Back in the early 1990s, Ken Harrop, a hardworking electrician from Warrington, attended a local plant auction to pick up a generator for his electrical work. But fate had other plans. The generator wasn’t up to scratch — and as Ken stood there, the next lot came up: a mobile crane.

On a whim, Ken placed a bid and bought the crane — intending to sell it on.
But the more he looked into it, the more he saw a new opportunity.
Instead of flipping the crane for profit, Ken took a chance and started his own crane hire business.

Built on Grit, Graft & Family Values

From that first crane and a few local lifting jobs, Ken Harrop Crane Hire was born — a small, family-run firm rooted in Warrington, with a reputation for honesty, hard work, and doing the job right.

As word spread, so did the business. Over the years, Ken invested in more equipment, trained up operators, and built long-term relationships with builders, developers, and contractors across Cheshire, Wigan, Northwich, Liverpool, Manchester, and eventually, the whole UK.

Over 30 Years On — Still Lifting Strong

Today, we’re proud to run a modern fleet of mobile and city cranes, offer full contract lifting services, and provide machinery movement, haulage, storage, and traffic management solutions to clients across the country. But even as we’ve grown, we’ve never lost what makes us different — our family feel, our straight-talking honesty, and the personal pride we take in every lift.

Our Vision for the Future

We’re not just looking back — we’re looking ahead.
As we continue to expand, our goal is simple:

To be one of the most trusted, down-to-earth lifting and logistics companies in the UK — known for reliability, personal service, and lifting with purpose.

We’re investing in:

• Fleet upgrades with the latest crane technology

• Expanding services in plant transport, machinery moves, and secure storage

• Training the next generation of skilled operators

• Supporting clients on local, regional, and nationwide projects

Whether it’s a one-off lift in Warrington or a long-term contract across the UK, we bring the same energy, experience, and family-run service that’s been at our core from day one.