Crane Hire Bristol

Cranes for Bristol jobs

Tell us the weight, radius and access for your Bristol 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 Bristol

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

Avonmouth, Portbury and the docks

The dock estate at Avonmouth and the Royal Portbury Dock handle bulk, project and vehicle cargo, and the lifting there means port plant, heavy cargo and equipment changes planned around vessel movements, quayside ground bearing and the tide. See our maritime sector page.

Aerospace and engineering at Filton

The aerospace and advanced engineering cluster north of the city brings machine tool moves, test rig and jig installs and process equipment placed to fine tolerances, usually inside a working building. See our aerospace sector page.

Severnside energy and process

The Severnside sites cover energy from waste, process plant and utilities, where lifting is shutdown work, vessel and pump replacement and component handling inside fixed outage windows. See our power and renewables and chemicals sector pages.

City-centre construction and the harbourside

Residential, student and commercial schemes through the centre, around Temple Meads and along the harbourside bring steel, precast, glazing and rooftop plant on sites that are steep, tight and busy. See our construction sector page.

Hospitals, universities and data centres

Chiller, air handling unit and generator replacement, laboratory and imaging equipment moves and plant room work on hospital, university and data centre sites, nearly all of it on buildings that stay live. See our healthcare and pharma and data centre infrastructure sector pages.

Food, drink and manufacturing

Food and drink production and general manufacturing across the region bring line installs and removals, tanks and vessels and plant changes fitted into short shutdowns. See our food and beverages page.

Access and planning for lifts in Bristol

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

• Getting there. The M5 at junctions 17 to 19 serves the docks and the north fringe, with the M32 running into the centre and the M4 east. Larger all-terrain cranes and ballast loads are routed around low bridges and weight limits, and we plan the route before we quote.
• The Clean Air Zone. Central Bristol has a charging clean air zone, so vehicle compliance and routing are part of planning a central lift rather than an afterthought.
• Hills and the gorge. Bristol is steep. Gradient affects levelling, outrigger loads and what a crane can safely lift at radius, and the gorge and the river limit which crossings a heavy load can use.
• Ground conditions. Dock estate and harbourside land is reclaimed made ground, and the older parts of the city have cellars and vaults under street level. We confirm ground bearing and outrigger positions, and use crane mats where needed.
• Road closures. Where a lift needs part of a road or pavement closed, we can arrange the traffic management and road closure with Bristol City Council or North Somerset Council as part of the job.

Postcodes and areas we cover

We cover every BS postcode and the districts around the city:

• Bristol: city centre, the harbourside, Temple Meads, Clifton, Redland, Bedminster, Fishponds and Westbury-on-Trym
• North fringe: Filton, Patchway, Bradley Stoke, Downend and Yate
• Docks and Severnside: Avonmouth, Severnside, Portbury and Portishead
• Wider area: Keynsham, Nailsea, Clevedon, Thornbury, Weston-super-Mare and Bath

Beyond Bristol we also work across Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and south Wales. See all the areas we cover.

Why Bristol firms choose Synergy Lifting for crane hire

• Docks and process sites suit us. Inductions, permits, exclusion zones and working around someone else’s operation are normal for us.
• Gradient and ground checked first. On a hilly city with a lot of made ground, the set-up position gets confirmed at quote stage rather than on the day.
• 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 Bristol 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 dock estate?

Yes. Port sites mean inductions, permits and vehicle rules, and lifts planned around vessel and cargo movements. Tell us which terminal and what the site requires and we’ll build it into the lift plan.

The street is on a slope. Is that a problem?

Not usually, but it changes the plan. Gradient affects levelling, outrigger loads and safe capacity at radius, so send us photos and a rough idea of the slope and we’ll confirm the machine and the position.

Does the Clean Air Zone affect a crane job?

It affects the vehicles and the routing rather than the lift. We check compliance and the approach as part of the quote so it does not become a problem on the day.

Get a quote for crane hire in Bristol

• Phone: 0117 205 0749
• Email: bristol@synergy-lifting.co.uk

We also provide crane hire in Newport, Cardiff, Bournemouth and Swansea. See all the areas we cover.