Crane & flatbed services in Toronto & the GTA

Multiple crane-equipped flatbed trucks that transport your load and lift it into place — up to 8 tons, 65 ft of reach and a 25 ft deck. Below is what we handle most; if you don't see your job, just ask.

401 Express crane truck loaded with precast concrete slabs, outriggers deployed on a GTA job site

Crane truck lifts

Lift and place where trucks can't reach

Our knuckle-boom crane trucks (also called pickers or articulating cranes) bend at a central joint, so they can lift heavy loads and thread them through tight openings and over obstacles with precision. It's the versatile choice when a load needs to go somewhere a forklift or standard truck can't take it.

  • Up to 8-ton lift capacity
  • Compact enough for tight urban and residential sites
  • Careful rigging and precise placement
401 Express crane lifting a new rooftop HVAC unit onto a plaza roof in Toronto while the old RTU sits on the flatbed

Rooftop & HVAC lifts

Rooftop HVAC & RTU crane lifts

HVAC and mechanical contractors across the GTA call us for rooftop equipment swaps. We remove the old unit and set the replacement on the roof so your crew can get straight to the install — no separate crane company to schedule.

  • Rooftop units (RTUs), make-up air & air handlers
  • Condensing units, compressors & exhaust fans
  • Old-unit removal and new-unit placement in one visit
The 401 Express International crane truck with its HIAB 255 K knuckle-boom crane and 25 foot flatbed deck

Flatbed transport

25 ft of deck — then we lift it off

Our flatbeds haul equipment, machinery, steel and building materials to your site on a 25 ft deck. Because the crane rides with us, we unload and set everything exactly where you need it instead of leaving it at the curb.

  • 25 ft deck for long loads and multiple pieces
  • Steel, lumber, roofing & building materials
  • Transport and crane placement in a single trip
401 Express boom truck with the crane fully extended and outriggers down at a job site in the GTA

Boom truck reach

Up to 65 ft of reach

When the load has to go high or far, our boom trucks deliver the reach — ideal for multi-storey placements, rooftops set back from the building edge, and lifts that have to clear obstacles on the way.

  • Up to 65 ft reach for high or set-back placements
  • Great for rooftops, upper floors & elevated platforms
  • Clears fences, hedges and obstacles between truck and target
Elevator guide rails being unloaded from the 401 Express flatbed by a worker in full PPE at a downtown Toronto high-rise, CN Tower behind

Elevator industry

Elevator equipment delivery & hoisting

We specialize in the elevator industry. Guide rails, cab components, counterweights, machine-room equipment and hoisting gear — delivered to tight downtown sites and lifted exactly where the installers need them. We know the access constraints that come with high-rise work.

  • Guide rails, brackets & cab components
  • Counterweights, machines & controllers
  • Experienced with tight downtown Toronto access
401 Express crane truck positioned alongside a shipping container in the Greater Toronto Area

Shipping containers

Container lifts, moves & delivery

Sea cans and storage containers lifted off, set down, repositioned on site or hauled across the GTA. If you need a container moved a few feet or a few kilometres, we can pick it up and place it.

  • Lift, reposition and set down on site
  • Delivery and pickup across the GTA
  • Placement onto blocks, pads or uneven ground
401 Express crane lifting a timber wall frame into position on a residential build in Toronto

Material placement

Over the fence, onto the roof, into tight spots

Some loads only need one thing: to get up, over or into a spot nothing else can reach. We lift materials and equipment over fences, onto rooftops, into plazas and backyards, and into difficult-access areas — safely and accurately.

  • Materials lifted over buildings and obstacles
  • Placement into plazas, courtyards & tight lots
  • Beams, framing, precast and bulk materials
Large air handling units strapped to the 401 Express crane truck flatbed for transport across the GTA

Machinery & equipment

Heavy equipment moved and set in place

Generators, transformers, compressors, industrial machinery and large components — loaded, transported and craned into position. Anything up to 8 tons that needs to move and then be set precisely.

  • Generators, transformers & compressors
  • Industrial machinery and large components
  • Loading, transport and final placement
401 Express crane lifting a large glazed panel over a residential property in Toronto

Residential lifts

Hot tubs, furniture and residential lifts

Homeowners call us for the loads that won’t fit down the side of the house — or up the stairwell. Hot tubs, spas, sheds and landscape stone craned over the fence and set exactly where you want them. We also handle furniture and appliance delivery by crane: sofas, mattresses, fridges, pianos and safes hoisted to a balcony or upper-floor window when the elevator or staircase won’t take them — a common problem in Toronto condos and older homes with tight turns.

  • Furniture & appliance hoisting to balconies and upper floors
  • Hot tubs, swim spas & pool equipment
  • Sheds, cabins & garden structures
  • Landscape stone, boulders & planters
The 401 Express flatbed crane truck, used for transporting regulated dangerous goods across the GTA

TDG certified

Dangerous goods transport

We hold a current Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) certificate under the federal TDG Regulations, so we can legally carry regulated loads that most crane and flatbed operators have to refuse. If a supplier or contractor has told you they can't move it, this is usually why — and usually where we can help.

  • Refrigerant & compressed gas cylinders — oxygen, acetylene, nitrogen
  • Propane cylinders and construction heaters
  • Fuel drums, paints, solvents and adhesives
  • Lead-acid and lithium batteries
  • Industrial chemicals in drums, pails and totes

Send us the UN number, shipping name and class when you request a quote. Some goods need an Emergency Response Assistance Plan or additional permits on top of TDG training — we'll tell you straight away whether we can carry it or not.

Anything else?

What else we lift

This list isn't exhaustive. If it weighs up to 8 tons and has to get somewhere a truck can't reach, ask us — the answer is usually yes.

Generators & Transformers Steel Beams Lumber & Building Materials Roofing Materials Landscape Stone & Boulders Sheds & Garden Structures Precast Concrete Pool Equipment Restaurant & Kitchen Equipment Scissor Lifts & Site Equipment Furniture & Appliances Safes & Heavy Items Signage & Light Poles

Who we work with

Industries we serve

We support contractors and businesses across the GTA who need equipment and materials moved and lifted into place. If your trade involves something heavy that has to get somewhere awkward, we probably already work with someone in it.

HVAC Contractors Mechanical Contractors Elevator Contractors Construction Companies Roofing Contractors Property Management Industrial & Commercial Glass & Glazing Contractors Landscaping & Hardscaping Pool & Spa Installers Sign & Awning Companies Solar Installers Steel Fabricators Modular & Prefab Builders Restaurant & Food Service Telecom & Utility Contractors Event & Staging Companies Chemical & Industrial Suppliers Movers & Relocation Companies Homeowners

Before you call

What to include in your quote request

A few details help us quote accurately and show up with the right setup. The more you can share, the faster we can help.

Start your quote
  • What you're lifting and roughly what it weighs
  • Dimensions of the item
  • Pickup and delivery / lift locations
  • Required lift height (e.g. roof height) & distance from where we can park
  • Photos of the site — the single most helpful thing you can send

Not sure which service you need?

Tell us about the job — we'll figure out the right approach.