Steel Erection & Ironworkers

Bolt-up work happens wherever the beam is, and that beam is rarely at grade. Steel erection crews use aerial lifts as the practical alternative to iron on iron for connections, decking, and column work where a crane basket is too slow and a scaffold setup is too much commitment for a moving work face. The ironworker who owns the right boom has it on site the first day the steel starts going in the air, not waiting on a rental house to deliver it three days later. We fund boom lifts and scissor lifts for steel erection contractors from $50,000 on up, new or used, application-only to roughly $400,000.

The primary aerial lift tool for steel erection is a large rough-terrain articulating boom. Bolt-up and bolted connection work at column splices, beam-to-column connections, and bracing anchor points happens at whatever elevation the structural steel sits. On a four-story commercial building, that is 45 to 60 feet. On a distribution center or industrial facility with a high eave line, it may be 50 to 80 feet with the added complication of wide column spacing that requires substantial horizontal outreach to position the basket correctly. A telescopic boom lift or a large articulating boom in the 60 to 80-foot class covers the majority of commercial structural steel work.

Decking and metal deck installation work runs from a somewhat different tool set. Decking crews follow the steel quickly and often work from booms positioned at the perimeter, rolling deck from the platform rather than walking on incomplete decking. The horizontal reach matters as much as the height for this application, which is why telescopic booms with long outreach specs often outperform articulators on open-bay decking work. A 80-foot telescopic boom lift with 75 to 80 feet of horizontal reach is a capable deck tool on large bays.

On specialty steel work including long-span trusses, pre-engineered metal buildings, stadium steel, and industrial mezzanines, the height and reach requirements are often site-specific. Steel erection contractors doing a volume of pre-engineered metal building (PEMB) work will have different lift specs than those focused on heavy structural steel and moment frames. The common thread is the need for a rough-terrain unit with high capacity at significant elevation.

Some steel crews also own scissor lifts for the follow-on work that comes after the steel is standing: handrail installation, stair installation, secondary steel connections, and fire-protection contractor support work. A diesel scissor lift at 40 feet on rough-terrain tires works on an active construction site where the floor is concrete or compacted grade.

Structural steel demand has been elevated by a combination of factors. Industrial and manufacturing construction, including large-scale distribution centers, fulfillment facilities, and automotive and semiconductor manufacturing plants, all use structural steel and generate sustained work for ironworker crews. These projects are typically large in scale and run for 12 to 24 months, which drives fleet ownership decisions differently than short commercial projects. A firm that lands a steel contract on a 1.2 million square-foot fulfillment center needs its lifts for the full duration and cannot afford the availability risk of relying on rental throughout.

Commercial construction in growth markets has also kept ironworker crews busy. Mid-rise office, hotel, and multifamily projects all have structural steel phases, and the contractors who can mobilize quickly with their own equipment win work that organizations with longer mobilization timelines cannot pursue.

Can I get pre-qualified before we are awarded the steel contract so I can move immediately?

Yes. A soft pre-qualification based on the application gives you a clear borrowing limit before you need the equipment. When the contract comes through, the transaction moves straight to funding without starting from scratch.

The steel work requires a 120-foot reach for a truss connection on a specific project. Can I finance that class of machine?

Yes. We fund aerial lifts well above the $100,000 to $150,000 core funding range. A large telescopic boom in the 120-foot class is a standard deal for us. Statement-led review below about $400,000 and full-documentation above that.

Can I refinance a boom lift I own and pull cash out to fund a project mobilization?

A cash-out refinance on an owned or nearly-paid-off unit converts that equity to cash while you keep using the unit. The cash can go to mobilization costs, bonding, or equipment on a new project. The payment on the refinance is offset by the fact that the unit is generating revenue on the job.

I need two 80-foot booms for a large structural project starting in five weeks. Is that timeline workable?

Five weeks is workable. The typical timeline is one business day for a decision and one to two weeks to fund after approval. If the equipment is located and the purchase agreement is ready, we can often close comfortably within three to four weeks of application.

How does the financing work if the boom gets damaged on a steel site from a crane load strike?

Commercial equipment insurance covers damage during operation. You are required to maintain coverage as a condition of the financing. A damage claim would be handled through your insurer, with proceeds going to repair or, in a total loss, to the outstanding note balance.