Excavators are one of the most-shipped pieces of heavy equipment in the country — and one of the easiest to ship wrong. The same word covers a 7,000-lb mini-excavator and a 200,000-lb mining machine, and everything about the move (trailer, permits, escorts, price) changes with the size. Here is how to get it right the first time.
Step 1: know your exact specs
Before anyone can quote or plan the move, you need four numbers from the spec sheet (or a tape measure):
- Operating weight — not the "class," the actual pounds, with attachments.
- Transport height — with the boom lowered and, if applicable, the cab folded.
- Width — tracks or blade, whichever is wider.
- Transport length — boom and stick in travel position.
An inch matters here: 8'6" wide is legal almost everywhere; 8'7" needs a permit in every state it crosses. See our oversize permit guide for the full limits.
Step 2: match the machine to the trailer
- Mini-excavators (under ~10,000 lbs): a heavy-duty tag or gooseneck trailer behind a one-ton — often a hot shot move.
- Midi and small standard machines (10,000–25,000 lbs): step deck or small lowboy, usually still legal dimensions.
- Standard excavators (25,000–80,000 lbs): RGN or lowboy. Height is the usual permit trigger — most 20-ton-plus machines run over 10' tall even with the boom down.
- Large and mining-class (80,000 lbs+): multi-axle RGN, overweight permits in every state, often escorts. Some machines ship with the counterweight or boom removed and reinstalled — that's a rigging job on both ends.
The RGN wins for most excavators because the detachable gooseneck turns the trailer into a ramp — the machine drives on under its own power. More in our trailer guide.
Why excavators usually need an RGN, not a flatbed
A 45,000-lb excavator is typically ~10' tall with the boom down. On a 5'-high flatbed that's 15' total — illegal everywhere. On a 2'-high RGN deck it's ~12' — legal or lightly-permitted. Deck height decides the move.
Step 3: loading, securement, and the haul
The machine drives onto the RGN under its own power (or gets winched if dead). Securement follows FMCSA rules: a minimum of four tie-downs on independent anchor points for heavy equipment, plus boom/attachment securement, with chains and binders rated for the load. Tracks get chocked, the blade and boom get lowered to the deck, and the operator's manual transport pins go in. Then it's a heavy haul move like any other — route, permits, and timing handled by the carrier.
What it costs
The same levers as all heavy haul pricing: distance, weight class, whether dimensions trigger permits, escort requirements, and how far the right trailer has to deadhead to reach you. A legal-size mini-ex moves for a fraction of what a permitted 50-ton machine costs. Exact specs get you an exact number — guesses get you a guess.
Ready to move iron? See our heavy haul service or send the machine's specs for a same-day quote.