Crane Hire Dover

Cranes for Dover jobs

Tell us the weight, radius and access for your Dover job and we’ll recommend the right machine. Not sure where to start? Read our guide to what size crane you need.

Where we work in and around Dover

Most of our Dover crane hire work falls into a handful of sectors.

The port and the Western Docks

The port is one of the busiest roll-on roll-off ferry terminals in Europe, and the Western Docks have been through a long programme of redevelopment. Lifting there means terminal equipment, port plant, marine works and cargo handling, all planned around sailings, security and the tide rather than the working day. See our maritime sector page.

Marine and coastal works

Harbour walls, jetties, sea defences and moorings all need lifting from the land side or over water, with tidal windows and exposure to the Channel to work around. See our maritime page.

Industrial estates and manufacturing

The estates at Whitfield, Aycliffe and out towards Sandwich and Canterbury hold manufacturing, engineering and trade operations. Typical jobs are machinery deliveries and installs, factory moves and rooftop plant replacement. See our industrial and HVAC sector pages.

Heritage and tourism

The castle, the seafront and the historic buildings in the town bring conservation and access work, where the crane is usually small, the position is fixed by the street and protecting the fabric shapes the method.

Hospitals, schools and public buildings

Chiller and air handling unit replacement, plant room equipment and modular building lifts on sites that stay open or during a holiday shutdown. See our healthcare and pharma and education sector pages.

Energy, utilities and rail

Substation equipment changes, generator placements, water treatment plant replacement and rail work on the Kent lines, all inside fixed outage or possession windows. See our power and renewables and rail sector pages.

Access and planning for lifts in Dover

Every site is different, but a few things come up again and again on Dover jobs:

• Freight traffic. The A20 and A2 into the port carry heavy lorry traffic, and when the port backs up the approach roads go with it. We plan the route and the hour of the day before we quote, and build in some flexibility where the job allows it.
• Port access. The port has its own security, inductions and vehicle rules, and lifts fit around sailings rather than the other way round.
• The cliffs and the town. Dover is squeezed between the sea and the chalk, so streets are narrow, gradients are steep and there is often only one workable standing position.
• Wind, tide and chalk. Lifts near the harbour are exposed to the Channel, so we plan around wind limits and the state of the tide, and we check what the ground will carry where chalk gives way to made ground along the front.
• Road closures. Where a lift needs part of a road or pavement closed, we can arrange the traffic management and road closure with Kent County Council as part of the job.

Postcodes and areas we cover

We cover every CT postcode and the districts around the town:

• Dover: town centre, the port and Western Docks, Whitfield, Aycliffe, River and Buckland
• The coast: Deal, Walmer, St Margaret’s, Folkestone and Hythe
• North and west: Sandwich, Canterbury, Ramsgate, Margate and Ashford
• Wider area: Maidstone, Tonbridge, Tenterden and the rest of Kent

Beyond Dover we also work across Kent, East Sussex and into London. See all the areas we cover.

Why Dover firms choose Synergy Lifting for crane hire

• Port work suits us. Security, inductions, permits and fitting a lift around sailings and cargo movements are normal for us.
• Route and timing planned first. With freight traffic governing the approach roads, the route and the hour of the day get settled at quote stage.
• Qualified and accredited. CPCS and NPORS operators, lifts planned to BS 7121, and a business certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001, with Constructionline Gold Member registration.
• One contractor for the whole lift. We can take on the lift plan, appointed person, RAMS, supervision and insurance.

More than cranes

Many Dover jobs need more than a lift, so we also offer:

• Machine movement
• Machine delivery and installation
• Factory relocation
• Industrial plant dismantling
• Steel erection and dismantling
• Plant room strip out
• Traffic management and road closures

How to book a crane

1. Send us the site location, load weight, access details and dates. Photos help.
2. We quote, usually the same working day. Complex lifts may need a site visit first.
3. For contract lifts we prepare the lift plan and RAMS. For CPA hire we advise on crane position and set-up.
4. We arrive on the agreed day and carry out the lift to BS 7121.

Common questions

Can you work inside the port?

Yes. It means security clearance, inductions and vehicle rules, and a slot that fits the sailing schedule. Tell us the area and what the port requires and we’ll plan the lift and the paperwork around it.

What happens if the freight traffic backs up?

We plan for it. On a port-side job we pick the route and the hour of the day to avoid the worst of it, and where the job allows we agree a fallback so a queue on the A20 does not waste a day’s crane hire.

Can you lift over water?

Often, yes. It changes the plan rather than ruling the job out: tidal window, rigging arrangement, rescue provision and wind limits all get set out in the lift plan.

Get a quote for crane hire in Dover

• Phone: 01304 700 758
• Email: dover@synergy-lifting.co.uk

We also provide crane hire in Ipswich, Brighton, London and Cambridge. See all the areas we cover.