How to Ship Heavy Equipment (Skid-Steers, Tractors & Machinery)

Moving a skid-steer, tractor, excavator, or piece of machinery is a different game than moving a car. Get the trailer and the dimensions right and it's smooth; get them wrong and you've got a load nobody can legally haul. Here's what matters.

Pick the right trailer

Equipment usually moves on one of these: a flatbed (for lower, road-legal-height pieces), a step-deck (a little more height room), or a lowboy/RGN (for tall or very heavy machinery — the deck sits low to the ground). The taller and heavier the machine, the lower the deck it needs. This is the single biggest factor in getting the right carrier.

Know your four numbers

Before you post, have the machine's weight, length, width, and height. These decide the trailer and whether you need oversize/overweight permits. Anything over about 8'6" wide, 13'6" tall (loaded), or the legal weight limits will need permits and possibly escorts — which the carrier arranges, but which affect price and routing.

Loading and securement

Some equipment drives on under its own power; some needs to be craned or winched. Tracked machines (excavators, some skid-steers) need care not to damage the deck. Confirm whether the machine runs and moves, and whether there's a ramp or dock at pickup and delivery. Proper securement — chains and binders rated for the weight — is the carrier's job, and it's non-negotiable.

How pricing works

Heavy-equipment rates depend on the trailer type, the dimensions/permits, distance, and how easily it loads. There's no flat "per mile" like a sedan — but the honest structure is the same on Loadgency: you set the price, the flat fee (greater of $50 or 10%) is shown openly, and the specialized carrier who can legally haul it claims the load and is paid on delivery.