Shipping an Excavator: Weight Classes, Trailers, and Permits
The three weight classes, and what each means for the move
Mini (1 to 6 tons): rides a step deck or heavy flatbed, loads by ramp, no permits, priced like other compact equipment. Midi and standard (7 to 35 tons): the heart of the market, Cat 320s, Deere 200s, Komatsu PC210s, travels on RGNs, usually legal in weight but close enough to the edges that exact numbers matter. Large (35 tons and up): every move is a permitted project, sometimes with the machine partially dismantled, counterweight or boom traveling separately. Know your operating weight from the spec plate, because quotes built on guesses become disputes built on trucks.
Why the RGN owns excavator work
An excavator cannot climb normal ramps safely, stands tall even with the boom down, and concentrates serious weight on its tracks, three problems the RGN answers at once: the detachable gooseneck lets the machine crawl aboard from flat ground, the low deck keeps total height legal, and multi-axle versions spread the load for the heavy classes. Loading is a practiced ritual, machine crawls up, swings parallel, boom lowers into the travel position, tracks get chained at marked points, and a good driver makes it look like nothing. It is not nothing, which is why excavators belong with carriers who do them weekly.
When permits and escorts enter the picture
Legal limits on most routes sit around 80,000 pounds gross, 8 feet 6 inches wide, and 13 feet 6 inches total height. A 20-ton excavator on an RGN usually squeezes inside; a 30-plus-ton machine, a wide undercarriage, or a tall cab pushes past, and then each state on the route sells its own permit, with escort vehicles joining at the serious end. Permits add fees and a day or two of lead time, and oversize loads often cannot run nights or weekends, stretching transit. None of it is exotic, it is paperwork and planning, covered in detail in our permits guide, and it is exactly the part you hire a professional for.
What excavator transport costs
As working ranges: minis move for a few hundred dollars locally up to about $2,000 cross-country, the 20-ton class commonly runs $2 to $5 per mile with practical minimums of a few hundred dollars even on short hops, and permitted large machines price per project once the route, permits, and escorts are mapped. A dead machine adds loading equipment at both ends, a tight jobsite adds time, and winter mountain routes add fuel and caution. We quote from the real numbers, model, weight, dimensions, attachments, both addresses, and the number we give is the number you pay.
Excavators leaving the country
Used American excavators are in constant demand abroad, and the export version of the move just adds a destination with rules: the machine goes to an export warehouse near the port, its title and filing beat it to the terminal, and it sails RoRo if it drives or crawls reliably, or on a flat rack if not. The TWIC credential problem and cutoff timing from our port guide apply in full, and buyers at auctions feeding this pipeline use our auction-to-warehouse chain daily. One quote covers yard to vessel.
Your questions answered
How do you transport an excavator?
On an RGN trailer for anything beyond mini size: the machine crawls aboard the kneeled deck under its own power, the boom lowers to travel position, and the tracks are chained at marked points. Minis ride step decks like other compact equipment.
How much does it cost to ship an excavator?
Minis run a few hundred dollars locally up to about $2,000 cross-country, the common 20-ton class roughly $2 to $5 per mile, and large permitted machines are priced per project. The exact model, weight, and route set the real number, which we quote personally.
What trailer do I need for a Cat 320 or similar 20-ton excavator?
An RGN. The class is too heavy and too tall for step decks and cannot use ramps, so the kneeling deck is the standard, with multi-axle RGNs for the upper end.
Does an excavator need an oversize permit to move?
The 20-ton class usually travels legal or close to it; machines above roughly 35 tons, or anything wide or tall, needs state-by-state permits and sometimes escorts. Exact dimensions decide, which is why we ask for them upfront.
Can you move an excavator that does not run?
Yes, it is winched aboard or loaded with other equipment, which adds handling at both ends. Say so when requesting the quote and the price you get is the real one.
Does the boom or counterweight come off for transport?
For standard machines, no, the boom simply lowers to travel position. The largest classes sometimes ship with the counterweight or boom removed to make legal weight, which we plan as part of a permitted move.
How long does excavator transport take?
Regional moves run a day or two once loaded, cross-country under a week, and pickup typically lands within one to three days for flexible bookings. Permitted oversize loads add lead time for paperwork and daylight-only travel rules.
Can an excavator and its attachments travel together?
Yes, buckets, hammers, and extra attachments ride the same deck when the weight and length allow, secured separately. List them all so the quote reflects what actually travels.
How do I prepare an excavator for pickup?
Know the operating weight and travel dimensions, lower and secure the boom, leave about a quarter tank, remove loose items from the cab, and have the key available. If the site is tight for a 70-foot combination, say so beforehand.
Can you pick an excavator up from an auction yard?
Yes, auction pickups are standard work, the yards load machines daily, and we schedule inside the free storage window. From there it goes to your site, a buyer, or the export pipeline.
How does an excavator get exported overseas?
Trucked to an export warehouse near the port, paperwork filed ahead, then aboard the vessel RoRo if it moves reliably or on a flat rack if not. We run the truck leg, the warehouse stage, and the ocean booking as one move.
Why do excavator quotes vary so much between companies?
Because the machine's exact weight and height decide the trailer pool, and whether the quote is built on real numbers or guesses. A cheap quote from a guess becomes an expensive argument at the trailer, so we only quote from the actual figures.
Tell us the machine and the route, and we quote it personally, usually within hours.
Request a heavy haul quote