Low Cost, Coast to Coast Removable Gooseneck (RGN) Transport for Tall and Heavy Loads
Legal overall height on most routes is 13 feet 6 inches. A standard step deck main deck sits around 3 feet 6 inches, which caps cargo near 10 feet. An RGN well at 18 to 24 inches carries cargo up to roughly 11 feet 6 inches to 12 feet before a height permit enters the picture. If your machine measures over 10 feet to the top of the cab or boom, the RGN is usually the deck that keeps the move legal, and that math is often the whole decision.
Choose an RGN when the machine is tall, heavy, and moves under its own power: a 3 axle RGN typically carries around 40,000 to 42,000 pounds, and jeeps, boosters, and extra axle lines extend that well past 100,000 pounds for oversized and heavy equipment moves with permits handled for you. Lighter, shorter loads usually price better on a flatbed or step deck, and your coordinator will say so rather than sell you the bigger trailer.
An RGN well rides roughly 18 to 24 inches off the road, so tall machines that would need permits on a step deck often travel legal. We check the route for low clearances before dispatch, and the quote reflects the lane that actually works.
Detach the neck and the front of the deck becomes its own ramp. Tracked and wheeled machines load at ground level with no dock, no crane, and no steep ramp angle.
RGN work is specialist work. Every carrier we dispatch is licensed and insured for heavy haul and runs the axle configuration your load needs, from standard 3 axle setups to multi axle rigs with jeeps and boosters for the heaviest machines.
This page covers both jobs people mean by removable gooseneck (RGN) trailer shipping. Most customers need heavy equipment hauled ON an RGN: excavators, dozers, cranes, and other machines too tall or too heavy for a standard deck. Others need an RGN trailer itself moved, an empty trailer bought at auction or repositioned between yards; we arrange that as a tow away behind a heavy tractor or loaded as cargo. Tell your coordinator which job you have and the quote is built for it.
The gooseneck is hydraulically detached from the trailer, the tractor pulls away, and the front of the deck lowers to the ground as a built in ramp. The machine drives or winches on, the neck reattaches, and the load rides in a well between the neck and the rear axles. That well, typically around 29 feet long, is the lowest deck in common freight use, which is exactly why RGNs own the tall and heavy end of the market.
Fold or remove mirrors and antennas, lower the boom or blade, note the exact height at the tallest point, and know your machine weight from the plate, not a guess. Tracked machines should arrive with enough fuel to drive on and off. Your coordinator sends the full checklist at booking.
A fixed neck lowboy offers a similar well but loads from the rear or by crane, while the RGN detachable front turns the deck into a ground level ramp. For drivable machines the RGN is usually worth the difference; for craned loads a lowboy can price better. We quote whichever the load and the lane favor.
As a general estimate, legal size RGN loads commonly run in the range of $3.00 to $4.50 per loaded mile, with flat minimums on short hauls; permits and escorts for oversize moves are added at cost. Weight, route, and season move the number inside that range. These figures are estimates, not a quote: every SAC quote is priced for your specific machine and lane and is firm before dispatch.
Have the machine model, dimensions, weight, and both ZIP codes ready, then start with the freight shipping cost calculator or call (866) 821-4555. A dedicated coordinator confirms the axle configuration and any permits, and stays your single point of contact through delivery.
