The specialists: tower crane services

Tower crane service providers comprise a range of companies in North America. Some tower crane-owning companies erect their own tower cranes, while others rely on the expertise of predominantly mobile crane companies to erect and dismantle their cranes.

Brewer Crane focusses on setting clear expectations between the crane-provider and crane-consumer and poring over every minute detail.

While tower crane services is a niche sector of the market, it is an important specialty. Erecting, inspecting and dismantling tower cranes requires precision know-how, experience and constant training on the various tower cranes that tower in the skies.

Brent Garcia Brewer Crane

To discuss this market, we reached out to three companies that provide tower crane services: Brewer Crane in San Diego, California; Wagstaff Crane and Bronson Crane in Murray, Utah; and Reynolds Rigging and Crane Service in DeForest, Wisconsin. Brent Garcia, Judd Wagstaff and Amy Marten, from each of these companies, respectively, answered a range of questions about the market and the nuances of providing tower crane services.

What are the services you provide in the realm of tower crane services?

GARCIA: Brewer Crane provides a spectrum of services from bare rental of tower crane equipment to a full, “turn key” package and everything in between: pre-project consultation, rental, assembly/disassembly, climbing, maintenance and operation.

WAGSTAFF: We provide complete support for self-erecting tower cranes and city cranes, including delivery coordination, setup, dismantling, transport, lift planning and on-site assistance. We can also supply qualified operators if needed, and we offer NCCCO tower crane certification classes to help contractors train their own people. Whether it’s a crane we’ve supplied or one that’s being brought in by the customer, we help make sure the install is done right and runs smoothly.

MARTEN: Tower crane service and support is a core part of our business model. In the Midwest, many customers own their own tower cranes – both top-slewing and self-erecting. Customer types vary from large general contractors to framers and roofing companies. The support we supply covers: A&D lead with tower crane iron worker crew, annual inspections, service and troubleshooting, parts sales and immediate support aligned with our strong manufacturer relationships.

What types of cranes are used to erect or dismantle a tower crane?

Judd Wagstaff Wagstaff Crane and Bronson Crane

GARCIA: We primarily use our Grove GMK 6400 and Grove GMK 5275 mobile cranes to support our tower crane erecting and dismantling activities.

WAGSTAFF: We use all-terrain mobile cranes for most tower crane work, typically in the 275 to 800-ton range depending on the project. One of the biggest advantages for us has been our Liebherr LTM 1650 (800-ton) crane. It’s helped us complete a lot of city crane installations without needing to bring in a luffing jib. That has saved customers time and money by cutting down on mobilization and permitting costs, especially on tight downtown jobs or when additional reach is needed.

MARTEN: Top-slewing tower cranes are generally erected by a large mobile crane. Most of our buildings (except Chicago) are not tall, or restrictive, enough that a derrick crane is needed. We generally use five to seven-axle cranes with impressive main boom lengths and strong jib charts, along with efficient counterweight or superlift packages, which are a benefit to the jobsite because they require fewer trucks for transport and efficient A&D time of the assist crane.

In 2023, Reynolds invested in a new Tadano AC 7.450-1 seven-axle crane with an impressive 263 feet of main boom. This crane has been a workhorse and already has made a positive impact on many tower crane jobsites. For our self-erecting tower cranes, a mobile crane can be used if the crane is on a podium, otherwise we move the crane into place on a dolly and a 10k telehandler can stack the counterweight.

How did you get in the business of tower crane support?

GARCIA: Brewer Crane started in 1997 with a fleet of “taxi” mobile cranes. Around the year 2000, we noticed there was a deficit in the market for safe, reliable tower crane providers. We jumped in with two feet and never looked back.

Amy Marten Reynolds Rigging & Crane Service

WAGSTAFF: It really came from our customers. Over time, we had more and more contractors asking if we could support self-erectors and city cranes in addition to traditional mobile crane work. Rather than sending them elsewhere, we decided to expand and become a true one-stop shop that could provide any crane for any job. That’s why we acquired Bronson Crane in 2020. They were already one of the top self-erector dealers in the country, and it made sense to bring that expertise under the Wagstaff umbrella. Now we can supply the crane, set it up, provide operators and take care of the entire process in-house.

MARTEN: Entering the tower crane service market was formed directly from customer demand, the story doesn’t get more dynamic or strategic than that. In the Midwest, many customers own equipment. With our experience within our own fleet of tower cranes and manufacturer training, it was natural to help our customers be successful and grow with their own equipment.

What specializations need to be achieved to perform this type of work?

GARCIA: Experience, pre-project planning and communication are the three most important elements required of a successful tower crane project. You can’t cut corners. You can’t wing it. You can’t make it up as you go. There are too many lives on the line. And the tower crane is like the circulatory system of any project – if the tower crane doesn’t perform, it can arrest production and badly impact the critical path.

WAGSTAFF: You need a team that’s been around cranes long enough to know what works and what to watch out for. One of our biggest advantages is having factory-trained Potain technicians on our team. That level of manufacturer training makes a big difference when it comes to both safety and efficiency. It allows us to install and service cranes faster and with more confidence.

We also offer NCCCO certification classes for tower crane operators. A lot of our customers wanted help getting their own crews certified, so we started offering the training ourselves to support the industry.

Wagstaff Crane provides a one-stop shop for their customers, handling planning and logistics, installation, operator support and even NCCCO certification.

MARTEN: Reynolds’ current tower crane division, from account managers to service team, has over 26 years of experience. Our customers see the value in experience. Project scopes and plans often change and may require immediate response, so having an experienced tower crane provider is critical to a successful outcome. Regarding training, our team continues to stay engaged in the tower crane market with both our fleet and our customers. Manufacturers supply detailed and comprehensive training for our service and A&D team covering erection, operation and dismantle along with troubleshooting crane issues.

How do you characterize this market?

GARCIA: The macro-building environment is a bit of a dichotomy right now. There is lots of bidding activity and future demand remains high – however, for the last few months we’ve found a lot of projects are in a “wait and see” holding pattern. Owners want more clarity as to how tariffs, inflation and interest rates may impact their project’s pro forma (for better or worse).

WAGSTAFF: This market is built on relationships and reliability. Contractors want a crane partner they can count on to show up prepared, communicate well and help keep the job on schedule.

We’ve seen growing use of self-erectors and city cranes on residential, commercial and light industrial jobs. They’re quiet, efficient and ideal for sites with limited access or space. That part of the market continues to grow, and we’ve built our business to support it fully.

MARTEN: In the Midwest the tower crane market is developed. Customers have enough experience with tower cranes to understand the applications that are beneficial for tower cranes.

This market landscape drives a need for strong service support for both customers that own equipment, and our own fleet of tower cranes. Our role is to continue to educate our customers and stay experts of the equipment to serve their specific jobsite and positively promote tower crane projects.

Once a tower crane is erected, how often does it need to be inspected? Do you perform tower crane inspections?

GARCIA: Depending on the menu of services selected by our clients, we perform inspections ranging from the daily pre-work inspection (if we are operating the crane) to monthly, six-month and annual inspections. We are one of the largest tower crane providers in California, and California has a lot of oversight in the tower crane space: inspections by third parties are required immediately after erection and then subsequently every twelve months, and inspections by Cal-OSHA are required immediately after erection and then subsequently every six months.

WAGSTAFF: Yes, we’re involved in inspections during setup and often assist with walkthroughs alongside the contractor or crane supplier. We make sure everything is installed according to manufacturer specs and jobsite requirements before the crane is turned over for use. We assure:

■ A daily visual inspection by the operator or a competent person

■ A frequent inspection, usually monthly, by a qualified person

■ A comprehensive annual inspection by a qualified person (many general contractors prefer this to be done by a third-party or factory-trained technician)

■ Additional inspections are always required after erection, after any modifications, or before returning a crane to service after downtime

These inspection guidelines follow OSHA and ANSI B30.3 standards. We also have some great relationships with trusted third-party inspectors, and we help coordinate those visits when needed. Having factory-trained Potain technicians on our team also gives us the ability to spot and address issues early, which keeps things safe and efficient on-site.

MARTEN: The operator of the crane executes a daily inspection of the crane before they start work for the day. Tower crane annual inspections need to be executed every 12 months. We are seeing in the Midwest that customers are electing for monthly inspections of cranes as part of their safety initiatives. Reynolds has several members of our team that are experienced and certified in annual inspections.

What else is important in the discussion of tower crane erection, assembly, jumping, disassembly and inspection of tower cranes?

GARCIA: Setting clear expectations between crane-provider and crane-consumer and poring over every minute detail – those are so important to the success of the tower crane project. Can the crane make the client’s desired heaviest pick at the furthest reach needed? How many days are in a “month’s” rental? Who is responsible for filing for the crane’s FAA clearance and OSHA-related permits? Who is responsible for street closure permits? Traffic control? And can the crane company take the tower crane down once the building has been built? How about after the next-door building gets built? There are so many variables that need to be identified before each project and each project comes with its own set of hurdles and challenges.

Reynolds Crane puts a priority on training to assure its team stays engaged in the tower crane market with both its fleet and customers.

WAGSTAFF: Planning is the biggest thing. Every job is different, and there are so many moving parts to get right when a tower crane is coming on your site. We have to look at things like weathervane requirements, capacity, reach and overall site constraints. Some of these jobs are at the top of ski resorts, while others are right in the middle of downtown, so the approach and logistics are completely different every time. No two sites are alike, and no two erections or disassemblies are either. That’s why we get involved early in the process and help customers plan ahead, from mobilization and crane selection to access, timing and site prep. Doing the work up front saves time, money and headaches once we get on-site.

MARTEN: The main priority and emphasis of these processes are planning, communication, experience and professional execution. Tower crane work is very specialized and compared to, crawler or mobile cranes, they are newer to the U.S. market. Our “all-in” approach with a tower crane division showcases and continues to strengthen our support to customers.

What distinguishes your company in the services it provides to tower crane operators?

GARCIA: The Brewer team cares deeply about its track record. We won’t take a project if we don’t think we can do it with 100 percent success. Our reputation and the safety of everyone on the projects we undertake are more important to us than anything else. We look at our contracts like a partnership and we don’t ever leave our partners hanging. We lift expectations one ton at a time.

WAGSTAFF: What sets us apart is that we truly are a one-stop shop. Whether you need a crawler, mobile crane, rough terrain, self-erector or top-slewing tower crane, we have it – and we have the team to support it. Since acquiring Bronson Crane, we’ve built one of the most capable self-erector and city crane offerings in the region. And for larger tower crane projects, we’ve developed a few strong partnerships that allow us to support full-size tower installs as well.

We handle everything – from planning and logistics to installation, operator support and even NCCCO certification if your team needs training. Our customers appreciate that they can make one call and know we’ll take care of the entire lift from start to finish.

MARTEN: Our company is distinguished because of our immediate support and response time. We know tower crane downtime, or anything deterring jobsite progress regarding the crane, needs to be minimized. This is instilled in all levels of our tower crane division from management throughout the service team. When a rental begins, we walk through the process and ensure we are leaving the jobsite with clear plans for success.