High-Flying with Cameron Crane

Cameron Crane; in operation since 1973 and an important part of CLC Tree Services’ team

At CLC Tree Services, we pride ourselves on the fact that we can handle most any tree services job sent our way; difficult tree problem or not. We have certified arborists on staff and the equipment to handle most any tree related needs your home or commercial business has. But sometimes, even we need a little helping hand.

When CLC Tree Services can’t access a work site on our own, we know Cameron Crane can get us into even the tightest spots

When you tend trees in an urban setting, there are often many contingencies that need to be taken into consideration. We need to assess location of hydro wires, proximity to roads, distance between houses, how close trees are to buildings, and the ability to maneuver ourselves and our equipment around all of these things without damaging any of them. When trees are located in backyards, with no access for a bucket truck or other equipment to get at the tree, or space to remove trunks or large limbs, then the problem of undertaking tree services can be a little trickier. That is when we call in the big guns for assistance—Cameron Crane & Riggers.

Help From Cameron Crane

CLC Tree Services has been working with Cameron Crane since 2008. Cameron Crane is a family run business located on the outskirts of London, Ontario. Originally started in 1973 in the heart of London by his father, Jim Cameron, Ray Cameron is no stranger to cranes. He grew up with them. So it should come as no surprise that by 1995, he was at the helm of the family business. In 2008, Ray relocated the company to their present site on Glanworth Drive, in part due to the larger yard and with easier access to manoeuvre the fleet of vehicles. With increased space, the number of cranes also grew; the fleet doubled in size. Today, the company has 14 cranes and boom trucks at the ready for work, ranging in size from 8 tonnes up to 350 tonnes.

One of the smaller cranes in the Cameron Crane fleet

The variety of cranes are for a reason. Different cranes are needed for different jobs; smaller cranes for things like moving items to the top of small building, and larger cranes for stretching up to the height of giant wind turbines for example. As there aren’t many crane companies of a comparable size and nature in Southwestern Ontario—none with a yard in London at any rate—Cameron Crane receives calls from all over Ontario. Sometimes that amounts to jobs spanning two days or more for the Operating Engineers who drive the cranes. All in a day’s work for the unionized employees though.

When CLC Tree Services calls though, Cameron Crane is happy to hear from us. While the office staff is quick to offer a sales rep for new clients to assess their needs for a crane rental (usually Ray himself), when Calvin McCallum calls they are confidant he usually knows exactly what he needs. Most tree services companies need a crane approximately 75-90 tonnes for difficult tree jobs, but that isn’t always the case.

Tree planting with the help of a 250 tonne crane from Cameron Crane

For example, this past spring Calvin contacted Cameron Crane to say he needed one of the big cranes. CLC Tree Services was doing some tree planting, but had to relocate mature trees, one weighing upwards of 6300 lbs, into a customer’s back yard. The trick was, there was no space to get any equipment between one house and the next. The solution; to go over the house. That required a crane.

Kelly scheduled it in for the day. As cranes require time to get to a job site (they don’t drive as fast as average vehicles due to their size and weight), plus time to set up (it takes an hour to set up counterweights on the biggest cranes, less for boom trucks), she needs to calculate how long the crane will be on site. The minimum number of hours for any job is four; that leaves an hour for active work, if you are a half hour drive away. Anything over eight hours amounts to overtime for the operators. This job was pushing that.

Like big Tonka Toys, Cameron Crane and their fleet of big cranes and boom trucks turn heads wherever they go

Thankfully, not all jobs are as difficult as that particular one. Calvin still talks to Kelly about crane rentals approximately twice a month for one reason or another. As CLC Tree Services has been a good client for the last seven years, Cameron Crane does what they can to fit them into the ever-changing schedule, of which Kelly is a master at coordinating. She is good at her job and does her utmost to make sure all of the Cameron Cranes get where they need to go every day.

For that, CLC Tree Services is grateful. Without them, many jobs would be impossible. So we appreciate the excellent working relationship we maintain with such a great local company. And the next time you can’t get something or someone into a spot where it just needs to be, why not give Cameron Crane a call. Kelly will have a crane rumbling your way in no time flat.