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Machinery Moving and Rigging in Tacoma and Lakewood
We rig and move heavy industrial equipment on the Tacoma tideflats and in Fife, Lakewood and South Tacoma plants.
Machinery Moving in Tacoma and Lakewood
Heavy Industry on the Tideflats
The Port of Tacoma tideflats hold some of the heaviest equipment on the I-5 corridor: foundry and fabrication shops, marine yards, terminals, recycling and process plants. Snell Crane Service rigs and moves those machines, plus the lighter work in Fife, South Tacoma and Lakewood industrial parks.
Big pieces mean real engineering, so our project managers build a lift plan with weights, rigging and ground bearing worked out before the crew shows up. We've done this kind of work since 1992.
Local Know-How
Soft Ground, Rail Lines and High-Bay Shops
Much of the tideflats is built on fill, so we check ground conditions and use crane mats under outriggers when needed. Rail spurs and at-grade crossings cut through the area, and we route oversize loads around them.
Older high-bay shops often have bridge cranes inside, which helps for setting but not for getting a piece through the door. Loads come in on I-5, SR-509 and SR-167 through Fife, or south on I-5 to Lakewood and the industrial parks near the South Tacoma Way corridor.
Common Jobs
What We Do in Tacoma and Lakewood
- Fabrication and machining equipment moved between tideflats shops
- Large press, rolling and shearing machines rigged out of high-bay buildings
- Marine engines, gensets and deck equipment lifted at waterfront yards
- Process vessels and tanks set on new foundations
- Equipment for Lakewood and DuPont industrial parks hauled, set and leveled
- Plant dismantling where machines are rigged out, loaded and hauled away
Equipment
What We Bring
- Terex Explorer 5800: 245 t all-terrain, 230 ft main boom, 108 ft jib, for heavy picks out of plant roofs and over buildings
- Grove RT-860: 60 t rough-terrain, 115 ft main boom, built for gravel yards and soft tideflats ground
- Hydraulic gantries and custom spreader bars: for lifting heavy machines inside high-bay shops where headroom and balance matter
- 90-ton 12-axle lowboy: for the heaviest machines, with oversize permits handled
FAQ
Tacoma and Lakewood Questions
Can you set a crane on the soft fill ground at the Port of Tacoma?
Yes. We check ground bearing for every setup and bring crane mats when the soil calls for it.
Can you get a large machine out of a high-bay shop with a bridge crane inside?
Often the shop's bridge crane can help with setting, but we plan the move around the doors and roof. If a piece won't fit a door, we pick it through the roof with an all-terrain crane.
How do you move very heavy machines between tideflats plants?
We use our 90-ton 12-axle lowboy, handle the oversize permits and plan a route around rail crossings and low clearances.
Related
Related Services and Areas
Machinery Moving · Tacoma and Lakewood
Rigging for Tacoma Industry
Request a quote with your machine weights and site address, or call our dispatcher at (360) 867-0198.