Knuckleboom Log Loaders Shipping
A truck- or trailer-mounted knuckleboom loader ships without its carrier: Barko prints the 495ML at 2.57 m wide and 2.70 m shipping height. It goes on a flat rack, or in a container once the boom comes off.
Overview
Knuckleboom loaders are mounted on a truck, a trailer or a stationary base, and the loader usually ships without its carrier. Barko prints the 495ML at 12.37 m long with the boom extended, 2.57 m wide and 13,472 kg, with a shipping height of 2.70 m. That width is above the 2.34 m container door, so the loader goes on a 40 ft flat rack, whose deck is 12.06 m long, with the boom folded.
A container plan needs the boom and grapple off. The base and turntable then pass the door of a 40 ft high cube, and the boom sections go in the same box or a second one.
Trailer-mounted loaders ship whole as a trailer: they tow aboard a RoRo ship from Baltimore or Brunswick where a lane serves the destination. Truck-mounted loaders ship with the truck by RoRo.
Loaders carry bark and soil on the grapple and outriggers, and destination ports inspect for both. Every unit is washed before loading. We have no knuckleboom loaders in our own loading records yet; we confirm the plan from the manufacturer's figures and photos before booking.
Send the make, model and serial number and say whether the loader is trailer-mounted, truck-mounted or on a tracked carrier. Each mount changes the plan. Clean the grapple and frame of bark and wood debris before shipping, because forestry equipment is inspected for pests.
Cost depends on the mount. A trailer-mounted loader goes by RoRo, priced by cubic metres, and a loader on a tracked carrier goes on a flat rack or by RoRo. Trucking from the seller to the port is quoted on top.
Typical Specifications
| Weight Range | 12 - 40+ metric tons |
|---|---|
| Transport Width | 2.6m - 3.2m |
| Transport Height | 3.2m - 4.0m |
| Boom | Knuckleboom folded and secured |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Tigercat 250D track log loader, boom folded: 37 ft 9 in / 11.5 m long, 10 ft 8 in / 3.25 m wide, 13 ft 1 in / 4 m high, 69,400 lb / 31,500 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.
Tigercat 250D track log loader, boom folded weighs 69,400 lb / 31,500 kg, over the 58,400 lb / 26,500 kg a 40 ft container carries, so shipping it whole starts on the next rung up.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
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
Best fit for Tigercat 250D track log loader, boom folded
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.
Flat Rack Container
RecommendedFor trailer-mounted and stationary units.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
RecommendedFor self-propelled track loaders within limits.
Breakbulk / Heavy Lift
For large or stationary loader packages.
Heavy Haul Trucking
RecommendedPermitted inland 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
- Fold and secure the knuckleboom and grapple
- Protect hydraulic cylinders and lines
- Secure or remove the delimber where fitted
- Reduce fluids and disconnect batteries for ocean shipment
- Document hours and condition
Transport dimensions by model
Published dimensions, a scale drawing and every way to ship each one.
Auction yards that sell knuckleboom log loaders
Yards whose published equipment categories include knuckleboom log loaders. Each yard page lists its nearest export ports and how we collect from it.
Common Models We Ship
- Tigercat 234, 250, T250
- Caterpillar 559, 579
- John Deere 437, 337
- Barko 495, 595
- Prentice 2384, 2570
Manufacturers We Ship
Brands that build knuckleboom log loaders, the ones in our loading records first, with model dimensions and the shipping method each one fits.
Where knuckleboom log loaders shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on knuckleboom log loaders bookings, and what avoids them.
- Trailer-mounted loaders ride on the trailer's own wheels and kingpin, so without a truck or yard tractor booked at both ports they sit on the quay waiting for a crane.
- Depending on the model, the knuckleboom folds over the cab or alongside it, and folding it the wrong way raises transport height above 4 m and moves the machine into a higher rate.
- Slasher saws on log loaders are exposed blades that stevedores will not rig around, so the saw is guarded or removed before the loader reaches the terminal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do trailer-mounted loaders ship?
Trailer-mounted loaders typically ship on flat rack or breakbulk; track loaders can use RoRo.
Is the delimber shipped with the loader?
Pull-through delimbers are secured or shipped alongside; we coordinate as a set.
Can you ship a complete logging setup?
Yes, loaders, fellers, skidders, and forwarders can be consolidated to one destination.
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]Tigercat 620H: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo brand and model guides, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
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Container Space Calculator
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Route Finder
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Ready to Ship Your Knuckleboom Log Loaders?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote knuckleboom log loaders by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.