Crane service for storm damage in Pensacola

When a crane is the right call

A tree lying on a roof is still loaded. Cutting it from the roof or the ground can drop pieces through the decking. With a crane, the tree crew rigs a section, the crane takes the weight, the section is cut free and lowered to the yard. It is slower to set up and much safer for the house.

Use a crane when:

• the trunk or a big limb is resting on the roof or wedged against the wall,
• the tree is hung up in other trees above the house,
• there is no room to drop pieces, as on tight lots in East Hill or along the Gulf Breeze canals.

Storm lift pricing at posted rates

On the posted rate sheet we use, a 50-ton crane runs $235 an hour with a 3-hour minimum and a 90-ton runs $310 an hour with a 4-hour minimum. Most single trees on a house fall in that range: about $705 to $1,240 for the crane, plus a rigger at $120 an hour if needed. The tree crew bills separately.

Small limbs near the street can come off with a 23 to 30 ton boom truck, which bills just 2 hours minimum on that sheet, $360 to $390.

Power lines and safety

After Isaias, lines are down or sagging all over the county. Stay away from them and call FPL or your local electric co-op. OSHA’s power line rule keeps cranes 20 feet from energized lines up to 350 kV unless the utility de-energizes them. The crane cannot go to work until the lines are cleared.

Repairs after the tree is gone

Once the roof is open, the next crane jobs are usually:

• landing shingle, metal or tile bundles on the roof for the roofer,
• swapping a crushed AC unit or setting a generator on a raised pad,
• setting new trusses where framing broke.

Most roof replacements need a permit in Escambia, and inside Pensacola city limits the city handles it. Storm repairs last a long time here. The Navy was still paying for Hurricane Sally repairs at NAS Pensacola in 2025, five years after that storm.