Irrigation Systems Shipping
Center Pivot & Irrigation System Shipping
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Overview
A center pivot ships the way it was built: as spans of galvanized pipe, trusses, tower legs, gearboxes, drive units and a control panel. Packed and bundled, a complete system usually fills one or more 40 ft containers, the cheapest rung of the ladder.
Pipe bundles and trusses longer than a container, used systems taken down in long sections, and pump skids or traveling big-gun reels go on flat racks. We pack each tower as a kit with its parts list so the installer at destination can find every piece.
Used pivots come out of the field with soil in the tower bases and plant material in the drop hoses. They are cleaned before export, and sprinkler packages and drop hoses are packed separately from the steel.
Typical Specifications
| System Length | 100m - 800m+ assembled |
| Span Length | Bundled in sections |
| Components | Spans, towers, drives, panel, sprinklers |
| Reels and Pumps | 1 - 10 metric tons each |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
8-tower center pivot (about 400 m), packed kit: 38 ft 1 in / 11.6 m long, 7 ft 3 in / 2.2 m wide, 3 ft 11 in / 1.2 m high, 34,200 lb / 15,500 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.
8-tower center pivot (about 400 m), packed kit fits a container in one piece, the cheapest way to ship it.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
Best fit for 8-tower center pivot (about 400 m), packed kit
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 (FCL)
RecommendedSpans, trusses, towers, gearboxes and control panels packed and bundled in 40 ft high-cubes.
Flat Rack Container
RecommendedOver-length pipe bundles, used systems in long sections, pump skids and big-gun reels.
RoRo (on roll trailer)
Towable hose reels and trailer-mounted pumps where a RoRo lane serves the destination.
Breakbulk
Large project volumes for a farm development, shipped together on one vessel.
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
- Kit list per tower and span, matched to crate labels
- Galvanized pipe bundled and dunnaged to prevent chafe
- Gearboxes and drive motors crated and kept dry
- Control panels and electronics packed against moisture
- Used systems washed free of soil and plant material
- ISPM 15 wood for crates and dunnage
Common Models We Ship
Where irrigation systems shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on irrigation systems bookings, and what avoids them.
- Galvanized pipe packed wet or stowed with damp dunnage develops white rust within weeks in a closed container, so bundles are dried and desiccant is added before the doors are sealed.
- A pivot is sized to the radius of the field it came from, so buying a used system without measuring the destination field can leave it overhanging the boundary or short of the corners.
- Pivot panels and drive motors are wired for the origin grid, so a 480 V 60 Hz US system needs transformer or motor changes before it can run on a 50 Hz farm supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many containers does a center pivot need?
It depends on the length and number of towers. We work from the manufacturer’s packing list; a complete system usually fills one or more 40 ft high-cubes.
Can you ship a used pivot that is still in the field?
Yes. We coordinate the take-down into transport sections, wash it, kit each tower, and ship it in containers or on flat racks by length.
What about the pump and power unit?
Pump skids and diesel power units ship on a flat rack or, if small enough, in the same container as the system, drained of fuel.
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.
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