HDD Rigs & Trenchers Shipping
A horizontal directional drill goes in one 40 ft high cube: every Vermeer and Ditch Witch drill in our loading records did. Ditch Witch prints the JT40 at 2.26 m wide, inside the container door.
Overview
Horizontal directional drills are built to travel on a trailer, and most fit a container. In our loading records the Vermeer 24x40, D24x40A, D33x44, 36x50II and D36x50, and the Ditch Witch JT3020 and JT4020, each went in one 40 ft high cube. A Vermeer P125 vibratory plow went in one high cube with the cab and blade off, driven in.
The published figures for current drills show why. Vermeer prints the D24x40 S3 at 6.1 m long, 2.26 m wide and 1.93 m high in its minimum transport configuration. Ditch Witch prints the JT20 at 5.26 m long and 1.31 m wide, and the JT40 at 7.37 m long and 2.26 m wide with the open station, 2.46 m high with the cab in its mobiling position. All of them clear the 2.34 m by 2.58 m door of a 40 ft high cube.
Drilling fluid is flushed from the pump, lines and rod before loading, and the rod box is secured or packed separately. Ride-on trenchers come apart at the digging chain or rock wheel, and the attachment goes in the same box or a second one.
Larger maxi-rigs are wider and heavier and go on flat racks or by RoRo. Containers sail from Houston, Savannah, Miami and most US ports. We confirm the plan with photos of your drill and its rod inventory before booking.
Send the model and serial number and list the rod, tooling, locating equipment and any mud system sold with the rig. Rods are heavy and often fill a second box. Drain the mud system and clean the rig of soil and drilling fluid before pickup, since destination inspections look closely at drilling equipment.
Typical Specifications
| Loaded in one 40 ft high cube | Vermeer 24x40, D24x40A, D33x44, 36x50II, D36x50; Ditch Witch JT3020, JT4020 |
|---|---|
| Vermeer D24x40 S3, transport | 6.1 m long, 2.26 m wide, 1.93 m high |
| Ditch Witch JT40 | 7.37 m long, 2.26 m wide, 2.46 m high |
| Container door, 40 ft high cube | 2.34 m wide, 2.58 m high |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Vermeer D24x40 S3, minimum transport configuration: 20 ft / 6.1 m long, 7 ft 5 in / 2.26 m wide, 6 ft 4 in / 1.93 m high, 20,700 lb / 9,389 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.
Vermeer D24x40 S3, minimum transport configuration fits a container in one piece, the cheapest way to ship it.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
Best fit for Vermeer D24x40 S3, minimum transport configuration
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
RecommendedOne 40 ft high cube per drill, with the rod box secured or packed separately.
Flat Rack Container
Maxi-rigs and large trenchers wider than the container door.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
Large rigs on their own tracks or on a trailer, where a RoRo lane serves the destination.
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
- Drilling fluid flushed from the pump, lines and rod
- Mud system drained and cleaned
- Rod box secured, or rods packed and counted
- Digging chain or rock wheel removed and crated on trenchers
- Tracks cleaned of soil
- Chocked and lashed through the tie-down points
HDD Rigs & Trenchers we have loaded in containers
A spread of machines from our dismantling and loading records, with the boxes each one went in. Open a brand to see every model and its plan.
Drill rig
Vermeer 24x40
1 × 40 ft high cube
Vermeer loading plansDrill rig
Vermeer 36x50II
1 × 40 ft high cube
Vermeer loading plansDrill rig
Vermeer D24x40A
1 × 40 ft high cube
Vermeer loading plans
Transport dimensions by model
Published dimensions, a scale drawing and every way to ship each one.
- Vermeer D24x40 S3Horizontal directional drill20 ft × 7 ft 5 in × 6 ft 4 in (6.1 × 2.26 × 1.93 m)20,700 lb (9,389 kg)
- Ditch Witch JT40Horizontal directional drill24 ft 2 in × 7 ft 5 in × 8 ft 1 in (7.37 × 2.26 × 2.46 m)20,500 lb (9,300 kg)
- Ditch Witch JT20Horizontal directional drill17 ft 3 in × 4 ft 4 in × 7 ft 6 in (5.26 × 1.31 × 2.29 m)11,900 lb (5,390 kg)
Auction yards that sell HDD rigs & trenchers
Yards whose published equipment categories include HDD rigs & trenchers. Each yard page lists its nearest export ports and how we collect from it.
Common Models We Ship
- Vermeer D24x40, D33x44, D36x50
- Ditch Witch JT20, JT30, JT40
- Vermeer RTX-series trenchers
- Ditch Witch RT-series trenchers
Manufacturers We Ship
Brands that build HDD rigs & trenchers, the ones in our loading records first, with model dimensions and the shipping method each one fits.
Where HDD rigs & trenchers shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on HDD rigs & trenchers bookings, and what avoids them.
- Drilling fluid left in the pump and lines leaks at sea and fails inspection, so the system is flushed before loading.
- Rods counted only by the seller go missing between yard and port, so they are counted, listed and secured in the rod box or crated.
- Booking a drill with the cab raised: Ditch Witch prints the JT40 at 2.46 m with the cab in its mobiling position, inside the 2.58 m door only in that position.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a directional drill ship?
In one 40 ft high cube. Every Vermeer and Ditch Witch drill in our loading records went that way, from the Vermeer 24x40 to the D36x50 and the Ditch Witch JT3020 and JT4020.
Can the drill rods ship with the rig?
Yes, in the rod box or packed separately, and listed. Rods are heavy, so a large rod inventory can fill a second box.
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 Export loading records: machines dismantled and loaded at U.S. yards, checked July 2026
- [2]Vermeer D24x40 S3: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [3]Seaway Project Cargo brand and model guides, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
Import Duty & Tax Estimator
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Dimensional Weight Calculator
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Container Space Calculator
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Route Finder
Load port, sailings, duty and rules for a machine and destination.
Ready to Ship Your HDD Rigs & Trenchers?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote HDD rigs & trenchers by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.