Transporting farm equipment is a tricky and tasking process as it is difficult, costly, and requires special equipment. Moving other equipment may be easy; however, that’s not the case for farm equipment because they are overweight and oversize. However, farmers don’t need to stress about that anymore as there are companies with special hauling machinery to transport farm equipment to and from any location.
What Kind of Farm Equipment Can You Ship?
Transport of farm equipment is all about safety and convenience. Some equipment requiring transportation includes tractors, planters, loaders, seed drills, threshing machines, balers, combine harvesters, commercial mowers, cotton pickers, strippers, row-crop tractors, and skid steer loaders, spreaders, and combined harvesters. Regardless of the equipment, with the proper transport services, your farm equipment will get to you.
Transport of farm equipment is a necessary evil a farmer must face time and time again. Unfortunately, the farm machinery is quite challenging to transport, and here are a few tips on how to transport farm equipment efficiently, irrespective of size.
- Find a professional and trustworthy trucking company that can handle oversized loads and offers heavy hauling. Specialized personnel will ensure the job is well done and on time.
- Select a pickup date that is convenient for you and the pickup to avoid confusion and unnecessary delays.
- If you are receiving the disassembled form of equipment, make sure it is delivered at the location of reassembly.
- Contact your shippers and inquire whether your equipment will be shipped in separate attachments or as the main body.
- If you have other shipments arriving separately, make a point of arranging for an early delivery to avoid delays as that will cost you more money.
- For the farmers who can’t handle the mechanics of assembling farm equipment, get a professional to help you put the equipment together.
- When transporting the smaller-sized farm equipment, consider using a dodge and gooseneck instead of a Peterbilt and lowboys as the shipping costs are different.
- If you are transporting your equipment to a dealer for servicing, contact the dealers before saving some of the rate worked out with the transport company.
- If the tractors being shipped can fit into one trailer, use one as that will save you a considerable amount of cash. No farmer should pay the total price for a piece of farm equipment occupying only half the trailer bed.
- Please discuss with your broker or shipping company on pairing your shipment with something else, which they may consider because as much as it saves you some money, it saves them fuel, driver cost, time, wear and tear.
Mechanical Considerations When Transporting Farm Equipment?
Even if you are working with a licensed professional, there are some mechanical considerations you need to observe to protect your expensive machinery, and they include:
- Drain the fluid in your machinery to make sure you transport them dry. Draining the fluid is essential because the farm machines have diesel fuel, coolants, motor oil, and other liquids, which may end up sloshing or creating pressures while the transporter makes turns and drives over potholes.
- In addition, the fluid may spill in case of an accident, creating an environmental hazard that may cost the shippers. The oil may also sip to places it is not supposed to, causing damage to expensive equipment.
- Remove the unnecessary parts when shipping to ensure only the essential elements of the machinery are shipped.
- Tighten everything down from moving pieces to open hatches and screws to avoid accidents as the machinery will be traveling at highway speeds. Batten down hatches will ensure road safety and prevent parts from breaking off during transport.
How is Farm Equipment Shipped?
Most shipping companies have equipment for heavy and oversized equipment transport, such as flatbed trailers, step deck trailers, flatbed stretch trailers, and step-deck stretch trailers. However, irrespective of the size and build, shippers are ready to deal with extensive equipment like tractors.
Farm equipment like tractors is shipped on lowboy trucks and trailers, which can handle any size of the machinery. The lowboy trailers are a type of flatbed which sits lower to the ground than the standard flatbed. Other kinds of lowboys used in transportation include fixed neck lowboy, fixed gooseneck lowboy, and removable gooseneck lowboy.
Lowboys are not the only form of transportation available as different equipment have different shipping needs. The combines, for instance, are other sized and heavy, demanding the proper shipping permits. In addition, the combine is moved on a removable gooseneck and attached to support wheels.
On the other hand, Harvesters are mounted on a removable gooseneck and demand low clearance and support while shipping. Loaders are best transported on the step-deck trailer. Working with the right shipping company will ensure your farm equipment is carried on suitable trailers for safety purposes and as a form of care to the expensive machinery.
When transporting farm equipment implements and attachments such as mowers, seeders, diggers, or cutters, you don’t require hiring specialized shipping companies as most of these can fit in a standard-sized bed. However, farmers should consider transporting the implements and attachments using usual transportation services to save some money.
How Much Does It Cost to Transport Farm Equipment?
Transport of farm equipment may be tricky as most transportation services lack the proper equipment for the job, and hence they will turn you down. Farmers should work closely with specialized shipping companies as they have the right machinery to handle the heavy and oversized farm equipment. The cost of services will differ form on one company to another.
When dealing with shipping companies, there are a few general questions they will ask concerning the farm equipment, such as:
- How much does your equipment weigh?
- What is the dimension like height and length?
- What model of farm equipment?
- What company is the farm equipment from?
Such questions will help them understand what they are dealing with, and with the information you provide, they will quote a price. Some shipping companies are expensive than others depending on what the farmer needs transporting. Either way, look for a company that will offer value for your money while guaranteeing the safety and timeliness of delivery.
