Sakai Equipment Shipping
A Sakai SV544D-1 soil compactor is 19 ft 1 in (5.81 m) long and 7 ft 7 in (2.30 m) wide, which fits a 40 ft high cube. It is 10 ft (3.05 m) high with the ROPS, so the ROPS comes off to the 7 ft 2 in (2.19 m) height Sakai prints without it.
How each Sakai model ships
Weights and transport dimensions come from the manufacturer's published specifications (linked under each model). The method is worked out from those dimensions against container, flat rack and RoRo limits, in the order we quote them.
| Model | Weight | L × W × H (transport) | Best method | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sakai SV544D-1Single-drum soil compactorSpec source | 24,400 lb (11,070 kg)operating weight | 19 ft 1 in × 7 ft 7 in × 10 ft (5.81 × 2.3 × 3.05 m) | 40 ft high-cube containerFits after partial disassembly | We handle the disassembly: cab or ROPS removed and crated. How we containerize |
Dimensions vary with shoes, tyres, buckets and options, so we confirm them on your machine before booking. Container limits used: 40 ft high-cube door 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) wide and 8 ft 6 in (2.58 m) high, 39 ft 6 in (12.03 m) long inside.
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 Sakai machines for export
- The drum and frame are washed of soil, the articulation lock fitted, and the ROPS taken off for the container door.
- Batteries are disconnected and the machine is chocked and lashed through its tie-down points.
- An SV544D-1 is 19 ft 1 in (5.81 m) long and 7 ft 7 in (2.30 m) wide, inside a 40 ft high cube.
- At 10 ft (3.05 m) high with the ROPS it is too tall for the door; Sakai prints 7 ft 2 in (2.19 m) with the ROPS off.
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 Sakai machines go from the U.S.
The destinations we see most for Sakai equipment, with the import rule that most often catches buyers out.
MexicoTransit 5-14 daysRollers by truck across the border or in high cubes to Manzanillo.
Quote to Mexico
GuatemalaTransit 10-16 daysSoil compactors for road work, in high cubes to Puerto Quetzal or Santo Tomás.
Quote to Guatemala
Costa RicaTransit 10-16 daysRollers for road and site work, in high cubes to Moín or Caldera.
Quote to Costa Rica
Equipment Types We Ship
Kinnosuke Sakai founded Sakai in Japan in 1918 and the company built its first road rollers in 1929. Sakai Heavy Industries is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange; Sakai America has sold its rollers in North America since 1976 and built them in Adairsville, Georgia, since 2001.
- Single-drum soil compactors
- Tandem asphalt rollers
- Pneumatic-tyre rollers
- Three-wheel rollers
Why Ship Sakai with Us
- ROPS removal planned from Sakai’s own height without it
- Pickup from Georgia and the rest of the US, close to the Port of Savannah
- High-cube plans for soil compactors that fit whole once lowered
Sakai shipping questions
Does a Sakai SV544 fit in a container?
Yes, in a 40 ft high cube once the ROPS is off. The SV544D-1 is 19 ft 1 in (5.81 m) long and 7 ft 7 in (2.30 m) wide; Sakai prints 7 ft 2 in (2.19 m) high without the ROPS against 10 ft (3.05 m) with it. We confirm the plan with photos of your machine before booking.
Where are Sakai rollers built?
Sakai America builds its soil compactors and asphalt rollers for the US and Canada in Adairsville, Georgia, where production started in 2001. Sakai Heavy Industries, the parent company, is in Tokyo.
Sakai 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 Sakai.
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