Rigging-Busters moves, rigs and installs industrial equipment in Markham and Richmond Hill: a new machining centre into a shop off Denison Street, switchgear into an electrical room or a generator onto its pad near Highway 404, or a production line out of a Beaver Creek building and into its next home. Our riggers take each unit off its base, move it on skates, jacks, a gantry or a heavy forklift, load and haul it, then set it where it belongs.
We work for plant and facility managers, machine-tool and plastics-machinery dealers, electrical contractors on new buildings, labs and auction buyers across southern York Region.
- Industrial only: machines, electrical gear, lab units and plant equipment, never household or office moves.
- One plan, both sites: rig-out, loading, the haul, unloading and set-in-place are quoted and scheduled together.
- Minimum job: 3,500 CAD. Most rigged moves cost more, and the written quote shows the full price before work starts.
- Quick replies: we usually reply within 2–4 business hours, and estimates are free.
- Insured: liability and workers’ compensation insurance (WSIB in Ontario), with a certificate of insurance on request.
Want a rough number before you call? The Heavy Lifting & Moving Calculator gives a price range in a few minutes.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Machinery Moving Across Markham and Richmond Hill’s Business Parks
Most of the industrial and technical buildings in the two cities sit along Highway 404 and Highway 7, with a second belt of older plants in south and east Markham. We work in all of them:
- Highway 404 and Highway 7, Markham: Commerce Valley, the Allstate business park and the Cochrane Drive area, with offices, technology companies and data facilities.
- South Markham: the industrial streets around Denison Street, Steeles Avenue and Warden Avenue, with machine shops, manufacturers and distributors.
- East of Warden along 14th Avenue: Markham’s general industrial and warehouse lands south of Highway 407, out to McCowan Road and Markham Road.
- Beaver Creek Business Park, Richmond Hill: the city’s largest business park, with Highway 7 to the south and Highway 404 to the east.
- Headford and Barker Business Parks: further north along Highway 404; Barker, north of Major Mackenzie Drive, has the larger lots, with warehousing and research buildings.
- Newkirk Business Park: Richmond Hill’s oldest business park, where manufacturing is still a big share of the jobs.
Newer buildings here tend to have good docks but tight electrical rooms, raised floors and finished corridors; the older plants in south Markham have lower doors and crowded floors. We check both ends before we choose skates, a gantry or a forklift.
What We Move in Markham and Richmond Hill
- CNC machining centres, lathes, EDMs and grinders
- Injection moulding machines, moulds, robots and auxiliary equipment; see machinery installation in Toronto
- Standby generators, UPS line-ups and switchgear for data centres, telecom rooms and new buildings, plus transformers
- Electronics assembly lines and test equipment
- Heavy lab equipment: autoclaves, -80 °C freezers, biosafety cabinets and large instruments, moved to a plan agreed with the manufacturer
- Printing presses, packaging and converting equipment
- Compressors, chillers and rooftop units; see crane rigging and heavy lifting
Not a Fit
Household and office moves, vehicles, general freight, and forklift or crane rental on its own are outside what we do, and so is any job under our 3,500 CAD minimum. A moving company or a rental firm is the right call for those.
Data-Centre and Electrical Rooms: Generators, UPS and Switchgear
Microsoft began site preparation for a data centre in Markham in May 2024 and expects construction of the building to begin in late 2026 (Microsoft’s construction update). It is named here as context, not as a client. Buildings like this, and the expansion of existing server and telecom rooms, need heavy electrical equipment set in tight spaces on a fixed schedule:
- Generators: lifted off the truck with our crane or a partner crane and set on their pads or on rooftop steel.
- Switchgear and UPS line-ups: moved in sections on skates through doors and corridors, set on their channels or plinths and lined up for the electrical contractor.
- Transformers: rigged off the trailer and placed on pads or in vaults; see transformer moving in Toronto.
- Cooling units and chillers: weights checked against the floor and roof-steel ratings from your engineer, and the route planned around them.
The electrical contractor makes the connections and runs the tests; we plan the route, the rigging and the setting. See data centre equipment rigging in Toronto for how these jobs run.
Machine Tools and Moulding Machines: Delivery to Set-in-Place
Markham and Richmond Hill have machine-tool and plastics-machinery dealers, and many shops that buy from them. A new machine often arrives before the floor, the power or the old machine is ready, so we cover every step from the truck to the machine’s final position:
- Receiving: unloading from the truck or container, uncrating, and photos of the crate and the machine on arrival.
- Storage: short-term storage while the building or the foundation is finished.
- Move-in: skates, a gantry or a heavy forklift through the doors and across the floor, set on the marks.
- Levelling and anchoring to the maker’s drawings, ready for the dealer’s technician; see millwright services and machinery installation.
Old machines going out? We rig them out and load them for the buyer, or move them to your other plant.
Labs and Research Buildings
Both cities also have labs and research buildings. Heavy lab units move with the same care as production machines, with the manufacturer or the lab handling shutdown and testing; see lab and medical equipment movers in Toronto and pharmaceutical equipment relocation in Ontario.
Rigging, Moving and Installation From One Crew
Whatever the equipment, the job runs in the same order, and one crew is responsible from start to finish:
- Rig-out: after your trades disconnect it, the unit comes off its anchors or base on jacks and rolls out on skates, a gantry or a forklift sized for it.
- Lifts: roofs, mezzanines, pits and tight sites are handled with our crane or a partner crane; see crane rigging and heavy lifting.
- The haul: the right trailer, secured and routed for the permits; see machinery transport in Ontario.
- Set-in-place: set on its marks, levelled and anchored; see millwright services in Toronto and the GTA.
Moving a whole plant? Our plant relocation service moves the lines in the order your production needs. Buying machines at an auction? See auction machinery removal in Ontario.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Permits for Machinery Moves in Markham and Richmond Hill
Markham lists five road authorities for the roads within its borders: the City, York Region, the City of Toronto (on Steeles Avenue), MTO and Highway 407 ETR. In practice, most machinery moves deal with three or four of them:
York Region Roads
Highway 7 west of Donald Cousens Parkway, 16th Avenue, 14th Avenue east of Warden Avenue, Major Mackenzie Drive, Yonge Street, and Bayview, Leslie, Woodbine, Warden, Kennedy and McCowan are York Region roads. On them, a load wider than 2.6 m, higher than 4.15 m or longer than 12.5 m including the vehicle, or heavier than the Highway Traffic Act allows, needs a York Region Excess Load Permit. Apply online about two weeks before the move: a single trip costs $350 and an annual permit $210, and the insurance certificate must show $5 million in commercial general liability. A load 30.5–36.5 m long needs a private escort, and a load taller than 4.72 m, wider than 4.27 m or longer than 36.5 m needs a York Regional Police escort. A lane closure on a York Region road, for example for a crane, needs the Region’s approval; allow about four weeks for its road permit.
City of Markham Streets
The streets inside Markham’s business parks are City roads. An oversize or overweight load on them needs a City Excess Load Permit, which takes about 10 business days to process. Work that blocks part of the road, such as a crane or a trailer parked to unload, needs a Road Occupancy Permit, with a traffic control plan and an insurance certificate naming the City, and also takes about 10 business days. A full road closure needs a Road Closure Permit, applied for 4–6 weeks ahead.
City of Richmond Hill Streets
Richmond Hill issues its own excess load permits for City roads. Lane or road closures and mobile crane work in the City right-of-way need a Road Occupancy Permit: the application costs $276.23 plus HST and needs a traffic protection plan and a $5 million liability insurance certificate.
Highway 404 and Other Provincial Highways
On provincial highways, including Highway 404 and Highway 7 east of Donald Cousens Parkway, an oversize or overweight load needs an MTO oversize/overweight permit; apply for a single trip at least five business days ahead.
Weight Restrictions
York Region’s spring weight restrictions run from March 1 to April 30; in Markham they cover Major Mackenzie Drive from the Markham Bypass to York/Durham Line. Some roads are restricted all year: in Markham, 14th Avenue east of 9th Line and 16th Avenue east of Donald Cousens Parkway; in Richmond Hill, 19th Avenue from Yonge Street to Leslie Street and parts of Leslie Street to the north. Vehicles over five tonnes per axle need a Load Exemption Permit for those roads. Markham also posts half-load roads (five tonnes per axle) and applies the same limit from March 1 to April 30 on the City roads named in its spring load by-law. Richmond Hill also has spring half-load limits on some City roads, including Pugsley Avenue, Crosby Avenue and Centre Street around Newkirk Road. We route heavy hauls around these limits.
Machinery Moving Cost in Markham and Richmond Hill
Every move is quoted on its own, once we know the equipment and both sites. The price depends on:
- The equipment: weight, dimensions, number of sections and number of units
- The rigging: skates and jacks, a gantry, a heavy forklift or a crane lift
- Access: docks, doors, corridors, raised floors and overhead lines at both ends
- The haul and permits: distance, trailer type, and York Region, City or MTO permits
- Timing: after-hours work, shutdown windows and site schedules on new buildings
- Installation: setting, levelling and anchoring at the destination
Jobs start at 3,500 CAD, and most rigged moves cost more. For a rough range, try the Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator, or see how jobs are priced on our pricing page.
Areas We Cover in Markham, Richmond Hill and Nearby
We work across Markham, including Unionville, Milliken, Cornell and the Markham side of Thornhill, and across Richmond Hill, from the Beaver Creek parks to Oak Ridges. We also cover the rest of southern York Region (Vaughan, Aurora, Newmarket and Whitchurch-Stouffville), North York and Scarborough in Toronto, and Pickering to the east.
For moves nearby, see machinery movers in Vaughan and Concord, Toronto and Oshawa, or browse all our services for Toronto and the GTA.
or give a call +1-647-846-5179
Why Markham and Richmond Hill Businesses Use Us
- Riggers who work in finished buildings: floor protection, corridor routes and tight electrical rooms planned in advance.
- One crew for the whole job, from rig-out or receiving to set-in-place.
- Permits planned with York Region, the City of Markham or Richmond Hill, and MTO.
- Work around your schedule: after hours, weekends, shutdowns and site windows on new builds.
- Installation when you need it: levelling and anchoring for the technician.
- Quick answers: we usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
Information That Speeds Up Your Quote
Include these in your quote request and we can price the job accurately the first time:
- Equipment details: make, model, weight and dimensions, and any sections that come apart
- Photos: the equipment, its base or anchors, and the route out of the room or building
- Addresses: pickup and delivery, with a site contact at each
- Access: door and corridor sizes, elevators, floor loading, dock height and trailer parking
- Installation: pads, plinths or anchors at the new site, and who connects the power
- Dates: delivery windows, shutdowns and any site or construction schedule
- Site rules: WSIB clearance, insurance certificates and site orientation
Other Services Near Markham and Richmond Hill
Browse all our services in Canada, or go straight to a related service:
- Rigging Company & Industrial Moving in Toronto and the GTA
- Machinery Movers and Industrial Riggers in Vaughan & Concord, ON
- Data Centre Equipment Rigging in Toronto: Generators, UPS
- Electrical Transformer Moving Services in Toronto, ON
- CNC Machine Movers in Toronto, ON
- Millwright Services & Machinery Installation in Toronto, ON
- Lab & Medical Equipment Movers and Laboratory Relocation in Toronto, ON
- Machinery & Heavy Equipment Transport in Ontario
- Auction Machinery Removal in Ontario
Machinery Movers in Markham and Richmond Hill: FAQ
It is quoted per job: the equipment’s weight and size, the rigging method, access at both ends, the haul and any permits set the price. Jobs start at 3,500 CAD, and most rigged moves cost more. For a rough range, use our Heavy Lifting and Moving Calculator.
Yes, when the load is wider than 2.6 m, higher than 4.15 m, longer than 12.5 m including the vehicle, or heavier than the Highway Traffic Act allows. York Region issues an Excess Load Permit online; apply about two weeks ahead. A single trip costs $350.
An Excess Load Permit for an oversize or overweight load on City streets, and a Road Occupancy Permit if a crane, trailer or crew takes up part of the road. Both take about 10 business days to process, and a full road closure needs a Road Closure Permit 4–6 weeks ahead.
Yes, with a Road Occupancy Permit for mobile crane work in the City right-of-way. The application costs $276.23 plus HST and needs a traffic protection plan and a $5 million liability insurance certificate. We plan the lift and the permit together.
Yes. York Region applies spring restrictions from March 1 to April 30 on listed roads, and some roads, such as 14th and 16th Avenues in east Markham and 19th Avenue in Richmond Hill, are restricted all year. Markham and Richmond Hill also limit some City roads to five tonnes per axle in spring.
Yes. We rig them off the truck, move them through doors and corridors on skates, and set them on pads, plinths or rooftop steel, with the electrical contractor making the connections. See data centre equipment rigging for how these jobs run.
Yes. We unload it, uncrate it if needed and photograph it on arrival, then hold it in storage until the floor and power are ready. On the install date we move it in, set it on its marks and level it for the dealer’s technician.
Yes: autoclaves, -80 °C freezers, biosafety cabinets and large instruments, with the lab or the manufacturer handling shutdown, decontamination and testing. See lab and medical equipment movers in Toronto.
When equipment has to go onto a roof, a mezzanine or over an obstacle, yes: with our crane or a partner crane, planned by our riggers. We don’t rent out cranes on their own, and most moves inside a building need no crane at all.
The equipment’s make, model, weight and dimensions, photos of it and the route out, both addresses, the access at each end, what happens at the new site, your dates and your site rules. Send them with the quote request form, and we usually reply within 2–4 business hours.
