How Do You Transport a Combine Harvester Safely and Efficiently

Farming machines, like combine harvesters, can be challenging to transport. Farmers may love the machines' functions and ability to help their work, but it's still a challenge to transport them.

Due to their size, you must carefully transport machines like combine harvesters. You must pay attention to weight restrictions for transport. You may also have to be involved in using additional types of equipment.

But moving a combine harvester or any other farm machine is undoubtedly possible. You can even move an antique combine if you wish. Read this guide below and learn how to transport a huge machine like a combine harvester.

Transporting a combine harvester involves more than just moving heavy machinery; it requires strategic planning, specialized equipment, and attention to detail to ensure safety and compliance. Here are key considerations to guide you through the process:

Understanding Oversize Load Requirements

Combine harvesters often exceed standard legal dimensions, classifying them as oversized loads. This designation necessitates obtaining special permits, adhering to specific route restrictions, and possibly arranging for escort vehicles. For instance, a John Deere 9870ST Combine measures approximately 36 feet in length, 12 feet in width, and 12 feet in height and weighs around 31,000 pounds. Transporting such machinery requires meticulous planning to navigate rural roads, avoid low bridges, and comply with weight limitations.

How Big Is a Combine Harvester?

Combine harvesters play a vital role in modern farming by combining reaping, threshing, and winnowing into one efficient machine. Their design helps farmers save time and labor during harvest.

These machines come in various sizes, depending on the type of crops and field conditions. While most combines weigh between 20,000 and 40,000 pounds, some of the largest models can reach over 23 tons.

A combine’s size often correlates with its grain tank capacity; the larger the combine, the more it can harvest before unloading. But performance also depends on engine class. The Association of Equipment Manufacturers classifies combines from Class 5 to Class 10, with horsepower ranging from around 200 HP in smaller models to over 500 HP in larger ones.

Terrain matters when choosing the right machine. Larger combines perform best on vast, flat fields, while smaller models are better suited to sloped or uneven ground.

No matter the configuration, transporting a combine harvester is significant due to its size and weight. Moving farm equipment like this requires the right equipment and planning to ensure safety and compliance.

An Overview of Transporting Combines

As mentioned, transporting combine harvesters is often a complex operation. Measuring your combine accurately, for instance, will help the transport company you hire to move the machine more easily. The company will then know the proper equipment to use and what hauling guidelines to follow. The appropriate equipment to transport combines may include specialty trailers that most ordinary people do not have.

For example, combine harvesters are typically moved using flatbed trailers with additional features. Removable goosenecks or deck-widening features will help accommodate the machine's size and width.

Another huge consideration in transporting combines is determining the shipping route carefully. As combines are heavy, they are subject to weight restrictions on the road. Some roads may not be open to them, making the transport process longer, as you may have to find alternative routes.

It also helps to study the rules for operating the combine on the road for short-distance moving without trailers.

A reliable transport company can help you plan this route. It can also help you prepare the necessary permits for moving heavy machinery. You may also need comprehensive insurance coverage for such valuable machinery, which the moving company may provide.

Planning a Combined Transport

Most people transporting a combine will likely consult a specialist. Even with the help of expert transporters, moving a combine safely is likely to be challenging for the owner. Observe the following steps to plan your combined transport.

Selecting the Appropriate Transport Equipment

The choice of trailer is critical when moving a combine harvester. Removable Gooseneck (RGN) trailers are commonly used due to their ability to handle heavy and tall equipment. These trailers can be adjusted to accommodate the combine's dimensions, ensuring a safer and more efficient transport. Additionally, disassembling certain parts, such as the header, can reduce the overall size of the load, making it easier to transport and potentially lowering permit costs.

Preparing the Combine for Transport

Before transportation, preparing the combine harvester to prevent damage and ensure compliance with regulations is essential. This preparation includes cleaning the machine to remove debris, securing or removing loose parts, and disconnecting the battery to avoid electrical issues. Properly securing the combine on the trailer with appropriate tie-downs is also crucial to prevent movement during transit. c

Consult with the pros.

Besides hiring a professional hauling company, consulting with industry experts is also a good idea. Watch videos and read content from harvester manufacturers, like John Deere, Case International Harvester, New Holland, and Volvo BM, to familiarize yourself with different models.

You can also ask and talk to associated combine owners to exchange ideas. Also, dealers of farming machinery may have insights into the machine you own. Knowing your machine intimately through expert knowledge can help with the transport process.

If you contact professional transporters, they can also give you customized solutions based on your machine's requirements. You don't have to do the entire work alone; instead, you can use their expertise to get the job done.

Drain the fluids

A safety aspect of transporting combines is fluid draining. Like any other machine, your combine will have fluids to make the engine work. Oil and fuel are two of the most common types of fluid in it. You must drain them for these two purposes:

1. Prevention of spills and leaks
2. Reduction of the combine's weight

Locate the drain plugs for each fluid. The manual will direct you to them if you're unsure where they are. Prepare suitable containers before collecting the fluids. Then, carefully drain each fluid into the proper container. Never mix the fluids; each container must contain only one fluid type.

Also, ensure you drain all the fluids completely. Leaving even a small amount behind poses a risk when you move the combine.

After draining, close the drain plugs and double-check that they are secure. This action will ensure there is no spill or leak during transport.

Clear out any loose items.

Before moving a combine harvester, it is critical to remove or secure any loose items inside the cab or storage areas. Tools, gear, or personal belongings like a toolbox, gloves, or a spare hat can shift during transit, cause internal damage, or interfere with controls.

Small items can pose serious risks if lodged near moving parts or inside the engine. To avoid operational issues, thoroughly check all compartments and clear out anything that isn’t bolted down or essential to the machine.

Make sure items that must stay with the combine are properly secured in designated storage spaces. Since combine harvesters often travel on uneven or rural routes during transport, any movement inside the cab can lead to damage or delays. Taking time to prep the machine helps ensure a smoother, safer delivery.

Protecting the combine

Taking care of any loose items inside the combine is how you can protect the interior of your machine. But how about the exterior? Of course, you must secure your combine to the trailer with reliable tie-down systems. Choose heavy-duty binders, chains, and straps to prevent the combine from moving around.

Some combines have a detachable component, like a header or cutting platform. When transporting a combine, you may want to detach this piece. But secure it the same way you treat the main body of the machine.

Use any tools recommended by the manufacturer. Or listen to what the professional transporter suggests.

Finally, cover every part of the combine harvester. Use traps or protective covers on the engine, cab, and sensitive areas. This protects your combine from weather elements, dust, and debris on the road.

Choosing your trailer

Using specialized trailers is common for transporting combine harvesters. The first rule of thumb in choosing your trailer is to select one that can handle large, heavy machinery. There are a few options.

Flatbed trailers are typically used to move combines, but so are low-loader trailers.

Specialized trailers built to move heavy machinery may also have extra features. These features usually speed up the loading (or unloading) process. Hydraulic ramps, for example, are one of the standard additional features.

Any trailer with features that adjust the deck's width is ideal for transporting a combine harvester.

For more giant combine harvesters, you may need a removable gooseneck trailer. This type of trailer has a detachable front section for easy loading and unloading. It can be tilted and lowered as necessary.

Final Thoughts

Transporting a combine harvester may not be easy, but our recommended steps may help. Your best bet is to contact a professional transporter.

A transport company can instruct you on ideal routes and the official road guidelines.

Start by measuring your machine accurately. This will help the professional movers speed up the process. Your next move is to drain the fluids and clear out any personal and loose items. Finally, protect your combine and choose the right trailer.

Trust your combine to A1 Auto Transport, experts at shipping combines and other heavy farm machinery. A1 Auto Transport can handle different types of combines for shipping and ensure they arrive safely. Get a free quote today to sort out all your transport needs.