Light Towers Shipping
A towable light tower goes in a 40 ft high cube with its mast lowered, often several to a box. Units wider than the 2.34 m door ship on a flat rack or by RoRo.
Overview
Light towers are trailer-mounted, with a mast that lowers for road travel. Folded, most fit the 2.34 m wide, 2.58 m high door of a 40 ft high cube, which is 12.03 m long inside, so two or more share a box with the drawbars turned in. The outriggers are retracted and locked.
Larger towers with wide outriggers, solar units with fixed panels, and towers on heavy trailers can exceed the door and go on a 40 ft flat rack, or tow aboard a RoRo ship where a lane serves the destination.
Diesel tanks are emptied to the level the carrier allows and batteries are disconnected. Lamps are protected, and loose parts such as cables and stabiliser pads ride in the same box.
We have no light towers in our own loading records, so this page sets out the method rather than a past plan. They often ship with generators and compressors from the same rental fleet. Containers sail from Houston, Savannah, Miami and most US ports. We confirm the plan with photos of your units before booking.
Send the make and model and how many units you are buying, because the box count depends on how many towers share a container. Drain fuel to the carrier's limit and disconnect the batteries. Light towers often sell in rental fleet lots, which suits shipping several in one box.
Cost depends on how many towers share a box. Several towable light towers fit one 40 ft high cube, priced per box, which brings the cost per tower down sharply. Light towers can also fill space in a container of other rental fleet equipment.
Typical Specifications
| Mast Height | 7m - 9m (lowered for transport) |
|---|---|
| Transport Length | ~3.5m - 4.5m (trailer) |
| Power | Diesel generator or solar/battery |
| Mount | Towable trailer with outriggers |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Generac MLT6S (diesel, 4-lamp): 12 ft 11 in / 3.94 m long, 4 ft 10 in / 1.47 m wide, 8 ft 3 in / 2.51 m high, 2,430 lb / 1,100 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.
Generac MLT6S (diesel, 4-lamp) fits a container in one piece, the cheapest way to ship it.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
Best fit for Generac MLT6S (diesel, 4-lamp)
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
RecommendedLight towers consolidate well in containers.
Flat Rack Container
RecommendedFor grouped units or where preferred.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
On a mafi/trailer where preferred.
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
- Lower and secure the telescoping mast
- Retract and secure outriggers
- Drain/secure fuel and disconnect batteries for ocean shipment
- Protect lamps/LED fixtures
- Consolidate units for container efficiency
Common Models We Ship
- Generac / Magnum MLT series
- Atlas Copco HiLight
- Wacker Neuson LTN / LTV
- Doosan / Allmand light towers
Where light towers shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on light towers bookings, and what avoids them.
- Older towers with metal halide lamps should have the bulbs removed and packed separately, since the glass breaks easily and broken lamps release mercury inside the container.
- Only towers designed with stacking frames can be double-stacked, and stacking standard units to save a container bends the mast cradle and crushes the canopy.
- Solar towers may carry lithium battery banks that need UN38.3 records and a Class 9 declaration, so confirm the battery chemistry before booking rather than at the gate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do light towers fit in a container?
Yes, towable light towers consolidate well in containers, which is usually most economical.
Is the mast lowered?
Yes, the telescoping mast is fully lowered and secured for transport.
How is fuel handled?
Diesel is drained/reduced and batteries disconnected per carrier dangerous-goods rules.
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 Light Towers?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote light towers by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.