Baggage Tractors Shipping
Baggage tractors go in a 40 ft high cube, several to a box, with the carts nested beside them. They are small, and container loading reaches any airport city.
Overview
Baggage tractors and tugs are compact, so they suit containers. Most pass the 2.34 m by 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube, which is 12.03 m long inside, and several share a box. Baggage carts and dollies nest or stack beside them.
Electric tugs with lead-acid or lithium batteries are declared to the carrier, which has its own rules for each. Diesel and gasoline tugs are drained to the level the carrier allows.
Each tractor is chocked and lashed through its tie-down points, and the carts are blocked so they cannot roll. Seats and canopies that fold are lowered where they need to be to clear the door.
Airports and ground handlers often sell tugs and carts in batches. We have no baggage tractors in our own loading records, so this page sets out the method rather than a past plan. We confirm the box count from your unit list and photos before booking.
Send the make, model and serial number and say whether the tractor is diesel, gas or electric. Baggage tractors are compact, so several share one container, often with carts packed alongside. Disconnect batteries before transport.
Cost depends mostly on how many tractors share the box. A container is priced per box plus trucking from the airport or auction yard to the port, so four tractors with carts in one 40 ft high cube cost far less per unit than one. Airport surplus often sells in lots, which suits this. Tractors from different sellers can be consolidated at a warehouse near the port first.
Typical Specifications
| Weight | 2 - 5 metric tons |
|---|---|
| Transport Width | 1.4m - 2.0m |
| Transport Height | 1.9m - 2.4m |
| Drawbar | Rated tow capacity; hitch secured |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Tug MA-50 diesel baggage tractor: 9 ft 8 in / 2.95 m long, 5 ft / 1.52 m wide, 6 ft 8 in / 2.03 m high, 6,500 lb / 2,950 kg.
The ladder below is worked out from these figures. Larger or smaller units of the same type can land on a different rung.
Cheapest first: the shipping cost ladder
We price every machine from the bottom rung up. A machine only moves up a rung when a measurement rules out the cheaper method.
Tug MA-50 diesel baggage tractor fits a container in one piece, the cheapest way to ship it.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
Best fit for Tug MA-50 diesel baggage tractor
When: Fits through a 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m door and under 59,500 lb / 27,000 kg, whole or after we take off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels.
- Rung 2
Flat rack
Mid cost
When: Too wide or tall for a container door, but within 14 ft 9 in / 4.5 m wide, 13 ft 1 in / 4 m tall and 86,000 lb / 39,000 kg on one rack.
- Rung 3
RoRo
Mid cost
When: Drives or tows aboard, under 19 ft 8 in / 6 m tall and 110 US tons / 100,000 kg, going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
- Rung 4
Breakbulk
Highest cost
When: Past flat-rack and roll-trailer limits, or shipped as modules lifted aboard piece by piece.
Container Shipping
RecommendedCompact tugs consolidate well in containers.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
RecommendedSimple drive-on shipping for ramp tugs.
Heavy Haul Trucking
RecommendedInland transport to the port.
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
01Container
- 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.
Handling & Preparation Requirements
- Secure the drawbar/hitch
- Reduce fluids and disconnect batteries for ocean shipment
- Protect cab glass and controls
- Consolidate units (and carts) for efficient loading
- Document hours and condition
Common Models We Ship
- Tug MA / MR series
- Charlatte T135 / T140 (electric)
- TLD JET-16 / TMX
- Mulag / Eagle ramp tractors
Where baggage tractors shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on baggage tractors bookings, and what avoids them.
- Ballasted tugs weigh more than their size suggests, so a 40 ft container filled by floor space can exceed the road weight limit on the inland delivery leg.
- Older LPG-fuelled ramp tugs must have the gas cylinder removed or certified empty, since a fitted bottle turns the whole container into a dangerous-goods shipment.
- Electric tugs shipped with flat lead-acid traction batteries can sulphate during a long transit, so we charge them before packing and the buyer should recharge on arrival.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best way to ship baggage tugs?
Compact tugs containerize well and are usually cheapest that way. Larger drivable units go RoRo where a lane serves the destination.
Can you ship the baggage carts too?
Yes, carts and dollies can be consolidated with the tugs for one delivery.
Do you ship electric ramp tractors?
Yes; electric units follow carrier battery dangerous-goods rules, which we manage.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Seaway Project Cargo: about the company, checked October 22, 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo country shipping guides, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
Import Duty & Tax Estimator
Estimate duty and VAT on the CIF value for 70+ destinations.
Dimensional Weight Calculator
Work out chargeable weight before you book.
Container Space Calculator
See how your cargo fits in 20ft, 40ft, and HC containers.
Route Finder
Load port, sailings, duty and rules for a machine and destination.
Ready to Ship Your Baggage Tractors?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote baggage tractors by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.