Pile driving crane services

Crane service for pile driving

Pile driving jobs need a crane to pick, pitch and handle piles and pile driving equipment. Tell us the pile type, the lengths and the site.

Lifts we take on include:

• Picking and pitching piles
• Handling piles on site
• Lifting pile driving equipment
• Setting rebar cages and casings

Pile pitching and hammer handling lifts

On a pile job the crane picks piles from the stack, pitches them upright and holds them while they are stabbed into a template or the leads. Steel H-piles, pipe piles, precast concrete piles and sheet piles all handle differently. Long piles are often pitched with two lines, the main line on the top and a second line on the bottom, so the pile rotates to vertical without dragging or bending.

The crane also hangs and handles the hammer. Vibratory hammers clamp onto sheet piles and casings and hang from the hook, while impact hammers usually ride in leads. Driving and extraction put dynamic loads on the crane, and pulling a stuck sheet can take far more force than the sheet weighs. Drilled shaft work brings in rebar cages and casings, with long cages picked at several points so they keep their shape.

1. Review the pile plan, pile types, lengths and weights with the foreman.
2. Set up on mats, checking ground near excavations and water.
3. Unload and stage piles within reach, in driving order.
4. Pitch each pile upright and stab it into the template.
5. Handle the hammer while the pile crew drives or pulls each pile.
6. Walk to the next row, then demob when the last pile is down.

Crane and operator for pile driving

Every job goes out with the right crane for the lift, an NCCCO-certified operator and a rigger.

Pile work depends on what goes in the ground and what the ground will hold, so gather this before calling dispatch.

• Pile type, lengths and weights
• Hammer type and weight, with or without leads
• Pile plan with the driving sequence
• Soil report or notes on soft ground
• Nearby structures, slopes or open water
• Overhead lines and buried utilities on site

Rigging plans and safety plans for pile driving

Pile sites are often the worst ground on the job, which is why they need piles. Creek banks, soft fill and wet clay can shift under a loaded crane, so the plan looks at mats, setback from excavations and ground changes after rain. Our rigging plans cover pile weights, pitching rigging and hammer loads, and our safety plans cover the fall zone around a pitched pile.

Vibration and extraction add their own risks. A vibratory hammer shakes the boom and rigging, so connections get checked often, and extraction loads can spike past what was expected when a sheet is stuck. The lift plan sets limits for pulling and keeps the crane inside its load chart. Nearby buildings, pipelines and slopes also get a look before the first pile goes in.

Book a crane

Call dispatch or send a lift request. Tell us the load, the location and the date.