From lifting timber beams in rural Vermont to raising towers on military bases in New York and dam infrastructure in Georgia, Classen's Crane Service has spent the past three decades growing into one of the region's most versatile and trusted crane service providers.

With headquarters in St. Johnsbury and operations spanning al of New England and beyond, the family-owned business now boasts the largest taxi crane fleet in Vermont.

"We started with a Stinger 12-ton boom truck back in 1981," said Ben Classen, vice president and co-owner of the company. "We worked seven days a week, setting trusses, palleting fieldstone, whatever it took."

Classen's Crane Service was founded by Ben's father, Mike Classen, who bought his first crane in 1981. Ben Classen has grown up in the family business. He was known to sneak into the cab of a crane as young as 12 years old. He became one of the principals of the company in 2012.

Today, the company operates a fleet of nine cranes, including the only 175-ton Link-Belt all-terrain crane in New England at the time of purchase. Most of the company's equipment has been sourced through Woods CRW, with whom it shares a business relationship dating back to 1994.

"We've purchased over 20 cranes from Woods since then," Classen said. "It's all about service. If something breaks down, they're there. Day, night, weekends — they've always shown up. I have always been impressed that they will answer their phone and respond to our needs. We lost our in-house mechanic, so we have increased our use of Woods' service department. Just the other day their service rep showed up at our job site at 3 p.m. on a Friday and stayed until 8 p.m. when the crane was up and running."

High-Profile Projects Across Region

Classen's Crane Service is known for its adaptability. The company has supported ski resorts from Lake Placid to northern Maine, replacing haul ropes and terminals. One job at Whiteface Mountain involved lifting a 120,000-lb. reel of rope.

Another recent standout project took the company to a hydro dam site for Green Mountain Power. Its team used four cranes working in tandem to install a 200-ft. inflatable rubber bladder system. The job required precision, coordination and power.

"That dam job really proved what we could do with the 175," Clasen said. "It was a six-month project and kept us running over 40 hours a week."

The company also was involved in the construction of a helicopter hanger at Fort Drum in N.Y. And Classen's also has been extensively involved in cell tower construction all across New England.

At the Burlington International Airport, Classen's Crane Service is currently placing structural glulam beams and ceiling panels for a terminal expansion. The ceiling panels weigh up to 7,000 lbs. each just to give an idea of the types of picks happening at the airport site. This phase of the project calls for the company's new 120-ton Link-Belt while earlier phases of the project called for the Link-Belt 175-ton crane.

"We had to bid it hourly — crane time, counterweights, transport. It's been a hybrid effort between the Link-Belt 120 and the Link-Belt 175. We were uniquely positioned to take it on."

For Classen, who started running cranes at age 12, the work is second nature. Now a seasoned operator and executive, he attributes the company's success to its long-standing employees and a commitment to craftsmanship.

"We've had guys with us who've been here 18 to 22 years," he said. "Our rigging foreman's been with us for 14. That kind of loyalty isn't easy to find."

Classen's Crane Service also has built a robust rigging and machinery-moving division with forklifts, trailers and specialized equipment to support manufacturing expansions and relocations.

Growing Fleet for Expanding Needs

The Classen fleet includes a variety of machines tailored to the wide range of work the company tackles. Classen's Cranes can be seen restoring an old barn, setting a modular home, building a cell tower or working at an airport expansion, all on the same day. The company's crane fleet consists of:

• National 16-ton knuckle boom

• National 30-ton fixed cab boom truck

• National 33-ton swing cab with 127 ft. of main boom

• Link-Belt 50-ton rough-terrain with 110 ft. of boom and a 51-ft. jib

• Link-Belt 40-ton lattice crawler

• National 55-ton with 151 ft. of main boom

• A 65-ton truck crane used locally

• A recently added Link-Belt 120-ton truck crane

• And the flagship Link-Belt 175-ton all-terrain crane

"Link-Belts have the best capacity-to-weight ratio in the market," Classen said. "They're operator-friendly, and for the kind of work we do — everything from ski lift terminals to hydro dams — that makes all the difference. All of the Link-Belts have been sold and maintained by Woods CRW. Another key reason that they are our primary crane provider is that they have locations all across New England and Upstate New York. Generally speaking, anywhere we go they are there to support us. We added the 175-ton crane to fill a specific niche in the market. It seems that most crane services fleets, jump from 100 tons to 200 tons. The 175-ton machine has put us in a great position for bidding specific projects where that size is best suited."

Classen explained why the company continues to go with Link-Belt cranes.

"In 2006, I was at ConExpo, and I sat in every make and model at the show, and compared Link-Belt to all of its competitors," he said. "Chart-wise, Link-Belt cannot be beat. They have the best capacity for counterweight and machine size in the market. Link-Belt also gives us the creature comforts that our operators are looking for. The controls for swing in the machine are uniquely engineered. It is the tightest operation available on the market. When I visited the company headquarters in Lexington, Ky., last year I was amazed to see that almost the entire machine is manufactured in the USA. Also, as a result of our visit to Lexington, I was able to develop a line of communication directly with some of the factory people whose assistance has been extremely valuable."

When Classen's Crane Service needed to expand its fleet, Classen didn't just look for more capacity — he looked for smarter features. That search led him to the 175-ton Link-Belt all-terrain crane, now the company's largest and most versatile piece of equipment.

One standout feature that helped seal the deal was the tilting operator cab, a seemingly simple innovation with major ergonomic benefits.

"If he was down flat, he'd be staring at a beam," Classen said. "Now he's tilted up. He has a clear line of sight at his work, so he can see what he's doing better. And if you're going to be in there eight or 10 hours a day, the last thing you want is your neck wrenched."

For crane operators working long shifts on demanding jobs, that comfort translates directly into productivity.

Another important feature for Classen is the air ride suspension, a newer system designed to mimic the smoothness of a traditional all-terrain (AT) rig.

"The old ones could shake you up a little bit," said Classen. "This one's a lot softer for the operators and drivers. And with the air brakes and suspension, it's just a better ride overall."

Although the road speed topped out at 52 mph — a slight trade-off from the company's previous 100-ton machine — Classen considers the comfort and performance gains well worth it. With 49,000 lbs. of counterweight, most highway moves require just a single truckload to offload and rarely need escort vehicles, adding to the crane's operational efficiency.

Looking Ahead

As the skilled trades see renewed interest from younger generations, Classen is optimistic.

"One of my newest operators isn't even 30, and I trust him with a brand-new 120-ton machine," he said. "He learned the ropes with a veteran who'd been with us for 18 years. This type of employee depth and new employee development will be key to our future growth." CEG