Crawler Tractor Shipping

What Makes Crawler Tractors Different to Ship

A crawler tractor is any tractor on tracks instead of wheels: steel-tracked crawlers on dirt work, rubber-tracked ag machines in the Challenger and Quadtrac 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 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. 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 or implement. Shipping a wheeled machine instead? Start at our tractor shipping page.