Industries
Civil infrastructure crane services
The right crane for the lift, with NCCCO-certified operators and riggers for civil infrastructure. Based in West Texas, working statewide.
Crane service for civil infrastructure
Roads, drainage, water and sewer work all use cranes to set heavy precast and pipe.
Lifts we take on include:
- Setting precast box culverts
- Setting pipe for water and sewer lines
- Lifts at water and wastewater plants
- Setting precast vaults and structures
Precast box culvert and pipe setting
Precast box culvert sections usually come in on flatbeds and get set off the truck into a trench that's already dug, bedded and graded. The crane works from the bank, sets each section on line and grade, and the crew pulls the joint home before the next one comes over. Manholes and vaults go in the same way, as stacked precast pieces: base, risers, then the top.
Large-diameter concrete or ductile iron pipe is often more than an excavator should swing, so a crane sets it while the excavator keeps digging ahead. Gravity sewer is usually laid from the low end up, bells facing upstream. At water and wastewater plants the picks change: pumps, blowers, valves, clarifier and filter equipment, often set over open basins or down into existing structures.
- Walk the route: trench, haul road, overhead lines and truck staging.
- Set up on firm ground with outriggers back from the trench edge.
- Rig each section with the precaster's lifting hardware and confirm its weight.
- Set pieces off the truck onto bedding while the crew checks grade.
- Move up the line and set up again as the trench advances.
- Rig down, load the mats and leave the trench clear for backfill.
Crane and operator for civil infrastructure
Every job goes out with the right crane for the lift, an NCCCO-certified operator and a rigger.
Before you call dispatch, pull these numbers from the plans and the precaster's drawings so the crane can be sized right.
- Heaviest section or pipe joint weight and size
- Trench depth, width and how it's shored
- Distance from the setup to the farthest set point
- Truck access and where loads will be staged
- Overhead power lines and known underground utilities
- Lane closures or traffic control already planned
Rigging plans and safety plans for civil infrastructure
The ground is the big variable on civil work. A crane next to an open excavation adds load to the trench wall, and fresh backfill, wet clay or a soft bar ditch won't carry an outrigger like firm native ground. Buried utilities, culverts and voids matter too. We write rigging plans that set where the crane sits, the mats it needs and the reach to each pick.
Road jobs add traffic. Lifts are planned inside the lane closure, with the swing kept out of open lanes and no load carried over moving traffic. Power lines along the right-of-way are common, and the boom has to hold its OSHA clearance from them all shift. Our safety plans cover the closure, the line clearances, the trench edge and who directs each lift.
Book a crane
Call dispatch or send a lift request. Tell us the load, the location and the date.
FAQ
Questions about civil infrastructure crane services
What do you need to know to set precast box culverts?
The section weights and sizes from the precaster's drawings, the trench depth and width, and how far the crane will sit from the farthest section. We also need to know where trucks unload and what the ground is like near the trench. The worst mix of weight and reach decides the crane.
How close can a crane set up to an open trench?
It depends on the soil, the trench depth and how the trench is shored or sloped. Outrigger loads push on the trench wall, so the crane sits back where it won't overload the excavation. The competent person on site and the rigging plan settle the setup before the first pick.
When does pipe laying need a crane instead of an excavator?
When the pipe is too heavy for the excavator at the reach needed, when the trench is deep or wide, or when the set point is too far from where the machine can sit. A crane can set pipe while the excavator keeps digging, which keeps the line moving.
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