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Crawler Tractor Shipping

Low Cost, Coast to Coast Transport for Steel and Rubber Tracked Crawler Tractors

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What Makes a Crawler Tractor Different to Move

A crawler tractor is any tractor on tracks instead of wheels: steel tracked crawlers on dirt work, rubber tracked ag machines in the Challenger, Quadtrac, and John Deere RT and RX class, and compact track tractors in between. The tracks are the whole shipping problem. Steel tracks cannot cross pavement without damaging it, so steel tracked machines load from dirt, gravel, or timber matting, and the driver plans for that at both ends. Track machines also carry their weight low and wide: many large two track and four track tractors run 10 to 12 feet wide as configured, which puts the move into oversize permit territory before the weight even enters the picture.

The Trailer Call: Step Deck, Lowboy, or RGN

Small ag crawlers in the 8,000 to 15,000 pound range ride step decks. Most full size crawler tractors at 30,000 to 60,000 pounds move on lowboy or RGN trailers, where the detachable neck gives a low, full width path so the machine can walk on under its own power instead of climbing ramps. Machines past 60,000 pounds need a multi axle RGN, and the permits and the rate follow the axles. Securement follows the federal rules for heavy machinery: a minimum of four rated chains at the track frames, plus separate tie downs for any blade, ripper, or implement. Shipping a wheeled machine instead? Start at our tractor shipping page.

Here’s Why SAC is the Smart Choice for Crawler Tractor Shipping Services

Steel or Rubber Tracks

We match the trailer and the loading plan to the tracks your crawler runs on, including timber matting where steel tracks have to cross pavement.

Priced for the Real Weight

From a 10,000 pound ag crawler to a 60,000 pound four track tractor, your quote is built on the actual weight, width, and track type of the machine.

Permits Are Part of the Job

Crawlers wider than 8 feet 6 inches need state oversize permits; we pull them and price them into the quote before dispatch. No deposit is taken until a carrier is assigned to your move.

Why Clients Trust Ship A Car Inc.

Measure the Machine as Configured

Crawler specs move with configuration, so measure the machine you are shipping, not the one in the brochure. Confirm the operating weight with ballast and implements, the width across the outside of the tracks, the height to the cab or the exhaust, and the length including the drawbar, the blade, or the ripper. Track spacing matters: the same tractor can be legal width on one setting and a permitted load on another, and on some machines narrowing the tracks before pickup is the cheapest permit avoidance move there is. Wheel weights and suitcase weights add real pounds and come off if the axle math needs them to. Send photos with the measurements and your coordinator confirms the trailer before dispatch.

Preparing a Tracked Machine

Clean the packed soil out of the undercarriage; it hides wear, adds real weight, and several states inspect incoming machines for soil and plant material at their border stations. Lower any blade or implement, latch the cab, secure loose tools and keys, and leave roughly a quarter tank of fuel for loading and unloading. Photograph all sides, the tracks, the hour meter, and the serial plate. If the machine will load from a field, flag where the truck can safely stage; a lowboy or an RGN needs firm, level ground the length of the truck and the machine together to drop the neck and walk the tractor on, and it needs a turnaround it can make loaded. A field entrance off a gravel road usually works, a farmyard hemmed in by bins usually does not.

Steel Tracks and the Loading Plan

Steel tracked crawlers punish poor planning. The machine cannot cross asphalt, so pickup and delivery points need dirt or gravel access, or timber mats laid over the pavement, and somebody has to supply the mats. If the crawler does not run, a winch equipped trailer or an on site machine assist has to be arranged before the truck arrives, not discovered at pickup. Tell your coordinator up front whether the machine runs, what surface it sits on, and what equipment is on site; those three answers shape the whole move and keep a one day load from turning into a two day standby bill. Rubber tracked ag machines cross pavement without trouble but still want a level, firm approach for the RGN.

Securement and Carrier Vetting

Every carrier we dispatch is FMCSA licensed with active cargo insurance, verified before the load is assigned, and for crawler work we assign drivers who move tracked machines regularly, because walking a 50,000 pound tractor onto a detached neck is not the place to learn. Securement follows the federal rules for heavy machinery: rated chains at four points minimum on the track frames, separate tie downs for the blade or the implement, edge protection where a chain crosses a hose, and a recheck after the first few miles. Nothing bears on hydraulic cylinders. Condition is documented on the bill of lading at both ends, with the hour meter recorded, so the paper trail exists before anyone needs it.

Width, Permits, and Escorts

Anything over 8 feet 6 inches wide needs a permit in every state, and most crawler tractors are over it. Somewhere between 12 and 14 feet of width, depending on the state and the road class, escort vehicles join the move, and several states add daylight only travel, height poles, or weekend and holiday bans. A four track ag tractor on 30 inch belts can sit right at that escort line, which is why the track spacing question comes up on the first call: the same machine can be a routine permitted load on one setting and an escorted load on another. Weight permits stack on top when the combination passes 80,000 pounds gross. Your coordinator pulls every state permit on the route and prices them into the quote before dispatch, so the number you approve is the number you pay.

Who Ships Crawler Tractors With Us

Farms and custom operators buying a used four track tractor from a dealer or an auction two states away ahead of planting or fall tillage; contractors moving steel tracked crawlers between dirt jobs; dealers moving demo units and trade ins between stores; rental yards repositioning fleets; and estates and retirement sales sending machines to buyers who cannot drive them home. Ag crawlers move hardest from February into April and again from September into November. Dirt work crawlers follow construction from spring to fall. Auction season runs through the winter. In every case the plan is the same: measure the machine as configured, choose the trailer from the real weight, pull the permits, and confirm the loading surface at both ends before the truck rolls.

Crawler Tractor Questions We Answer Every Week

Can the blade stay on? Usually yes, lowered and chained separately, unless it puts the width over an escort line, in which case it comes off and rides on the same deck. Can steel tracks go on a paved lot? Only over timber mats. Do the tracks need to be narrowed? Sometimes; it is the cheapest way to drop a permit tier and the coordinator tells you when it applies. Does it need escorts? Over about 12 to 14 feet wide, depending on the state, yes, and they are priced into the quote. What if it does not run? A winch trailer or a machine assist is arranged before the truck arrives. What does it cost? Weight, width, permits, and lane set the price, so the calculator gives a starting figure and the coordinator firms it before dispatch. Is it insured? Every carrier carries active cargo insurance that we verify before assignment.

Book Crawler Tractor Shipping with Ship A Car, Inc.

Ship A Car, Inc. has arranged equipment transport since 2012. Have the weight, the dimensions as configured, the track type, and both ZIP codes ready, then start with the freight shipping cost calculator or call (866) 452-3657. Your coordinator confirms the trailer, pulls the permits, and stays your single point of contact through delivery. Crawlers often travel with the rest of a fleet; we also move articulated trucks, excavators, and the full range under equipment shipping.

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