Crane service in Wickenburg, AZ

Wickenburg is a long way from the big crane yards in central Phoenix, but it is a straight shot up US 60 from our base in Surprise, about 37 miles. Wickenburg is part of our regular service area, and owner Don and his son Bryce, a professional crane operator, make the drive for HVAC contractors, well crews, builders and property owners who need something lifted.

Because it is a longer trip than a Valley job, a little planning goes a long way. Good photos and accurate weights up front help make sure the lift can be done once the truck arrives. If you have more than one lift in town, or an HVAC crew with several change-outs, send the details together so Don can plan them for the same trip when the schedule allows.

Call 602-615-0712 to schedule or text 623-258-8361. Tell us the weight of the item, how far it needs to go and where the truck can park, and Don will confirm the lift.

Wickenburg sits on the Hassayampa River at roughly 2,200 feet, higher and hillier than Surprise. US 60 brings you in from the Valley, and US 93 begins here and runs northwest toward Kingman. Most of the town is in Maricopa County, but town limits reach north into Yavapai County, so it is worth knowing which side of the line your property is on if a county permit question ever comes up.

The town's western roots are easy to spot. In the 1950s and 1960s Wickenburg called itself the "Dude Ranch Capital of the World," with as many as 14 guest ranches, and some still operate today. Downtown along Frontier Street is the historic core of town. Wickenburg Ranch is a newer gated golf community with its own HOA rules. Outside town, Vulture Mine Road heads out past ranch acreage toward Vulture Peak, and the Hassayampa River Preserve protects a rare stretch of cottonwood-willow forest along the river.

That mix means a Wickenburg lift can be a commercial roof downtown one day and a horse property at the end of a gravel road the next.

Setting rooftop heating and cooling equipment for HVAC contractors is our main work, including in Wickenburg. Summers here are a bit milder than Phoenix but still hot, and plenty of homes, shops and ranch buildings rely on rooftop package units, heat pumps and evaporative coolers.

We help Wickenburg HVAC crews with:

• Old units coming off and new units going on, on homes and downtown commercial buildings
• Evaporative coolers on ranch houses, barns and shops
• Condensers and heat pumps lifted over walls or down a slope to a pad
• Curbs and equipment stands for new installs

Your crew rigs and guides; we run the boom and set the unit, ideally in one shot. On a longer trip, getting the old unit down and the new one up in the same visit matters even more. Don has been known to climb up and help a crew line up a package unit when it counts. See HVAC crane lifts and our guide for HVAC contractors.

Many properties outside town rely on private wells, and well work involves heavy, awkward equipment. We provide the lift for well crews; the well company does the well work.

• Pumps, motors and pipe coming out of or going into a well
• Pressure tanks and related well equipment
• Water storage tanks set on a pad or stand
• Heavy equipment moved from a trailer to the wellhead

Wellheads are often set back from the drive, near a pump house or under overhead power. Tell us where the well sits relative to where the truck can park, what is overhead, and the weights involved. More on our well equipment lifts page.

Ranch and horse properties around Wickenburg keep plenty of heavy work going. A crane can save a crew a lot of hard labor on:

• Trusses for barns, shops, garages and new homes
• Barn and shop building materials staged where the crew needs them
• Roofing materials for metal and shingle roofs
• Prebuilt storage sheds and tack rooms set on a pad
• Heavy items like equipment, stone and water troughs

The crane can lift over fences, arenas and corrals when the drive does not reach the spot. Please keep horses and other animals secured away from the lift area. Every lift is different, and if a job needs more crane than ours, we have trusted relationships with other crane companies.

Spas and hot tubs

A spa on a hillside deck, a terraced yard or a walled patio is a classic crane job. If it can't go through the door, over the roof it goes. See spa and hot tub lifts.

Solar panels

Ranch homes and outbuildings with big roofs are common solar projects. We can lift panels and equipment to the roof for the installer so the crew is not hauling them up ladders. See solar panel lifts.

Terrain is the biggest difference between a Wickenburg lift and one in a flat Surprise subdivision. A crane needs a firm, level spot to work from. Before the truck heads out, we want to know:

• How level the setup area is. Sloped driveways and pads can limit where the truck can go.
• What the ground is like. Point out sand, fill, wash crossings or spots that stay soft after rain.
• How the truck gets in. Steep grades, tight turns, cattle guards, gates and low branches all matter.
• What is overhead. OSHA requires crane equipment and loads to stay at least 20 feet from power lines up to 350 kV unless specific procedures are used (29 CFR 1926.1408). Rural lines often cross to wells and barns.

Photos of the drive, the setup spot and the landing area save a lot of back-and-forth and keep a long trip from becoming a wasted one.

Wickenburg has its own town government. Some cities and towns require a right-of-way or street-use permit to set up in the street, so check with the Town of Wickenburg if the truck needs to sit in the roadway, especially downtown. In Wickenburg Ranch or another HOA community, check with the HOA as well.

Wind matters on any crane lift, and summer storms can push strong gusts across open desert. If conditions are not safe on lift day, the lift waits, and we will tell you straight.

Skyhook Crane is licensed and insured. We also go farther into northern Arizona when needed; call to confirm. Nearby, we serve Morristown, Wittmann and our home base of Surprise.