When a transformer needs to go into a substation, a turbine into a power hall, or a press onto a foundation, the question is rarely “do we have a crane big enough?” — it is “can a crane even reach, and is lifting the safest way to do this?” For a large share of heavy installations, the answer is hydraulic jacking and skidding, not lifting. Here is how the two methods compare and when each is the right tool.
Two fundamentally different approaches
A crane lifts a load vertically, suspends it in the air, swings it over, and lowers it into place. It needs overhead clearance, firm ground to set up on, and a clear path through the air.
Jacking and skidding never lifts the load into the air. Hydraulic jacks raise the equipment a controlled amount, the load is transferred onto skid tracks, and hydraulic pushing systems slide it horizontally to its final position — then jacks lower it precisely onto its foundation. The whole operation happens close to the ground, under continuous control. Learn more about Waytrans jacking & skidding services.
When jacking and skidding wins
Confined and indoor spaces
This is the classic case. Inside a plant room, a substation, a basement or a building under construction, there is simply no room for a crane to set up or swing — and often no overhead clearance at all. Jacking and skidding works in exactly these spaces, moving the load along the floor to where it needs to be.
Extremely heavy loads
Beyond a certain weight, the crane required becomes enormous, expensive and difficult to mobilise — if one is available at all. Hydraulic systems distribute and move very heavy loads (up to 500 tonnes in our case) without ever putting them in the air, which removes a major risk category.
Precision positioning
Sliding a load along skid tracks and lowering it on hydraulic jacks gives millimetre-level control. For equipment that must seat exactly onto anchor bolts or a precise foundation, that control is safer and more repeatable than landing a suspended load.
Lower risk profile
A load that is never suspended cannot fall. For heavy, high-value or sensitive machinery, keeping the load close to the ground throughout is often the decisive safety argument.
When a crane is still the right call
Cranes are not being replaced — they remain the best option for open sites with clear overhead access and firm set-up ground, for straightforward vertical lifts, and for loads that need to be placed at height (onto a structure, a roof, a tall foundation). Where there is room to lift and the geometry is simple, a crane is fast and effective.
The two methods are also frequently combined: a crane may place a load near its destination, and jacking and skidding then walks it precisely into a position the crane cannot reach.
The engineering behind a safe jacking and skidding move
What makes the method safe is not the hardware alone — it is the engineering around it. Every Waytrans operation is planned with:
- Load calculations confirming the jacking and skidding system is rated for the weight.
- Ground-bearing checks to ensure the floor or slab can take the point loads.
- A method statement and risk assessment in line with UAE HSE standards.
- Trained specialists executing the move step by step.
This is the difference between moving 500 tonnes safely and improvising with inadequate equipment.
Bringing it together with transport
In most real projects, the equipment first has to get to site. Waytrans regularly combines the two halves of the job — transporting machinery to the location on our lowbed fleet, then jacking and skidding it into its final position — so a single team owns the move from the factory floor to the foundation. That continuity removes the handover gaps where damage and delay usually occur.
If you have heavy equipment to install or relocate, especially in a tight space, request a quote with the weight, dimensions and a description of the site, and we will advise whether jacking and skidding, a crane, or a combination is the safest approach.