Video · AC Replacement
Crane Lifting an AC Unit Onto the Roof: Be the Crane
A crane lifting an AC unit onto the roof does the heavy part in minutes. This clip shows the new package unit in the air over a brick building, then a tech on the roof wiring it once it's set.
Job footageSwiftPro
- Topic
- AC Replacement
- Length
- 0:14
- Posted
- August 31, 2026
- Shot by
- The SwiftPro crew, Northern Virginia
What you’re seeing in this video
The audio is the old cartoon line, be the crane, on a loop. The picture is the real thing: a new rooftop package unit hanging from the crane against blue sky, sliding over the edge of a brick commercial building.
Cut to the roof. The unit has landed, and a tech's hands are inside the electrical section connecting wiring. A package unit holds the compressor, both coils and the blower in one cabinet, so there's no line set to braze up there. The roof work is power, controls, the drain and gas if it heats with gas.
Why it matters in your house
- A package unit ships with its refrigerant already charged from the factory, so the rooftop work is mostly electrical and mechanical. That keeps a well-planned swap short once the crane leaves.
- Thermostat and control wiring is where a lot of new-unit callbacks start. A careful tech labels the old wires before the old unit comes off.
- Walk the roof around the curb after a lift. Footprints and scuffs are normal; dents, a cut membrane or a loose curb gasket are not.
Why use a crane to put an AC unit on a roof?
Because there's no safe way to carry one up. Even a small rooftop package unit weighs several hundred pounds, and bigger commercial units run well over a thousand. A crane lifts it from the trailer to its curb in one smooth move, which protects the unit, the roof and the people standing on it.
Want it done at your place? See AC Replacement at SwiftPro or call (703) 997-9757.
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0:20HVAC Installation Time Lapse: Fast Clip, Careful Furnace Swap
0:21Signs You Need a New HVAC System, and Who Crawls Up to Check
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