Construction Materials
Lifting in Melbourne
Steel, Trusses, Packs and Materials Placed Where You Need Them
We lift and place building materials on sites across Melbourne. Structural steel, roof trusses, wall frames, brick and block packs, timber, sheeting, roofing and everything else that arrives on a truck and has to end up somewhere the truck cannot reach.
The distinction that matters on these jobs is simple. Some materials just need to be dropped. Others need to be placed on a slab, over a fence, onto scaffolding, or up on a level. Placing is the part that needs a crane.
Dropped or Placed?
A supplier’s delivery truck gets material to the curb, but many Melbourne sites have no forklift, no room for one, and nowhere suitable to place the load at ground level. That is how tiles arrive with no way to unload them, trusses reach fenced blocks with no side access, or steel remains on the nature strip because the crane is booked for another day. Before delivery, confirm whether the material must go somewhere the delivery vehicle cannot reach and whether suitable equipment is available on site. If not, book the lift with the delivery. A crane truck can collect from the supplier and place the load in one visit, or we can arrange a crane to meet another delivery vehicle. Tell us what is arriving, when and where it must end up across Melbourne, Geelong, Bacchus Marsh and Western Victoria.
Different Materials, Different Handling
This is the part that separates a lift that goes cleanly from one that puts a pack of bricks through a scaffold deck.
Brick and block packs. Heavy, dense, and dependent on their banding. Packs that have been handled repeatedly or sat in the weather can let go, so they need supporting correctly rather than just slinging under the strapping.
Roof trusses. Long, light, and flexible. Lifted from the wrong points, they bend, and bent trusses do not go back. Spreader bars and multiple pick points keep them straight.
Timber packs—awkward weight distribution and slippery when wet, particularly treated pine. Restraint matters as much as the sling arrangement.
Sheeting and cladding. Light but with enormous surface area, which makes them unpredictable in wind. Often the wind, not the weight, decides whether they go up that day.
Structural steel. Concentrated weight and defined lifting points, usually straightforward, but rigging has to suit the member and how it lands.
Plasterboard and linings. Fragile edges, and typically going into a building rather than onto it, which often means an opening rather than a roof.
Tell us the material as well as the weight when you enquire, because it changes the rigging.
Different Materials,
Different Handling
Tell us the material as well as the weight when you enquire, because it changes the rigging.
Brick and block packs
Roof trusses
Timber packs
Sheeting and cladding
Structural steel
Structural Plasterboard and liningssteel
What We Lift
Structural Steel and Framing
Beams, columns, lintels, portal frames and steel framing lifted onto slabs and into position on residential and commercial builds.
Roof Trusses and Wall Frames
Truss sets and prefabricated wall frames lifted onto slabs and up to level, kept straight with correct rigging.
Brick, Block and Paving
Packs of bricks, blocks and pavers placed onto slabs, scaffolding and rear yards where wheeled equipment cannot reach.
Timber, Sheeting and Roofing
Timber packs, sheeting, roofing materials and cladding lifted to level or onto roofs on constrained sites.
Precast and Concrete Elements
Steps, lintels, pits and smaller precast components placed on residential and civil jobs.
Site Equipment and Facilities
Site sheds, containers, scaffolding, formwork and equipment delivered and positioned as the program requires.
Call us now at 0457 000 637.
How it Works
How it Works
Start with what is arriving and when.
Start with what is arriving and when.
Tell us what is arriving
The material, the pack weights, how many lifts, when it arrives, where the crane can stand, and where the material has to end up.
Tell us what is arriving
The material, the pack weights, how many lifts, when it arrives, where the crane can stand, and where the material has to end up.
Machine and rigging confirmed
Capacity checked at the landing radius, rigging specified for the material, permits identified, and a quote issued.
Machine and rigging confirmed
Capacity checked at the landing radius, rigging specified for the material, permits identified, and a quote issued.
Scheduled for delivery
Timing set against the supplier's window, traffic management arranged where needed, and crew allocated.
Scheduled for delivery
Timing set against the supplier's window, traffic management arranged where needed, and crew allocated.
Lifted and placed
Material lifted from the truck or the ground, landed in the nominated position, and the crane departs or stays for the next load.
Lifted and placed
Material lifted from the truck or the ground, landed in the nominated position, and the crane departs or stays for the next load.
What the Job Includes
Six things covered:
Machine matched to the reach. Crane selected based on the distance from where it can stand to where the material lands, not just the pack weight.
Rigging suited to the material. Spreader bars, slings and lifting arrangements chosen for what is being lifted rather than whatever is on the truck.
Dogman where required. Ticketed crew supplied where the load needs slinging judgment or travels out of the operator’s view, which is standard on lifts to level.
Permits and traffic management. Road occupancy and traffic control arranged where the crane occupies the street, common on infill and inner suburban blocks.
Delivery coordination. Timing arranged around your supplier’s delivery window so the crane is not waiting on a truck or the other way round.
Spotters near powerlines. Registered spotters supplied where the lift falls within the specified distances from overhead services.
Materials arriving on a fixed delivery window? Call 0457 000 637 with the time, because these lifts are a scheduling problem more than a lifting one.
What the Job Includes
Materials arriving on a fixed delivery window? Call 0457 000 637 with the time, because these lifts are a scheduling problem more than a lifting one.
Six things covered:
Can you lift materials onto scaffolding?
Yes, and it is common work. What matters is where on the deck the load can sit and how much it can carry in one place, so tell us the pack weight, and we will confirm whether it needs splitting into smaller lifts.
Can you lift materials to an upper level?
Yes. The crane needs a standing position with reach to the landing point, which on a narrow block usually means the street. Send the distance from the curb to where the material lands along with the level height.
Can materials be placed on a suspended slab?
Usually, within limits. Suspended slabs have load capacities that apply per area rather than overall, so a heavy pack concentrated in one spot can be a problem even when the total weight is fine. If your engineer has nominated loading positions, tell us, and we will place to them.
Do I need a crane or a crane truck?
If the material is coming from a supplier and needs placing, a crane truck often does both in one visit and costs less. If the load is already on site, or the reach is beyond what a truck-mounted crane can handle, a mobile crane is the answer. Send the details, and we will say which.
What if the delivery truck is already booked?
Then we bring the crane to meet it. Tell us the delivery window, and we will schedule it to it, because the alternative is material sitting on the nature strip until a crane is free.
Do you supply a dogman?
Yes, where the lift requires one, which on lifts to level or onto scaffolding is most of the time because the load leaves the operator’s view. Many builders use their own ticketed crew, and we work with them.
Will my materials get damaged?
Correct rigging is what prevents it. Trusses bend if lifted from the wrong points, brick pack banding can fail, and sheeting moves in wind. Telling us the material rather than just the weight is what lets us rig it properly.
Can wind stop a materials lift?
It can, particularly with sheeting, cladding and anything with a large surface area. The operator assesses conditions on the day. Dense loads like brick packs are far less affected.
Do I need a permit?
If the crane stands on the road, footpath or nature strip, generally yes. On infill and inner suburban blocks, that is the usual situation, and permits take lead time, so book early rather than the day before.
Can you handle lifting across a whole build program?
Yes, and it works out considerably better than one-off bookings. Standing rates are arranged for builders with regular lifting, with the same operator attending so the crew knows the site.
What does materials lifting cost in Melbourne?
Most jobs carry a minimum booking covering travel and setup, then hourly. Staging several deliveries into one attendance is the single biggest saving available. Call 0457 000 637 with the details.
Which areas do you cover?
All Melbourne metro suburbs, with Maidstone, Werribee and Caroline Springs among the areas we attend most often, extending through Geelong, Bacchus Marsh, Melton and Ballarat, plus regional Victoria.
0457 000 637
Open 24 hours
25 Rowsley Station Rd, Maddingley VIC 3340
Contact Us
Cranes drive to site from 25 Rowsley Station Rd, Maddingley VIC 3340 on the Western Freeway, which makes early starts realistic. On materials work that matters, because deliveries usually land first thing and the crane needs to be there when they do. Maidstone is infill construction on narrow blocks. Townhouse builds, extensions and rear developments where the delivery truck cannot get past the front boundary, so almost everything has to be lifted over. Permits and street setup are standard rather than occasional.