Shipping a Tractor?

   / Shipping a Tractor? #1  

robertwhite

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Oct 7, 2009
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If someone was to buy a tractor from an individual several states away, how would you go about shipping it? Are there specialty shippers? Who have you had experience with and would recommend?
 
   / Shipping a Tractor? #2  
Make sure you arent dealing with a scammer. That is typical scam to sell a tractor cheap and then say they will pay for shipping also. There was a scam a while back where the seller only wanted to use a specific trucking outfit and they actually existed, but the tractor didnt and he took an escrow account like PayPal but it wasnt paypal. Anyway the scammer had some way to get your money from them without delivery of equipment. BEWARE.
Shipping via legal shippers will run you about $2 per mile, maybe less if they can pick up additional cargo each way. Expect to pay minimum of $1.50 per mile one way charge. If it were me and I had the time and a truck, I would buy my own trailer for $1500-1750 and haul it myself. 16 foot tandem axle trailers with brakes can be bought in Houston Texas area for as little as $1750 new. Put the money I would pay for shipping into something that I would have in my equipment inventory which may be more outlay, but at least I would have something to show for my $$$$.
 
   / Shipping a Tractor? #3  
Check out this company. I've used them twice. Once for a 2 ton milling machine and next for a tractor bought out of state. They are a shipping broker with contacts at many trucking companies large and small. Essentially, you tell them where the load is, it's size(footprint), and where it's to be delivered to. They put out the word to their contacts and truckers with space on their trailer going near the origin and heading towards the destination have the option of accepting the load. The dealer where I bought the tractor said that their shipper would charge about $2.00/mile. They're 1100 miles away. I called Best Way and spoke to Mark and was quoted $775.00 for the same trip. The same thing happened when shipping my milling machine. The shipping was just a fraction of what a shipping company wanted. They're great to work with and I couldn't be happier with their service.
Best Ways Brokerage, Inc.
 
   / Shipping a Tractor? #4  
   / Shipping a Tractor? #5  
I used USHIP and it went great. Your tractor will be loaded with others if you want (saves money, takes more time to deliver).
 
   / Shipping a Tractor? #6  
I have never shipped a tractor. I used to have an old Farmall tractor, and found YTmag.com "Yesterdays Tractors", to be the old tractor equivilant of TBN.

They have a section about hauling tractors

YT Hauling Schedule: All
 
   / Shipping a Tractor?
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Robert, From where to where? Jim

Well, this is just a hypothetical scenario. I don't want to limit myself to close by deals and would like to have an idea of who to use or who not to.
 
   / Shipping a Tractor? #9  
 
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