Shipping tractors and farm equipment overseas from the USA

Agricultural machinery is one of the better things to export from the United States, partly because American farms turn equipment over regularly and the used market is deep, and partly because a great many countries that restrict used car imports are considerably more welcoming to machinery that feeds people. There is one requirement here that matters far more than it does for construction equipment, and getting it wrong will hold your machine at the far end. We will come to that, but first, how these machines actually travel.

The cleaning rule, first, because it is the one that bites

Agricultural machinery carries soil, seed, crop residue and plant material in places you would not think to look, and a great many countries regulate exactly that. The concern is pests and plant disease, and the enforcement is real rather than theoretical. Machines have been held at destination ports and cleaned under official supervision at the owner's expense, which costs far more than cleaning would have cost before loading, and it happens while demurrage accrues.

The places that matter are the wheel wells, the undercarriage, the radiator and cooling package, inside the cab, and on harvesting equipment the entire threshing and grain handling system, which is where seed hides.

Some countries additionally want a phytosanitary certificate or an inspection before the cargo leaves. That is a destination requirement rather than a US one, so it needs confirming with your customs agent in the importing country early, not on the day the vessel sails.

Tractors: usually the easy half of the job

A conventional agricultural tractor has several things going for it as export cargo. It drives, which means it can be loaded under its own power. It is comparatively narrow for its weight. And the parts that make it tall or wide are mostly designed to be removed, because farmers move these machines on public roads all the time.

What normally comes off to bring a tractor within container dimensions:

• The cab or the ROPS frame, which is usually the single tallest element and is bolted rather than welded.
• Dual wheels and wheel spacers where they are fitted, which is often what makes a tractor too wide rather than the machine itself.
• The front loader and bucket where one is fitted, which also takes a great deal of length and front weight off.
• Front and rear weights, which come off easily and reduce the lift substantially.
• The exhaust stack and any air intake, trivial to remove and frequently the thing standing between the machine and the container roof.

Smaller and mid-range utility tractors go into a 40ft high cube readily once that work is done, with implements packed around them. Larger row-crop and articulated four wheel drive tractors are a different proposition and are more often candidates for roll-on roll-off or flat rack.

Roll-on roll-off: often the right answer here

Farm machinery is one of the categories where roll-on roll-off deserves serious consideration rather than being treated as the fallback. The machine drives onto the vessel under its own power and off again at the other end, with no dismantling at origin and no reassembly at destination.

That last point is what makes it attractive for agricultural buyers specifically. A farm in a rural area a long way from the port may have excellent mechanical capability for running a tractor and very little appetite for rebuilding one from a container load of parts on arrival. Where that is the situation, paying somewhat more for a machine that drives off the ship ready to work is frequently the better commercial decision.

The constraints are that the machine has to run and drive reliably, the dimensions have to suit the vessel decks, and a suitable service has to call at your destination port. Not every lane has one. We price both options where both exist, so you can see the real difference rather than guessing at it. Our guide to roll-on roll-off against container shipping covers the comparison in general terms.

Combines and harvesters

Combines are the awkward ones, and they need planning rather than a quick quote. They are very tall, very wide, long, and full of exactly the plant material that quarantine authorities care about.

The header or cutting platform always travels separately, which is normal practice and also how combines move on the road. Beyond that, the unloading auger folds or comes off, the cab and any upper structure may need to come down, and on larger machines the wheels come off to manage width. What remains is still a substantial piece of cargo and frequently goes breakbulk or roll-on roll-off rather than in a box.

The cleaning requirement is at its most serious on this machine type, because the threshing and grain handling system is designed to hold grain and will do so long after you think it is empty. Allow proper time and cost for it.

Implements, and why they are the quiet opportunity

Ploughs, harrows, seed drills, planters, balers, mowers, sprayers, trailers and three point linkage equipment are among the most efficient things you can put in a container, and buyers consistently underestimate this.

Most implements have no engine, no fluids beyond a hydraulic circuit, and a shape that packs well. Many fold or come apart by design. A 40ft high cube will take a surprising quantity of them, and because they are relatively light against the roughly 28,650 kg payload, you usually run out of space before you run out of weight.

Import eligibility: better news than for cars

This is the part worth checking before you bid rather than after, and the news is generally more favourable than people expect from their experience with vehicles.

A number of countries that restrict or ban used car imports are considerably more open to used agricultural and construction machinery, on the straightforward reasoning that it serves production rather than adding to the vehicle fleet. Ecuador, as one documented example, permits free importation of used road-building and agricultural equipment where the model year falls within the fifteen years before the year of import, while being very restrictive on used cars. Other countries set different windows, and some set none at all.

The important point is that the machinery rule and the car rule are different rules, and checking the wrong one will give you the wrong answer. If a country has closed to your car cargo, it may well still be open to your tractor.

We track these rules on the lanes we run and will tell you what applies to your destination before you commit. Confirm anything material with a licensed customs agent in the importing country as well, since the rules are theirs to change.

Buying, collecting and paperwork

Most of the used farm equipment we move comes from US machinery auctions, and the practical realities are the same as for construction equipment.

• The yard will not load a machine that can reasonably be driven. Your driver drives it onto the trailer, so a running machine is cheaper to collect than a non-runner.
• Equipment going to a foreign country needs a bill of lading at the gate. We issue that as the ocean carrier, so it is in hand rather than something to chase.
• Storage starts when the removal window closes, and machinery accrues it faster than cars because it occupies more ground. Arrange collection when you arrange payment.
• Serial numbers must be exact. They appear on the export filing and on the bill of lading, and a mismatch creates problems at both ends.

We submit the US export filing through the Automated Export System. You provide the bill of sale or auction invoice and proof of ownership. Duty, permits and clearance at destination are handled by your own customs agent, and we supply the documents they need. The detail is in our guide to AES filing and export documents.