Crane Dismantle & Relocation

Cranes Moved, Reinstalled & Certified

We dismantle, relocate and reinstall overhead cranes and swing jibs across the UK, returning them to service tested and certified at the new site.

Request A Quote 02380 338 286
Trusted By Industry Leaders
BAE Systems
QinetiQ
Sunseeker
Emirates
Disney Cruise Line
Holcim UK
Freightliner
ABP (Associated British Ports)
Prysmian
Serco
Biffa
Wärtsilä
Qatar Airways
Southampton FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
EDF Energy

Crane Relocation Done Properly

A Perfectly Fine Crane Deserves A Second Site

Factories move, layouts change, and buildings become empty, but a structurally sound crane does not stop being valuable because the work beneath it went elsewhere. Crane relocation involves dismantling an existing overhead crane, gantry or swing jib in a methodical manner, moving it, modifying if applicable and then re installing at a new location, done properly it delivers a proven machine for a fraction of the price of a new installation.

We manage the whole move, including the survey at both ends, the electrical and mechanical dismantling, transport, reinstallation with any new runway or steelwork the receiving building needs, and the commissioning, testing and thorough examination that puts the crane legally back to work.

We also purchase used cranes that are no longer required, offering a full turnkey solution for the removal and making good of the crane structural fixings and anchors.

Our dismantle and relocation service covers:

  • Overhead travelling cranes, gantries and swing jibs
  • Relocation within a building, between sites or into storage
  • Runway beams and supporting steelwork at the receiving site
  • Full recommissioning, proof load testing and certification
  • Safe dismantling and removal of redundant cranes
  • Surveys at both ends before anything is unbolted
Crane Relocation

Moving Site, or Moving A Crane?

Tell us what the crane is, where it lives and where it is going, and we will survey both ends and give you a clear plan and price.

Send An Enquiry 02380 338 286

Our Crane Dismantling & Relocation Service

Surveying Both Ends

A relocation succeeds or fails before a bolt turns.

At SWL, we will always survey the crane where it stands to confirm its condition, configuration, and true capacity, because moving a machine with a hidden defect only relocates the problem. Then the receiving site is surveyed, which involves checking spans, heights, the structure available to carry a runway, and the power supply the crane will need.

The two surveys are combined in a plan that assesses whether the crane suits the new duty, what steelwork or modifications the move demands, and what it will all cost, compared with the alternative of a different machine, through our crane manufacturing and installation service. Sometimes the answer is that the move does not add up, and you hear that before spending, not after.

Dismantling & Transport

Dismantling is the reverse of installation and is done with the same discipline. The crane is electrically isolated and disconnected, the hoist, crab and bridge are broken down into transportable assemblies, and every component is identified and protected for the journey, because a bent end carriage or a kinked festoon discovered at the far end wrecks the schedule.

Lifts and transport are planned around both buildings and their occupants, with the work sequenced so that a live factory can keep working around it. When the crane is heading into storage rather than straight to a new site, components are prepared and inventoried so that reinstallation, whenever it comes, starts from an order rather than a puzzle.

Crane Dismantling

Reinstallation & Re-Certification

At the receiving site, the crane is reassembled on its new runway, with any supporting steelwork designed and installed where the building needs it, and the electrical installation completed to suit the new supply. Reassembly is the moment worn components make themselves cheap to change, so ropes, wheels and brakes flagged in the survey are dealt with while the crane is in pieces rather than after it is thirty feet up.

Then the crane is proven exactly as a new installation would be by being functionally tested, proof load tested, and thoroughly examined by a competent person before its first working lift, in line with the duties under our LOLER inspections. LOLER requires examination after assembly at a new site, and the crane’s documentation is rebuilt around the move so its history survives the journey intact.

Dismantling Redundant Cranes

Not every crane is going somewhere. End of lease, demolition or even a layout that no longer needs lifting, whatever the reason, a redundant crane has to come down safely, and a machine engineered to hold tonnes aloft does not come down casually. We dismantle and remove redundant cranes, gantries and jibs, recovering components and machines with resale value where they exist, and clearing runways and steelwork where the strip-out demands it.

The building is left clean, and the paperwork closed out, and where a removed crane is sound enough to serve elsewhere, we will say so, because a working machine finding a second life beats scrap value every time.

Our Process

From Two Surveys To A Certified Crane

  1. 01

    Survey Both Sites

    The crane and the receiving building are surveyed, and you get an honest plan, price and verdict on whether the move adds up.

  2. 02

    Dismantle & Move

    The crane is isolated, broken into protected assemblies and transported, sequenced around live operations at both ends.

  3. 03

    Reinstall & Renew

    The crane is rebuilt on its new runway with any steelwork the site needs, and worn components are changed while access is easy.

  4. 04

    Test, Examine & Certify

    Functional testing, proof load testing and thorough examination put the crane legally back to work with its records intact.

Why Choose SWL

One Team From Old Site To New

Installers Doing The Moving

The same crane division that installs new cranes handles the dismantling and rebuild, so nothing is learned at your expense.

Honest Go or No-Go

If the move costs more than it saves, the surveys will say so before a bolt turns, with the alternatives priced beside it.

Steelwork In Group

Runways and supporting steel for the receiving site are designed and fabricated within the group, not subcontracted into delay.

Certified At The New Site

Proof load testing and thorough examination after reassembly mean the crane restarts life compliant, as LOLER demands.

Live Sites Respected

Moves are sequenced around working factories at both ends, because your production does not pause for our crane.

Removal Without Drama

Redundant cranes come down safely and the building hands back clean, with value recovered where it exists.

Our Crane Relocation FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is relocating a crane cheaper than buying new?

Usually substantially, provided the crane is structurally sound and suits the new duty. Our surveys at both ends give you the relocation cost relative to the price of an alternative machine, so the decision is based on the numbers.

Can any crane be relocated?

Most structurally sound overhead cranes, gantries, and swing jibs can. The survey confirms the crane’s condition and whether the receiving building’s structure, spans and power suit it, and we tell you plainly where a move does not add up.

Does a relocated crane need re-testing?

Yes. LOLER requires a thorough examination after assembly at a new site, and we functionally test, proof-load test, and examine every relocated crane before its first working lift.

Can you move a crane within the same building?

Yes. Bay-to-bay and layout-change moves follow the same discipline as site-to-site relocations, including re-examination once the crane is reassembled.

What happens to a crane you remove?

Where the machine or its components hold value, we recover it, and a sound crane can be prepared for resale or storage. Otherwise, the crane and its runways and steelwork, where required, are dismantled and cleared safely.

Will the move disrupt our production?

It’s planned not to. Dismantling and reinstallation are sequenced around live operations at both sites, with lifts and isolations agreed before work starts.

Which areas do you cover?

We dismantle, relocate and remove cranes across the United Kingdom, including moves between sites at opposite ends of the country.