Bulldozer and Wheel Loader Transport
Dozers: tracked, heavy, and strictly RGN business
A bulldozer concentrates enormous weight on steel tracks that destroy pavement and cannot climb conventional ramps, so the move is RGN or lowboy from the smallest practical sizes up. A compact D3-class machine around 18,000 pounds is an easy legal load; the workhorse D6 class in the 40,000 to 50,000 pound range usually travels legal on a proper multi-axle setup but close to the limits; and the D8-and-up giants are permitted projects where the blade often comes off and travels flat on the deck to make legal width. The ripper, the blade, and the cab height all count in the travel dimensions, so measure the machine as it will actually ride.
Wheel loaders: rubber-tired, tall, and wider than they look
A wheel loader is the friendlier load in some ways, it drives aboard on rubber, but it hides two tricks. First, height: a 966-class machine stands around 11 feet to the cab, which fits an RGN but only just, and exhaust stacks or beacons can push it over the line. Second, width: the bucket is commonly wider than the legal 8 feet 6 inches, so it either angles, comes off and lies flat, or triggers a width permit. Articulated steering also means the machine must be chained against pivot, which good drivers handle as routine. Mid-size loaders are among the most commonly exported machines in America, and the 966 example in our quote form is there because we see that exact class constantly.
Sizes, permits, and honest cost ranges
| Machine class | Typical travel weight | Permit reality | Cost picture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compact dozer / small loader | 15,000 to 25,000 lbs | Rarely needed | Regional moves from several hundred to about $1,500 |
| D6-class dozer / 966-class loader | 35,000 to 55,000 lbs | Sometimes, by width or height | Commonly $2 to $5 per mile with real minimums |
| D8-and-up / largest loaders | 70,000 lbs and beyond | Always, often with escorts | Priced per project after route planning |
Inside each band, the usual levers move the price: running or dead, easy site or tight one, corridor route or off the map, and season. Winter mountain crossings with a heavy machine are planned differently than summer interstate runs, as our permits guide explains.
Loading day, done properly
The machine meets the trailer on firm, level ground with room for a 70-plus-foot combination. A dozer crawls up the kneeled RGN deck, blade lowered to the deck, ripper pinned; a loader drives up, bucket lowered or already dismounted, articulation locked by chains at four points minimum. The driver checks total height with a pole, not a guess, because the overpass does not negotiate. Twenty to forty minutes for a practiced crew, and the paperwork, condition photos, and securement check happen before a wheel turns. If the machine is dead, the same scene adds a winch or a second machine, which is why we ask how it moves before quoting, not after.
The export road for dozers and loaders
Used American dozers and loaders feed a hungry world market, and the export move is the domestic one with a port at the end: machine to the export warehouse, title and filing to the terminal on time, then RoRo if it drives or crawls reliably aboard. Tracked machines are accepted RoRo at many terminals but move to flat racks where they are not, a routing decision we make lane by lane. Auction buyers run this pipeline through our warehouse chain, and one quote covers the yard, the road, and the water.
Your questions answered
How do you transport a bulldozer?
On an RGN or lowboy: the dozer crawls up the kneeled deck under its own power, blade lowered, and is chained at the tracks. Dozers cannot drive on pavement or climb ramps, so the kneeling trailer is not optional.
How is a wheel loader transported?
It drives onto an RGN on its own rubber, bucket lowered or removed, articulation chained against pivot. Height around 11 feet and bucket width are the two numbers that decide whether it travels legal or permitted.
How much does it cost to haul a dozer or wheel loader?
Compact machines run several hundred to about $1,500 regionally, the D6 and 966 classes commonly $2 to $5 per mile, and the giants are priced per project with permits and escorts. Exact weight and dimensions set the real number.
Does a D6-class dozer need permits to move?
Often it travels legal on a proper multi-axle RGN, but blade width or attachments can tip it over the line, so the honest answer comes from the real travel dimensions, which is exactly what we quote from.
Does the bucket or blade come off for transport?
Frequently yes, and it is the cheapest fix in heavy haul: a bucket or blade lying flat on the deck turns many permitted loads back into legal ones. The attachment rides the same trailer either way.
Can you move a dozer or loader that does not run?
Yes, winched aboard or loaded with assistance, which adds equipment and time at both ends. Say so upfront and the quote stays the price you actually pay.
What is the tallest a machine can be and still ship without permits?
Total height, trailer plus machine, must stay under about 13 feet 6 inches on most routes, which leaves roughly 11 feet 6 inches on an RGN deck. Above that, it is a permitted move with route planning.
How long does dozer or loader transport take?
A day or two regionally and under a week cross-country once loaded, with pickup usually inside one to three days for flexible bookings. Permitted loads add lead time and often travel daylight hours only.
How should I prepare the machine for transport day?
Firm level ground with room for a long combination, known weight and travel dimensions, attachments decided (mounted or deck-flat), about a quarter tank, and the key ready. For dead machines, loading help arranged in advance.
Can a dozer or wheel loader be exported overseas?
Yes, both are export staples: trucked to the port warehouse, paperwork ahead of the machine, then RoRo if it moves reliably or a flat rack if not. We run the whole chain as one quoted move.
Can you collect a machine I won at an equipment auction?
Yes, auction yards are home ground for us, with on-site loaders and daily carrier traffic. Book within the free storage window and the machine moves straight to your site or the export pipeline.
Why is wheel loader height such a big deal?
Because a 966-class cab already sits near the legal ceiling on an RGN, and one beacon or exhaust stack can turn a legal load into a permitted one. Measuring to the true highest point is the difference between the two prices.
Tell us the machine and the route, and we quote it personally, usually within hours.
Request a heavy haul quote