About Us
Learn More About Jim Wilson Crane Service
A local, family-owned crane company in Ulysses, Kansas — established 1981, and still answering our own phone.
Your First Choice for Quality Crane Services
With over 40 years of experience, we guarantee your satisfaction with our personalized service. We are committed to quality in every job we do — and to being safe and reliable on every lift we plan.
Since 1981
Built in Ulysses, Working the Same Country
Jim Wilson Crane Service was established in 1981 in Ulysses, Kansas — a town of a few thousand people sitting on top of one of the largest natural gas fields in North America. That geography shaped the business. Oil and gas operators needed lifting done on lease roads and locations, and homeowners and builders needed a crane that would come out for a two-hour job. We have done both ever since.
We are still local and still family-owned. That is not a slogan on this site so much as a description of how the work runs: the person who takes your call is the person who prices the lift, and the operator who shows up works for the family that owns the machine. If something goes sideways, there is nobody to pass you to.
Over 40 years in one region also means we know what we are looking at when you describe a job — which ground will carry a machine after a wet week, which power lines are the real problem, and which lifts are not worth mobilising a crane for at all.
How We Work
Plan the Lift, Then Make It
Our approach is unremarkable and deliberately so: we carefully plan the lift, then we safely execute it. Weight, radius, reach, ground conditions, overhead clearances and sequencing get worked out before the boom comes up, because that is where crane jobs are won or lost.
Everything else follows from that — free quotes so you can plan properly, a quotation back within 24 hours guaranteed, competitive pricing, and a phone that gets answered at any hour because equipment does not fail on a schedule.
- NCCCO-certified operators every operator, every lift
- Operated and maintained rental the crane and the crew arrive together
- Free quotes quotation within 24 hours guaranteed
- Open 24 hours seven days a week, including holidays
- English and Spanish se habla español
- Payment Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Check, Cash
The Equipment
Operated & Maintained — Never Bare Rental
When you hire a crane from us, you get the machine and the crew. Our operator runs the lift, our maintenance keeps the machine right, and the plan is worked out before anything leaves the ground. You are not signing for a piece of iron and figuring out the rest.
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Liebherr Cranes
Our Liebherr machines handle the bulk of the work — oil field locations, commercial steel and structural sets, and tight residential placements. Rented operated and maintained, never bare.
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Manitex Boom Truck
Road-legal and quick to set up, the boom truck is the right call for shorter reaches, roof-top sets, HVAC units and jobs where a full crane is more machine than the lift needs.
Not sure which machine your lift needs? Call (620) 356-3663 and describe the load — we will tell you what fits and what it costs.
Why Us
Why Crews Call Jim Wilson
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Free Quotes
Tell us the lift and we price it at no cost. Quotation within 24 hours, guaranteed.
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NCCCO-Certified Operators
Every operator is certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators.
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40+ Years of Experience
Lifting in southwest Kansas since 1981 — oil field, commercial and residential.
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Local & Family-Owned
A Grant County business, not a dispatch office three states away.
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Prompt Response
We answer the phone when it rings, day or night, and we show up when we say we will.
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Safe & Reliable
We plan the lift before the boom comes up. Competitive pricing, maintained equipment, no surprises.
Reviews
See What Customers Say
We would rather you heard it from the people who hired us than read a testimonial we picked ourselves. Our Yelp profile is public — have a look, and if we have worked for you, a review helps the next person decide.
Need a Crane? Get a Free Quote Today.
Tell us the load, the reach and the site conditions and we will plan the lift with you. Quotation within 24 hours, guaranteed — and if you have a crew standing by, call us and we will answer.
Questions
About Us — FAQs
How long have you been in business?
Jim Wilson Crane Service was established in 1981, and the team brings over 40 years of experience in crane work to the jobs we take on today.
Are you locally owned?
Yes — we are a local, family-owned business based in Ulysses, Grant County, Kansas. The people who quote your lift are the people who run it.
What certifications do your operators hold?
All of our staff is certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators (NCCCO).
Can I visit your yard?
Our address on Co Rd 10 is a working yard and is not open to customers. Everything is handled by phone — call (620) 356-3663 or email info@kwcranes.com and we will come to your site.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes — we do business in English and Spanish. Se habla español.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Check and cash.