Rigging-Busters is a rigging company serving Oshawa and the rest of Durham Region. Our equipment riggers lift, skid, load and set heavy machinery for auto parts suppliers, metal fabricators, energy-sector shops and distribution centres, providing industrial rigging services for anything from a single press shifted across the floor to a full line moved between buildings.
We also take on specialized moving and rigging when a machine has to leave the site: the same crew handles professional rigging, trucking and millwright set-in-place, so there is one plan and one point of contact. Tell us what is moving and where; the estimate is free.
- Plant equipment only: presses, machine tools and production equipment; no household or office moves.
- Start to finish: rigging, loading, transport, set-in-place, levelling and millwright installation by one crew.
- Written quotes in 2–4 business hours once the machine details are in.
- Where we work: Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Clarington and the rest of Durham Region, plus the eastern GTA. See the Oshawa service area.
Want a number before you call? The Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a rough price range online.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
How We Rig and Lift Machinery in Oshawa
Before anything is lifted, our riggers work out three things on paper: what the load weighs, where its centre of gravity sits and which path it will take to the truck or to its new pad. That rigging plan decides the gear, the crew size and the order of work:
- Site walk. We check the machine, its anchors and foundation, and every door, aisle, ramp and overhead obstruction between it and the dock.
- Rigging plan. Weights and picking points are confirmed, slings and shackles are matched to rated capacities, and sling angles are set before move day.
- Hand-off from your team. Your maintenance staff lock out the machine and drain its fluids, your licensed electricians disconnect it, and the OEM saves the controller data where needed.
- Raise and roll. Jacks or a hydraulic gantry lift the base, skates go underneath and the machine rolls out on the planned path; jack-and-roll takes over where headroom is tight.
- Load and travel. The load goes onto a flatbed, lowboy or tilt-deck, is chained and blocked, and leaves by the permitted route.
- Set and hand back. At the destination the machine is lowered onto its pads, levelled and anchored, and the area is handed back to your team.
Specialized Rigging Equipment We Bring
Most of our machine lifting in Oshawa plants happens from the floor, with gear sized to each load:
- Hydraulic gantry systems for lifts where no overhead crane exists
- Toe jacks, climbing jacks and steel cribbing for raising heavy bases in stages
- Machinery skates and jack-and-roll gear for long, low or very heavy machines
- Industrial forklifts and lift trucks for docks, yards and trailer loading
- Spreader bars, rated slings and shackles picked for each lift
- Tag lines, chains and blocking to control and secure the load
Rigging Only, or Rigging With Transport
Rigging only: our crew works inside your fence. Typical Oshawa jobs: moving a press to a new bay for a changeover, lifting a machine onto new pads, unloading a delivered machine from a flatbed, or splitting a line so your own carrier can take it.
Rigging with transport: when the equipment leaves the site, the same riggers load it, haul it and set it again, across Durham Region or farther. For whole moves see heavy machinery movers in Oshawa, and for a full building, factory and plant relocation in Oshawa.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Moving Oversize Loads Through Oshawa: Permits and Escorts
Oversize moves in Oshawa answer to three road authorities, and the paperwork often sets the date. What applies:
- City of Oshawa roads: a moving permit once the vehicle and load exceed 2.60 m in width, 4.15 m in height, 23 m in length or Highway Traffic Act weights. Apply 10 to 15 business days before the move date.
- Escorts and clearances: wider, taller or longer loads need escort vehicles, and at least two police escorts for the largest. The mover also clears the route with rail companies, fire, police and paramedic services, Durham Region Transit and overhead utilities.
- Very heavy loads: above 65,000 kg gross, the City asks for an axle load drawing and may require an engineer to confirm that bridges on the route can take the load.
- Durham Regional roads: if any part of the route is a Regional road, the Region’s oversized load permit comes first. It is applied for online; allow ten business days.
- Highway 401 and other provincial highways: an MTO oversize/overweight permit, at least 5 business days ahead.
Spring adds one more limit: from early March to about April 30, signed City of Oshawa roads carry half-load restrictions of 5 tonnes per axle, with the exact dates set each year.
Millwright Installation After the Lift
Our millwrights take over where the riggers stop. The machine is set on its pads or sole plates, shimmed until it meets the maker’s levelling and alignment tolerances, and anchored where the floor allows; guards and covers go back on. Power reconnection stays with your licensed electricians, as O. Reg. 570/05 requires for contracted electrical work, and the OEM or your own technicians run the start-up.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
What Our Equipment Riggers Move in Oshawa and Durham
Our machinery riggers provide specialty rigging services for the equipment that keeps Durham Region’s plants running:
- Stamping presses, dies and press-line automation for auto parts suppliers
- Robotic weld cells, conveyors, jigs and assembly fixtures
- CNC machining centres, lathes and grinders (see CNC machine movers in Oshawa)
- Plate rolls, press brakes, burn tables and weld positioners for metal fabricators
- Transformers, switchgear and standby generators (see transformer moving in Oshawa)
- Balers, compactors and conveyor sections for warehouses and distribution centres
- Forklifts and lift trucks between sites (see our forklift moving service in Oshawa)
Industry in Oshawa and Durham Region
Rigging work here follows the region’s industry. Durham Region’s economic development office calls it the Clean Energy Capital of Canada and points to its long strength in the automotive sector. At Oshawa Assembly, GM is adding the next-generation Heavy-Duty GMC Sierra, backed by CAD 144 million under the contract Unifor members ratified on 30 August 2026, on top of CAD 63 million already committed to stamping and other upgrades.
Northwood Business Park adds about 500 acres of employment land near the Oshawa Executive Airport, where Lactalis Canada and Martin Brower chose sites for distribution centres. On the lakeshore, the Port of Oshawa, run by HOPA Ports, has handled more than 3 million tonnes of cargo over the past decade, from steel products to salt and grain.
Rigging Press Lines, Weld Cells and Auto Tooling
Presses are planned piece by piece: crown, slide and bed are rigged as separate loads where the manufacturer allows, the slide is blocked before anything moves, and dies travel on their own skids. Weld cells and conveyors are photographed and tagged so robots, fences and controls go back in the same positions. For CNC equipment, your team or the OEM saves the control parameters and empties the coolant first; we then lock each axis and fix the spindle in place for transport.
When a Crane Is the Right Tool
Most lifts inside Oshawa plants are done with gantries, jacks and skates. A crane earns its place when a load has to go over a wall, onto a roof or through an opening the floor cannot reach. For those picks our riggers plan the rigging and a licensed crane partner provides the crane and operator. When a lift needs a crane, the crane partner’s time is included in your quote. We do not offer crane rental.
What Industrial Rigging Costs in Oshawa
No two rigging jobs are priced alike, and the estimate itself is free. What moves the number on a Durham Region job:
- The weight, footprint and centre of gravity of each machine
- Access at both ends: dock height, door width, floor capacity and overhead obstructions
- The method: floor rigging with gantries and skates, or a partner crane for an outside pick (the partner’s crane time is part of the quote)
- Route and distance, with City of Oshawa, Durham Region or MTO permits and any escort vehicles
- Timing: the March–April half-load season and work scheduled around your production
- Extras such as crating, storage between sites, levelling and anchoring
For a first range before you send details, use the Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Rigging Across Oshawa, Durham Region and the Eastern GTA
In Oshawa our riggers work everywhere from Northwood Business Park to the harbour lands. Across Durham Region we cover Whitby, Ajax and Pickering; Courtice, Bowmanville, Newcastle and Orono in Clarington; and Port Perry and Uxbridge to the north. East along Highway 401 we reach Port Hope.
For jobs in Toronto, see our rigging company in Toronto page; for Simcoe County, industrial rigging in Barrie; and farther east, industrial rigging in Kingston.
Towns and Cities We Serve Near Oshawa
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Oshawa | Ontario | Canada |
| Ajax | Ontario | Canada |
| Aurora | Ontario | Canada |
| Bowmanville | Ontario | Canada |
| Markham | Ontario | Canada |
| Newcastle | Ontario | Canada |
| Newmarket | Ontario | Canada |
| Orono | Ontario | Canada |
| Pickering | Ontario | Canada |
| Port Hope | Ontario | Canada |
| Port Perry | Ontario | Canada |
| Richmond Hill | Ontario | Canada |
| Toronto | Ontario | Canada |
| Uxbridge | Ontario | Canada |
| Vaughan | Ontario | Canada |
| Whitby | Ontario | Canada |
| Whitchurch-Stouffville | Ontario | Canada |
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Why Oshawa Manufacturers Call Our Rigging Crew
When Oshawa plants compare machine rigging companies, these are the differences that show up on the job:
- Planned lifts: written rigging plans with weights and picking points, and floor methods first, before any crane is considered.
- One accountable crew: the same riggers lift, load, haul, set and level, so nothing gets lost between contractors.
- Permits and clearances handled: City of Oshawa, Durham Region and MTO permits, escorts and utility clearances arranged for you.
- Built around production: the move sequence follows your shutdown or model-changeover window.
- Fast, written quotes: within 2–4 business hours of receiving the details; the estimate is free.
A good fit: press lines and stamping equipment, CNC and fabrication machines, weld cells, transformers and generators, distribution-centre equipment; single lifts, in-plant moves, rigging only, plant relocations and storage between sites.
Not a fit: crane services or crane rental on their own; hoist and crane inspections; stand-alone rigging consultants’ reports; rental or sale of lifting and rigging equipment; heavy lifting handyman jobs; household or office moves.
Six Details for an Exact Rigging Quote
Put these in your quote request; complete details mean a firmer price on the first reply:
- Equipment list: make, model, weight and dimensions of every item, from the nameplate or manual.
- Photos or video: the machine, its anchors and the route to the door or dock.
- Addresses: pickup and delivery, and whether the route uses Regional roads or Highway 401.
- Scope: rigging only, rigging and transport, or set-in-place and levelling as well.
- Dates: your shutdown or changeover window, and whether it falls in the March–April half-load season.
- Site requirements: safety orientation, PPE, permits to work and access hours.
Other Services in Oshawa
Every service we offer here is listed under all our services in Oshawa.
You also might be interested in the following services within the area:
- Heavy Equipment & Machinery Movers in Oshawa, ON
- Factory & Plant Relocation Services in Oshawa, ON
- Lab & Medical Equipment Movers in Oshawa, ON
- Forklift Moving Service in Oshawa, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Oshawa, ON
- Printing Press Movers in Oshawa, ON
- Electrical Transformer Moving Services in Oshawa, ON
Location of our sales office:
50 Richmond St E, Oshawa, ON L1G 7C7, Canada 👇
Oshawa Industrial Rigging: FAQ
Industrial rigging is the planned lifting and moving of heavy plant equipment. Riggers work out the weight and balance point, choose rated gear and move the load with gantries, jacks, skates, forklifts or, now and then, a crane. In Oshawa that usually means press-line, weld-cell and fabrication equipment for auto and energy-sector suppliers, moved without damage to floors, foundations or the machine itself.
Usually, yes. On City of Oshawa roads a permit is needed once the truck and load pass 2.60 m in width, 4.15 m in height, 23 m in length or Highway Traffic Act weights, with 10 to 15 business days of notice. If the route uses a Durham Regional road, the Regional permit comes first, and provincial highways such as the 401 need an MTO permit. We handle the applications.
Yes. We confirm the weight of each major press component, block the slide, send the dies separately and split the press only where its manufacturer allows. Weld cells, conveyors and fixtures are photographed and tagged so the line goes back in the same layout, whether the move is a model changeover or a full plant relocation.
It depends on the machine’s weight and size, access at both sites, the lifting method and whether the job is rigging only or includes transport and levelling. Permits, escort vehicles and the spring half-load season on City roads can also shape the plan. For a rough range first, try our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
Most machine lifts inside Oshawa plants are done with gantries, jacks and skates, and we do not rent out cranes or offer crane services on their own. For the occasional pick over a wall or onto a roof, our riggers plan the lift and a licensed crane partner brings the crane and operator. When a lift needs a crane, the crane partner’s time is included in your quote.
All of it, plus the eastern GTA. In Oshawa that includes Northwood Business Park and the harbour area, and across the region Whitby, Ajax, Pickering, Courtice, Bowmanville, Newcastle, Orono, Port Perry and Uxbridge, with Port Hope to the east. For work inside Toronto, see our rigging company in Toronto page.
Heavy rigging is the part of the trade that deals with loads too heavy or awkward for a plant’s own forklifts and hoists: press crowns, transformers, large machining centres or long fabrication beds. Our riggers handle them with steel cribbing, climbing jacks, hydraulic gantries and spreader bars, and a licensed crane partner joins when a lift has to clear a wall or a roof.
Lifting is the moment the load leaves the floor; rigging is all the work that makes that moment safe. Riggers pick the slings, shackles, spreader bars or skates, check the rated capacities and attach everything so the load stays balanced. On our jobs the same crew plans both, so the gear, the lift and the move fit together from the first walkthrough.
No. We are riggers, not a rental yard or an inspection company, so we do not rent out lifting and rigging equipment, sell rigging supplies or inspect hoists and overhead cranes. Our crew arrives with its own gantries, jacks, skates and slings and does the lift or move for you. For equipment rental or hoist inspections, a local specialist is the better call.
Yes. Plenty of Oshawa jobs never leave the building: a press shifted to a new bay, a machine raised onto new pads, a delivery unloaded from a flatbed or a line split for your own carrier. We quote that as rigging only. If the equipment later has to travel across Durham or beyond, our heavy machinery movers in Oshawa take it from there.
