Skid Steer Loaders Shipping
A skid steer goes in a 20 ft or 40 ft container whole, often several to a box. Bobcat prints the S650 at 1.88 m wide and 2.065 m high, inside a standard door.
Overview
Skid steer loaders are the easiest machines to containerize. Bobcat prints the S650 at 3.474 m long, 1.88 m wide and 2.065 m high, and the S770 at 3.597 m long and 1.832 m wide. Both clear the 2.34 m wide, 2.28 m high door of a 20 ft box with the bucket off, and two or three fit a 40 ft high cube, which is 12.03 m long inside.
The bucket and attachments ride in the same container, crated or chained to the floor. Buyers often fill the remaining space with forks, augers, grapples and spare tyres, which costs nothing extra on the ocean leg.
The machine is driven in, chocked and lashed through its tie-down points, and the battery is disconnected. Where several units share a box, each is lashed independently so one cannot shift into another.
Containers sail from Houston, Savannah, Miami and most US ports, so container shipping reaches almost any destination at the lowest cost. We pick up from dealers, rental yards and auctions, and confirm the plan with photos of your machines before booking. Compact track loaders have their own page.
Send the model and serial number and list the attachments, because buckets, forks, augers and brush cutters are often worth shipping in the same box. Several skid steers or a skid steer and its attachments can share one 40 ft high cube, which lowers the cost per machine.
Cost depends on how many skid steers share a box. Two or three skid steers with attachments fit one 40 ft high cube, priced per box, which lowers the cost per machine. Trucking from the seller to the port is quoted on top.
Typical Specifications
| Weight Range | 1.5 - 4.5 metric tons |
|---|---|
| Transport Width | 1.5m - 1.9m |
| Transport Height | 1.9m - 2.1m |
| Attachments | Bucket, auger, grapple, broom, etc. |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Bobcat S650 (medium frame, with bucket): 11 ft 4 in / 3.45 m long, 6 ft / 1.83 m wide, 6 ft 9 in / 2.06 m high, 8,600 lb / 3,900 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.
Bobcat S650 (medium frame, with bucket) fits a container in one piece, the cheapest way to ship it.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
Best fit for Bobcat S650 (medium frame, with bucket)
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
RecommendedSkid steers fit standard containers and consolidate well.
Flat Rack Container
For units with tall cabs or attachments.
RoRo (Roll-on/Roll-off)
RecommendedSimple drive-on shipping option.
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 the loader arms and secure
- Secure or crate attachments
- Disconnect batteries for ocean shipment
- Reduce fluids to required levels
- Consolidate units for container efficiency
Transport dimensions by model
Published dimensions, a scale drawing and every way to ship each one.
Auction yards that sell skid steer loaders
Yards whose published equipment categories include skid steer loaders. Each yard page lists its nearest export ports and how we collect from it.
Common Models We Ship
- Bobcat S590, S650, S770
- Caterpillar 236, 246, 262
- John Deere 318G, 332G
- Case SR210, SV280
- Kubota SSV65, SSV75
Manufacturers We Ship
Brands that build skid steer loaders, the ones in our loading records first, with model dimensions and the shipping method each one fits.
Where skid steer loaders shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on skid steer loaders bookings, and what avoids them.
- A grapple or snow pusher bought with the machine is often wider than the loader itself, so the attachment, not the skid steer, sets the container width and loading pattern.
- Skid steer brakes are spring-applied and release only with the engine running, so a unit with a dead battery cannot be dragged out of a container without a brake release.
- Steel over-the-tire tracks add width and several hundred kilograms, so remove and palletise them or the machine may not pass through a 2.34 m container door.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many skid steers fit in a container?
Typically 1-2 per 20ft and 2-3 per 40ft depending on model and attachments; we plan optimal consolidation.
Can attachments ship with the machine?
Yes, buckets and most attachments ship with the unit or crated alongside.
Is RoRo or container cheaper?
For compact skid steers, container consolidation is often the most economical.
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]Bobcat S770: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [2]Bobcat S650: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [3]Seaway Project Cargo brand and model 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 Skid Steer Loaders?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote skid steer loaders by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.