Need reliable heavy machinery & industrial equipment movers in Kingston, Ontario? Rigging-Busters plans and carries out machinery moves for plants in Kingston, Loyalist Township, Greater Napanee and Gananoque. Our machinery movers and riggers take a machine from its old footprint to its new one: rigging, skidding, loading, transport on Highway 401 or city streets, and set-in-place.
We specialize in industrial machinery moving, heavy equipment rigging, lifting, erecting, loading/unloading, relocation, and transportation services for Kingston, ON and the surrounding area: metal fabricators, chemical and resin plants, food processors, marine and photonics manufacturers, and equipment dealers.
- Industrial work only: machines and plant equipment, never household or office contents.
- One crew from start to finish: rigging, transport, set-in-place, levelling and millwright installation.
- Quick answers: quote replies within 2–4 business hours.
- Minimum job: 3,500 CAD. Most industrial jobs cost more, and your written quote shows the full price.
- Where we work: Kingston, the Highway 401 corridor from Napanee to Gananoque, and the rest of eastern Ontario.
Want a rough number before you call? Our Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a quick price range.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
A machinery move is a planned rigging job, not a delivery. First we pin down the weight, the centre of gravity and the lifting points, then the floor and door limits on the way out. Only then do we pick the method: skates, a hydraulic gantry, jack-and-roll, or a lift by a licensed crane partner.
Getting that plan right is what keeps the machine, the building and your production schedule safe, whether the move is across one shop floor or from Kingston to a plant in Napanee.
Estimates are free. Send us the machine details and photos, and we will come back with a method, a crew and a price.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
How We Move Heavy Machinery in Kingston
Our heavy-duty machine movers, riggers and erectors work through seven steps on every Kingston job. Here is who does what:
- You send the details: make, model, weight and size, both addresses, photos of the machine and the way out, and your target dates.
- We check the site: door openings, floor loading, pits, overhead beams and the loading dock, in person when photos are not enough.
- We plan the move and the permits: method, crew and day. City of Kingston roads, Lennox and Addington County roads and Highway 401 each need their own permit, and Ontario asks carriers to apply for an MTO oversize permit at least 5 business days ahead.
- Your team shuts the machine down: your licensed electricians disconnect power, your maintenance staff disconnect air and water and drain fluids, and the OEM backs up the controls where needed.
- We rig and load: rated slings, skates, a gantry or jack-and-roll bring the machine out, and it is blocked and chained down on the trailer.
- We haul it on a flatbed, lowboy or tilt-deck trailer sized to the load, with escorts when the permit calls for them.
- We set it in place on its new footprint, levelled and ready for your electricians and the OEM to start it up; our millwrights can install and align it.
Equipment Our Crew Uses
The kit depends on the machine and the building. For Kingston jobs we bring:
- Machinery skates and dollies for rolling heavy machines across a shop floor
- Hydraulic gantries for lifting where the building has no overhead crane
- Jack-and-roll systems for raising very heavy equipment in stages and rolling it into position
- Forklifts and heavy-capacity lift trucks for loading, unloading and placing machines and skids
- Flatbed, lowboy and tilt-deck trailers for machinery transport
- Crane and boom-truck lifts through licensed crane partners, when a lift calls for one
Machinery Transport and Permits in Kingston
As heavy equipment movers, we haul machinery on trailers matched to each load and take care of permits and escorts. When a load exceeds the limits in Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act, City of Kingston roads need an excess load trip permit for the specific day and route, applied for online through Kingston Permit Central. Anything over 120,000 kg gross vehicle weight, 5.00 m wide or 45.75 m long is a superload, which the City reviews case by case after a route evaluation.
West of the city, County of Lennox and Addington roads need the County’s own permit once the vehicle and load exceed the limits it lists: 2.60 m wide, 4.15 m high or 23.00 m long. The County can hold large moves to daytime windows, typically 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and sets escorts by size. Highway 401, Highway 15 and the other provincial highways need an MTO permit. Seasonal load restrictions also apply on some roads, so we check them before we fix the date.
Crossing the Cataraqui River takes extra planning. The LaSalle Causeway now carries a temporary modular bridge that Public Services and Procurement Canada removes on scheduled marine-opening days, so we route cross-river loads around those closures, over the Waaban Crossing or Highway 401 where the permit allows.
Millwright Installation and Levelling
Once the machine is on its new footprint, our millwrights level and align it, re-assemble anything that travelled in sections, and hand it over ready for your electricians to reconnect and the OEM to recommission. For a process or packaging line, every unit goes back to its match marks so the line restarts in the right order.
Need rigging in Kingston without the haul? See industrial rigging services in Kingston, or browse all our services in Kingston.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Machines We Move: CNC, Presses and Process Lines
Our Kingston machinery movers handle heavy and sensitive industrial equipment, including:
- CNC machines, lathes and other precision machines
- Stamping presses, metal forming equipment, cutting tools and welding machines (for press set-in-place and alignment, see press moving and installation)
- Plastic, rubber, latex and resin processing equipment
- Packaging machines and food and beverage processing lines
- Printing presses, folding and paper cutting machines
- Textile machines, and equipment for automotive, aerospace, marine and rail manufacturing
- Transformers, switchgear, generators and clean energy equipment
- Heavy lab and medical equipment
Industries We Serve in Kingston
Invest Kingston counts more than 100 manufacturers in the city, employing over 5,000 people. They range from global names such as Novelis, INVISTA and Alstom to local firms such as Metalcraft Marine, IPG Photonics and SnapCab, in metal fabrication, chemical products, latex and resin materials, clean energy systems, agri-food processing, defence and rail. We move machinery for plants in these sectors, and for distribution sites, equipment dealers and auction buyers along the Highway 401 corridor.
Kingston plants keep adding equipment. In 2024 two local manufacturers announced more than 37 million dollars of investment: a new 37,300 sq ft production facility for IPG Photonics, and new manufacturing and R&D equipment at Cancoil Thermal Corporation. Projects like these need machines unloaded, rigged into place and levelled.
Production Line and Plant Relocations
Moving a line between buildings, or consolidating two sites into one, comes down to sequence. We photograph and match-mark every connection, agree the order with your production team, move each machine and set it back on its marks, then level and align the line. Your licensed electricians handle the power. Full facility moves are planned the same way.
How We Move CNC Machines
Before a CNC machine moves, your team or the OEM backs up the parameters and programs and drains the coolant, and our crew locks the axes and secures the spindle and any loose tooling. The machine travels on skates, a gantry or a forklift, then we set and level it so the OEM technician can recommission it.
Loading, Unloading and Heavy Skids
A new machine often reaches a Kingston plant on a skid or in a crate. We unload it from the dealer’s truck, move it inside and set it on its footprint. We also move skidded and crated loads that are too heavy for an ordinary freight carrier from one site to another. Jobs done mostly with a forklift are covered on our forklift moving service in Kingston page.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Machinery Moving Cost in Kingston: What Affects the Price
Required moving and relocation work is estimated each time individually, once we have the details or have seen the site. Prices depend mostly on:
- The machines: weight, dimensions, structure and how many there are
- The route inside the building: distance and complexity of the skidding path, uneven floors, stairs, ramps and door widths
- Method and gear: skates, gantry, jack-and-roll or a partner crane (crane time is included in your quote), and how long each is needed
- Crew size: how many movers, riggers and erectors the job takes
- Extra work: loading and unloading, crating and packing, dismantling and re-assembly, levelling and millwright installation
- Transport: distance, trailer type, permits and escorts
- Storage or freight when the machine cannot go straight to its new site
- Timing: shutdown windows, evenings and weekends, and permit lead times
Quotes are in Canadian dollars (CAD). The cheapest bid is not always the lowest total: one crew that rigs, hauls and sets the machine saves a second mobilization. For a first number, try the Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator.
Areas We Cover in Kingston and Eastern Ontario
Our Kingston machinery movers work within about 50 km of the city, shown on the map below. That covers Kingston’s north-west industrial streets (around Centennial Drive, Resource Road and Innovation Drive), plants on both sides of the Cataraqui River, Loyalist Township (Amherstview, Odessa and Bath), Greater Napanee and Deseronto to the west, South Frontenac to the north and Gananoque to the east.
Key Cities We Serve Around Kingston
| City | Province | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston | Ontario | Canada |
| Deseronto | Ontario | Canada |
| Gananoque | Ontario | Canada |
| Napanee | Ontario | Canada |
Longer moves follow Highway 401 in both directions: west through Belleville to our machinery movers in Durham Region and Toronto machinery movers, and east and north to machinery movers in Ottawa. We also arrange cross-border transport; the nearest commercial crossing is the Lansdowne port of entry at the Thousand Islands Bridge, east of Gananoque, which links Highway 401 to Interstate 81. See machinery movers across Ontario for every city we serve.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Why Kingston Plants Hire Us
- Industrial work only: machinery and plant equipment is all we move.
- One crew for the whole job: rigging, the haul, set-in-place, levelling and millwright installation.
- The right method for the building: skates, gantries and jack-and-roll, with crane lifts by licensed partners.
- Planned around your shutdown, so production stops for as short a time as possible.
- Permits handled: City of Kingston, Lennox and Addington County and MTO, plus route planning around the LaSalle Causeway closures.
- Fast and free project estimates so you can plan and budget: 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: a single small machine or a whole line, plant moves and consolidations, new equipment that needs unloading and installation, and heavy skids a freight carrier won’t take.
Not a fit: household, apartment or office moves, pianos, safes and furniture, crane or forklift rental, and equipment repair.
Have These Ready for an Exact Quote
A complete request gets a faster, firmer price. Send these with your quote request:
- The job in one line: one machine, a line, or a plant move or closure
- Nameplate details: make, model, weight and dimensions (a nameplate photo is enough)
- Pickup and delivery addresses, with dock, door sizes, stairs and floor type at each end
- Your dates: the shutdown window and any deadline from a landlord, auctioneer or dealer
- What else you need: transport, crating, storage, levelling or millwright work
- Photos or a short video of the machine and the route out of the building
Other Services in Kingston
More from our Kingston crew, or see all our services in Kingston, Ontario:
Location of our sales office:
556 O’Connor Dr, Kingston, ON K7P 1N3, Canada
Kingston Machinery Moving: FAQ
Industrial machinery movers, also called machine movers or equipment moving companies, relocate heavy plant equipment that ordinary movers cannot handle. They rig the machine, skid it out of the building, load and haul it, then set and level it at the new site. In Kingston that can mean a CNC machine moving across town or a process line moving from one plant to another.
Each move is priced on its own details: the weight and size of the machine, access at both ends, the lifting method, the distance, permits and timing. Even a single small machine is quoted this way. One quote covering rigging, transport and set-in-place is the easiest to compare. For a rough range first, use our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
Yes, once the truck and load exceed the Highway Traffic Act limits. City of Kingston roads need an excess load trip permit for the day and route, and loads over 120,000 kg gross, 5.00 m wide or 45.75 m long go through the City superload process. Highway 401 needs an MTO permit, applied for at least 5 business days ahead, and Lennox and Addington County roads need a County permit.
It can. The causeway now carries a temporary modular bridge, and Public Services and Procurement Canada removes it on scheduled marine-opening days, closing the crossing to all traffic for most of the day. For moves between the east end and the rest of Kingston, we check those dates and route loads over the Waaban Crossing or Highway 401 where the permit allows.
Machinery riggers work out how to lift and move a heavy machine safely: its weight, centre of gravity and lifting points, the slings and gear to use, and the path out of the building. They then raise, skid and lower it with gantries, jacks, skates or a crane. For rigging only in Kingston, see our industrial rigging services in Kingston.
Yes. We take new machines, skids and crates off the dealer’s truck, bring them inside on skates, a gantry or a forklift, and set them on the footprint, ready for your electricians and the OEM. We also move skidded loads too heavy for a regular freight carrier from site to site. For forklift-only jobs, see our forklift moving service in Kingston.
Yes, we arrange cross-border transport as part of the move. The nearest commercial crossing is the Lansdowne port of entry at the Thousand Islands Bridge, east of Gananoque, which links Highway 401 to Interstate 81. Send the destination, the machine details and your dates, and we will plan the rigging, the trailer, the permits on both sides and the crossing.
A heavy machine moved without a rigging plan and the right gear can tip, crack a floor, damage a doorway or injure someone, and a damaged machine stops production for far longer than the move itself. Professional machinery movers check the weight, centre of gravity and route first, use rated slings, skates and gantries, and leave the machine level and ready to start up.
All of Kingston and about 50 km around it: Loyalist Township, including Amherstview, Odessa and Bath, Greater Napanee, Deseronto, South Frontenac and Gananoque. Longer moves run along Highway 401 west to Belleville, Durham Region and Toronto, and east and north to Ottawa. Send both addresses with your quote request and we will confirm the crew, route and permits.
No. Rigging-Busters moves industrial machinery and plant equipment only, such as CNC machines, presses, process lines, transformers and generators. For a house, apartment or office move in Kingston, please call a residential or commercial moving company. We also do not rent out cranes or forklifts or repair equipment. If you need a machine, a line or a plant moved, we can help.
