Industries We Serve
Crane Setting for Generator and Electrical Installs
2 min readUpdated July 2026
HCW Crane Service sets standby generators, transformers, switchgear and electrical enclosures for installers around Lake Havasu City. Units are flown over walls into side yards rather than dragged through them, then set square on the pad and held while your crew fixes it down.
The Side Yard Is the Whole Problem
A standby generator is a compact object with a bad weight distribution and no good place to grab it. On paper it fits down the side of the house. In practice the side yard is a metre of concrete between a block wall and an air conditioner, with a hose bib and a gas meter in the way.
Dragging a set through that on a pallet jack works right up until it does not, and what it damages is somebody's finished wall, or the enclosure that the client just paid for.
Lifting it over the wall removes all of that. The unit travels above the obstacles and comes down on the pad, and the side yard stays exactly as it was.
The Pad, the Fixings and Getting It Square
A generator that is not square on its pad is a problem that follows the installer, not the crane. Conduit stubs, fuel connections and the enclosure door swing all assume the unit sits where the drawing put it.
So the set is slow at the end. It comes down on tag lines, gets checked against the pad edges and the stub-ups, and gets adjusted while it is still on the hook rather than after it is down.
If the pad has anchor locations, those get lined up before it lands. Shifting a set sideways after it is bearing on concrete is how bases get scarred.
Stands, Pads and the Second Piece Nobody Planned
Electrical installs often have more than one heavy piece. A transformer that sits on a precast pad that also has to be set. A generator on a raised stand that has to go in first. A transfer switch cabinet or a fuel tank that arrives on the same truck.
Those are the pieces that stall an install, because the crane was booked for the headline unit and nobody planned the rest.
Send the full list when you book. The stand or pad goes in first, the unit lands on it, and anything else within reach gets set from the same setup. One call-out covers the whole delivery.
How the job runs
Our Process
Step 1: Weight, Footprint and Landing Spot
Manufacturer weight, base dimensions, pad location and the distance from where a truck can park. Photos of the side yard help.
Step 2: Confirm the Pad Is Ready
Cured, level and with stub-ups where they should be. Setting a heavy unit onto green concrete is a problem you inherit later.
Step 3: Over the Wall and Down Slow
Rigged from the trailer, flown clear of the wall and the equipment already in the yard, then lowered on tag lines onto the marks.
Step 4: Square It, Then Release
Aligned to the pad and the stub-ups while still hooked. The hook comes off only when your crew is happy with the position.
Scope
What Is Included
- Standby and portable generator set placement
- Transformer, switchgear and enclosure lifts
- Placement into walled side yards and rear pads
- Alignment to pad edges and conduit stub-ups
- Stands, precast pads and second pieces set from the same setup
Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you set a generator in a side yard with no gate access?
Usually yes. That is the most common reason installers call. The unit goes over the wall from the driveway or the street, so gate width stops being a constraint.
What do you need to know before the day?
Weight, base dimensions, where the pad is and how far that sits from a parking spot for the truck. A photo from the street and one of the pad answers most of it.
Will you set onto a pad we poured this week?
Only if it has cured enough to take the load, and we will ask when it was poured. Cracking a fresh pad under a heavy base is a repair that costs far more than waiting a few days.
Can you set the pad or stand as well as the unit?
Yes, if it is on site and within reach. A precast pad or a raised stand goes in first, then the unit lands on it from the same setup, rather than being scheduled as a separate visit.
Other Industries
- Utilities, Power and TelecomLift support for contractors working on power and communications infrastructure around Lake Havasu, with clearance from energized conductors planned first.
- Industrial and ManufacturingMachinery moves, equipment swaps and rigging for light industry around Lake Havasu. Work scheduled into your downtime window, day, night or weekend.
- Commercial Property and FacilitiesSigns, light poles, canopies, containers and roof equipment for Lake Havasu commercial property. Scheduled so the business stays open while the work happens.
- Owner Supervised QualityThe person who quotes your job is the person who runs the crane on it. No handoff, no relayed instructions, and one name attached to the outcome.
- HVAC and Mechanical ContractorsChangeout day runs on the crane. We hold the window, pull the old unit, set the adapter and the new one from one setup in Lake Havasu City.
- General and Residential ConstructionTruss days, beam sets and material staging for builders in Lake Havasu City. Cribbed outriggers for raw pads, and roofing load-ups on the same visit.
- Facility Managers and Maintenance TeamsA failed rooftop unit is a continuity problem. Overnight and early lifts, tenant-aware setups, and photo records you can put straight into your building file.
- Homeowners With Specialty Lift NeedsNever hired a crane before? Here is what happens in your driveway, what the truck touches, and how a load clears a block wall without hitting anything.
- Builders and Project ManagersOne late crane moves five trades. Confirmed arrival windows, the owner as your point of contact, and weather calls made early enough to act on.
- Structural Steel, Precast and ModularPiece weight and radius decide the setup, not the badge on the truck. Steel, precast and modular sections set with margin and held until your crew connects.
Ready to schedule your lift?
Tell us the load, the site and the timing. We will confirm capacity, access and a window.