Kawasaki Equipment Shipping
Now part of Hitachi Construction MachinerySource
Also known as KCM, Kawasaki Construction Machinery, Hitachi (current badge)
Most Kawasaki Z-series wheel loaders ship in one 40 ft high cube with the bucket off; larger loaders take two high cubes, and the biggest go in open tops plus high cubes. Containers reach more ports than RoRo and usually cost less.
Kawasaki machines we have loaded in containers
54 Kawasaki models are in our dismantling and loading records, each with the boxes it went in and the parts that came off. Containers reach more ports and usually cost less than RoRo or flat racks.
Wheel loaders · 54 models
| Model | Boxes | Dismantling |
|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki 50Z IV | 1 × 40 ft high cube | Standard preparation |
| Kawasaki 60Z | 1 × 40 ft high cube | Standard preparation |
| Kawasaki 60Z II | 1 × 40 ft high cube | Standard preparation |
| Kawasaki 60Z III | 1 × 40 ft high cube | Standard preparation |
| Kawasaki 60Z IV | 1 × 40 ft high cube | Standard preparation |
| Kawasaki 60Z V | 1 × 40 ft high cube | Standard preparation |
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
Best fit- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Preparing Kawasaki machines for export
- Parts for Kawasaki-designed loaders now come through Hitachi dealers; we photograph the serial plate so your dealer can match parts.
- Articulation locks and the bucket pins are secured and the bucket is crated or loaded in the same box.
- Small and mid-size Z-series loaders go in one 40 ft high cube once the bucket comes off.
- From about the 90Z up, the cab, bucket and arms come off and the loader takes two high cubes, sometimes with a 20 ft for the bucket.
- The largest loaders split into the frame halves and travel in open tops plus high cubes.
Containerizing a machine means taking off the parts that stop it fitting, then crating, labelling and lashing them in the same box. See how we containerize heavy equipment
Where Kawasaki machines go from the U.S.
The destinations we see most for Kawasaki equipment, with the import rule that most often catches buyers out.
PhilippinesTransit 18-28 daysUsed loaders for quarries and ports; containers to Manila keep freight low.
Quote to Philippines
GhanaTransit 20-28 daysMid-size loaders for mining and aggregates, shipped in high cubes to Tema.
Quote to Ghana
GuatemalaTransit 10-16 daysLoaders for sugar mills and quarries through Puerto Quetzal or Santo Tomás.
Quote to Guatemala
Equipment Types We Ship
Kawasaki built articulated wheel loaders from 1962. The loader business became KCM in 2009 and is now part of Hitachi Construction Machinery, so newer machines carry the Hitachi badge, but Kawasaki Z-series loaders are still common at US auctions.
- Articulated wheel loaders
- Large quarry loaders
- Snow-removal loaders (Japan)
Why Ship Kawasaki with Us
- More than 50 Kawasaki loader models in our own loading records, from the 50Z to the largest quarry loaders
- Our crews remove and crate buckets, cabs and arms at the yard and reassemble on request
- Pickup from any US auction yard, with a quote by box count before you bid
Kawasaki shipping questions
Does a Kawasaki 70Z fit in a container?
Yes. In our loading records, Z-series loaders of that size go in one 40 ft high cube with the bucket off. We confirm the plan for your machine's year and tyres before booking.
Are Kawasaki loaders now Hitachi?
Yes. Hitachi Construction Machinery owned KCM outright from 2015 and merged it in 2019, so new loaders from the same line are sold as Hitachi.
Kawasaki and its logo are trademarks of their respective owner, shown only to identify the equipment we ship. Seaway Project Cargo is an independent shipper and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kawasaki.
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