Takeuchi Equipment Shipping
Takeuchi sizes the TL8R2 at 11 ft 5 in (3.49 m) long and 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) high and the TL12R2 at 13 ft 3 in (4.05 m) long and 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) high. Both are under 6 ft 7 in (2 m) wide, so each drives into a container on its tracks.
How each Takeuchi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Takeuchi TL12R2Compact track loaderSpec source | 12,600 lb (5,710 kg)operating weight | 13 ft 3 in × 6 ft 5 in × 7 ft 7 in (4.05 × 1.96 × 2.31 m) | 40 ft high-cube containerFits as is | Ships as it is, blocked and lashed. |
| Takeuchi TL8R2Compact track loaderSpec source | 9,180 lb (4,165 kg)operating weight | 11 ft 5 in × 5 ft 5 in × 7 ft 4 in (3.49 × 1.66 × 2.23 m) | 20 ft containerFits as is | Ships as it is, blocked and lashed. |
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 Takeuchi machines for export
- The lift arms are lowered and locked, the bucket set on the floor or crated, and the tracks cleaned of soil.
- The battery is disconnected and the loader is chocked and chained through its tie-down points.
- The TL8R2 is 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) high to the cab, under the 7 ft 6 in (2.28 m) door of a 20 ft box; with the top guard it stands 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m), so it goes in a 40 ft high cube.
- The TL12R2 is 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) high and 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) wide, so it drives into a 40 ft high cube on its tracks.
- Both are under 13,200 lb (6 t) with the cab, inside one container's payload with room for the buckets and attachments.
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 Takeuchi machines go from the U.S.
The destinations we see most for Takeuchi equipment, with the import rule that most often catches buyers out.
MexicoTransit 5-14 daysTrack loaders by truck across the border or in containers to Manzanillo.
Quote to Mexico
AustraliaTransit 28-35 daysStrict biosecurity cleaning; tracks, rollers and the engine bay are washed before loading.
Quote to Australia
Saudi ArabiaTransit 18-25 daysSABER certificates are arranged before arrival.
Quote to Saudi Arabia
Equipment Types We Ship
Takeuchi Mfg. was founded in 1963 in Sakaki, Nagano, Japan. It built the first compact excavator in 1971 and the first compact track loader in 1986, and has run North American operations in Georgia since 1979, now from Pendergrass, with a track loader plant in Moore, South Carolina, since 2022.
Why Ship Takeuchi with Us
- Model pages built from Takeuchi's own specification tables
- Pickup from auctions and dealer yards across the US
- Buckets and attachments crated in the same container as the loader
Takeuchi shipping questions
Does a Takeuchi TL12R2 fit in a 20 ft container?
Not through the door: at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) high it is just over a 20 ft box's 7 ft 6 in (2.28 m) door, so it goes in a 40 ft high cube, whose door is 8 ft 6 in (2.58 m).
Who built the first compact track loader?
Takeuchi says it launched the first compact track loader in 1986, fifteen years after its first compact excavator.
Takeuchi 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 Takeuchi.
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