We help contractors, property teams, and building owners solve complex crane and rigging problems in real site conditions: high-rise buildings, commercial properties, residential towers, rooftops, mechanical rooms, tight access routes, and active construction sites.
Crane-supported lifts, rooftop placements, and equipment with speed, safety and precision.
Moving heavy, awkward, or sensitive equipment through tight spaces, active job sites, and high-rise building conditions.
The weird stuff: limited staging, occupied buildings, downtown access, high-traffic areas, shutdown windows, and jobs that need a real plan before anyone starts moving equipment.
From rooftop equipment placements to machinery moves and restricted-access rigging, Thompson Miller has completed complex projects across Toronto, the GTA, and surrounding areas.
Our work is often in tight, busy, occupied, or high-traffic spaces where the route is not obvious and the usual approach does not quite fit.
We partner with crews who need smart solutions, not just heavy equipment.
We handle rooftop access, craning, and rigging logistics on your trickiest downtown builds.
We lift HVAC units, boilers, pumps, chillers, switchgears, transformers and heavy equipment onto rooftops, through shafts, or into mechanical and electrical rooms, safely and on time.
When major mechanical systems on your building need replacing, we design rooftop crane setups that work within your building’s constraints—no existing roof access required.
For equipment replacements in occupied buildings, we coordinate crane and rigging work to keep tenants undisturbed and building operations running as normal.
Let's get your work done. Contact us now!
Our crane catalogue supports a range of complex building, rooftop, and equipment placement projects across the GTA. We match the equipment to the site conditions, access, load, and project requirements.
We discuss your project and visit the site to assess our options for access, take measurements, and anticipate challenges we may run across.
We create a detailed lift plan, choose the right equipment for the job, and outline timelines so you know exactly what to expect.
We bring the right crew and equipment to site, follow the plan we’ve developed, and complete the work safely and efficiently.
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Description
We coordinated cranes, rigging crews, and mechanical contractors to replace chillers on multiple high-rises before summer cooling season, avoiding downtime for building systems.
As summer approached, several high-rise buildings required urgent chiller replacements to ensure reliable cooling. The replacements needed to happen before seasonal demand spiked, and each site had unique access challenges and scheduling constraints.
Our team worked with mechanical contractors to plan and execute chiller removal and installation across multiple sites. We provided cranes and rigging crews, managed traffic and access logistics, and coordinated schedules so all projects could run in parallel without overlap or resource conflicts.
All chillers were replaced ahead of the seasonal deadline. The proactive coordination prevented system downtime during peak cooling demand and gave property teams confidence their systems would perform through the summer.
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Description
We built a custom cart to lower a forklift into a basement mechanical space with narrow, low access, then rigged it safely into position without damage to the building or equipment.
A client needed to move a forklift into a basement-level mechanical area, but the only access point was both too narrow and too low for standard entry. The weight and size of the forklift, combined with the confined entry space, made it impossible to roll in conventionally.
Our crew designed and fabricated a custom transport cart that could support the forklift’s weight and dimensions while allowing it to be maneuvered through the restricted opening. We used a small crane to lower the forklift and cart assembly into the basement, then applied precision rigging techniques to guide it into its final location.
The forklift was delivered without any damage to the equipment, building structure, or finishes. The client was able to proceed with their mechanical work immediately, saving time and avoiding costly delays.
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We installed a derrick crane on a 22-story downtown building to dismantle a tower crane where street cranes could not reach. The derrick remained for eight months during a mechanical overhaul and the project finished without tenant disruption.
A tower crane on top of a 22-story building in Toronto’s financial district needed to be dismantled as part of a complete mechanical overhaul. The location had no street-level crane access due to surrounding buildings and traffic restrictions, making conventional removal methods impossible.
We brought in a derrick crane, lifted it to the roof in sections, and assembled it on-site to handle the dismantling process. The derrick remained on the roof for eight months while crews replaced chillers, generators, and other mechanical systems. Our team coordinated closely with contractors to ensure the crane stayed operational and safe throughout the project.
The dismantle was completed without incident, and all related work stayed on schedule. Tenants and building operations experienced no disruptions, and the GC had a reliable lifting solution in place for the entire mechanical overhaul.
Case Study:
Terex CDK-100
The ultimate solution for high-altitude heavy lifting and tower crane recovery on major Ontario high-rise projects. Engineered to break down and fit into standard service elevators, it eliminates the massive logistical bottlenecks and street-level disruptions of traditional mobile cranes. Ideal for large-scale structural steel installations and massive plant change-outs where ground-based setups are impossible.
Herkules RK-11
Specifically designed for complex rooftop retrofits where space is limited but heavy lifting power is mandatory. This highly innovative system can be completely hand-assembled on a building's roof in just 45 minutes by a small crew. It bridges the gap between light spider cranes and heavy derricks, making it the perfect choice for medium-weight mechanical and electrical equipment swaps on dense urban environments.
Spyder Cranes
Our most agile, ultra-narrow lifting solution for highly confined interior spaces and sensitive rooftop environments. Measuring just 24 inches wide, it rolls effortlessly through standard single doorways and into passenger elevators for quick, autonomous deployment. It excels at precision structural steel placements and detailed mechanical room installations inside active facilities.
That's fine. Send us the messy details. We'll help review the access and requirements, so we can figure out what will actually work from the team that tackles the toughest lifts.
Terex CDK-100
The ultimate solution for high-altitude heavy lifting and tower crane recovery on major Ontario high-rise projects. Engineered to break down and fit into standard service elevators, it eliminates the massive logistical bottlenecks and street-level disruptions of traditional mobile cranes. Ideal for large-scale structural steel installations and massive plant change-outs where ground-based setups are impossible.
Herkules RK-11
Specifically designed for complex rooftop retrofits where space is limited but heavy lifting power is mandatory. This highly innovative system can be completely hand-assembled on a building’s roof in just 45 minutes by a small crew. It bridges the gap between light spider cranes and heavy derricks, making it the perfect choice for medium-weight mechanical and electrical equipment swaps on dense urban envrionments.
Spyder Cranes
Our most agile, ultra-narrow lifting solution for highly confined interior spaces and sensitive rooftop environments. Measuring just 24 inches wide, it rolls effortlessly through standard single doorways and into passenger elevators for quick, autonomous deployment. It excels at precision structural steel placements and detailed mechanical room installations inside active facilities.
