urgent loading or unloading, call our Windsor number directly. Quotes are in Canadian dollars (CAD).
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Areas We Cover in Windsor and Nearby
Inside the city we load and unload in the Morton Industrial Park by the Detroit River, Ford City, the industrial streets off E.C. Row Expressway, the Walker Road corridor past the Chrysler minivan plant and the airport, and the east end around the NextStar Energy plant. Across Essex County we work in Tecumseh and Oldcastle, LaSalle, Amherstburg, Lakeshore, Essex, Kingsville and Leamington; beyond the county we cover Chatham-Kent and London along Highway 401, and Sarnia.
Hauling further? See machinery movers in London, machinery movers across Ontario, or, for jobs in the GTA, heavy equipment loading and unloading in Toronto.
Key Towns We Serve Around Windsor
| City/Town | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor | Ontario | Canada |
| LaSalle | Ontario | Canada |
| Tecumseh | Ontario | Canada |
| Amherstburg | Ontario | Canada |
| Essex | Ontario | Canada |
| Lakeshore | Ontario | Canada |
| Leamington | Ontario | Canada |
| Kingsville | Ontario | Canada |
| Chatham-Kent | Ontario | Canada |
or give a call +1-519-800-5124
Other Services in Windsor
More from our Windsor-Essex crew (or browse all our services in Windsor):
- Heavy Equipment & Machinery Movers in Windsor, ON
- Heavy & Industrial Rigging Services in Windsor, ON
- Forklift Moving Service in Windsor, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Windsor, ON
- Auto and EV Plant Equipment Rigging in Windsor, ON
Location of our sales office:
3270 Electricity Dr, Windsor, ON N8W 5J1, Canada
Windsor Heavy Equipment Loading and Hauling: FAQ
Mostly the machines Windsor-Essex plants run on: stamping presses and press brakes, injection moulding machines, moulds and dies, CNC machining centres and lathes, welding cells, conveyors and robot bases, generators and transformers. We load and unload them on flatbeds, step-decks, tilt-decks and lowboys and in shipping containers. For an excavator, bulldozer, loader or tractor, send the specs and we will confirm before quoting.
By planning the lift before anyone touches the machine. We confirm the weight, centre of gravity and pick points, check the floor and the path to the truck, and choose a forklift, skates, a gantry or jack-and-roll. On the trailer the load is centred over the axles, then blocked, chained and strapped. At delivery we reverse the steps and finish with the machine set on its marks and levelled.
Yes. We haul machines, moulds and tooling between Windsor-Essex and Detroit, the rest of Michigan and other states, over the Ambassador Bridge or the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Oversize loads on the Gordie Howe bridge need MTO and/or Michigan DOT permits and a call to the bridge’s Traffic Management Centre at least 24 hours ahead. Your customs broker clears the machine; we rig, load, haul and unload it.
Only for oversize or overweight loads, and it depends on the road. City of Windsor streets need a route application at least 72 hours before the move, then a City moving permit. County of Essex roads need a County permit with at least 10 business days of notice. Highway 401, Highway 3 and other provincial highways need an MTO permit, requested 5 business days ahead. We arrange all of them.
Yes. When a 20 ft or 40 ft container of imported machinery reaches your dock on a chassis, we jack the machine off its blocking, set it on skates and draw it to the door, where a forklift takes it. Open-top and flat-rack containers can be lifted out with our crane or a partner crane. We do not unload floor-loaded boxes or pallets.
Yes. We can take just one end of the trip: a dealer or a Michigan supplier’s carrier drops a machine at your dock, or an auction buyer sends a truck for a press. We bring the crew and the forklift, skates or gantry for that one end, then move the machine inside and set it in place, or rig it out and load the waiting trailer.
Each job is priced on its own, so there is no flat rate. The price depends on the machine’s weight and size, access at the pickup and delivery sites, the loading method, the trailer and kilometres, permits for oversize loads, and extras such as crating, storage or the border crossing. Our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator gives a rough range, and estimates are free.
All of Windsor, from the Morton Industrial Park to the east-end plants, plus Tecumseh and Oldcastle, LaSalle, Amherstburg, Lakeshore, Essex, Kingsville and Leamington in Essex County, and Chatham-Kent. We also haul to Sarnia, London and the rest of Ontario, and across the border to Michigan. Send both addresses with your quote request and we will confirm the crew, route and permits.
No. We are an industrial crew for machinery and heavy equipment. Freight unloading services for boxes and pallets, warehouse or lumper work, household and office moves, gym and exercise equipment, safes and building material deliveries are better handled by a moving company or a freight service. If the load is a press, a mould, a machine tool or other plant equipment, we are the right call.
Use the quote button on this page or call our Windsor number. Send the make, model, weight and size of each machine, both addresses with dock or door details, your dates and a few photos. Estimates are free, and replies come within 2–4 business hours. For urgent loading or unloading in Windsor-Essex, calling is the fastest way.
