Red Foot Haulers provides tractor transport Canada-wide, moving both farm and industrial tractors door-to-door across the country. We haul on flatdeck, step-deck and RGN trailers depending on your machine's weight and dimensions, using drive-on or winch loading. We ship within Canada only. To get started, send your tractor's make, model, operating weight, overall width and height, and pickup and delivery locations.
Tractor Transport Across Canada
Whether you are relocating a compact utility tractor between farms in the same province or shipping a large industrial four-wheel-drive articulated tractor across multiple provinces, Red Foot Haulers handles the full move from pickup to delivery. Since 2016 we have built a base of more than 700 reviews by treating each tractor as a distinct load with its own weight, footprint and loading needs, rather than a one-size-fits-all haul.
Our tractor service is part of our broader heavy equipment transport Canada operation, which means the same trailers, tie-down gear, condition reporting and commercial cargo insurance that protect excavators and dozers also protect your tractor. We cover farm tractors of every size — sub-compact, utility, row-crop, high-horsepower — as well as industrial and construction tractors fitted with loaders, backhoes or specialty implements. All coverage is Canada-wide and door-to-door, meaning we come to the farm, yard or jobsite wherever the truck can safely reach.
Every move begins with a route review. We look at the distance, the machine's dimensions, the trailer class needed, and whether the pickup and delivery points connect to a highway-capable road. That review is what lets us quote accurately and confirm any permit or escort requirements before your tractor ever leaves the ground.
Loading Farm and Industrial Tractors
How a tractor gets onto the deck drives a large part of how safe, fast and affordable the move is. Most tractors that run, steer and brake can drive onto a trailer under their own power; those that don't are winched on. The table below breaks down the main loading considerations and how each one affects the plan.
| Loading Factor | What It Means for the Move |
|---|---|
| Drive-on vs winch | A running tractor that steers and brakes can drive up ramps onto the deck — faster and lower risk. A non-running or hydraulically dead machine must be winched, which needs more setup time and clear anchor points. |
| Tire width and tread | Wide agricultural tires, duals, or turf tires change the deck footprint and how the load is centred. Very wide tire sets can push overall width toward oversize territory. |
| Loaders and backhoes attached | Front-end loaders and rear backhoes add length and often height. They can usually stay on if dimensions remain legal for the chosen trailer, but oversized attachments may need to come off. |
| Fluid leaks | Leaking hydraulic, fuel or coolant lines must be reported and addressed before loading. Leaks affect deck safety and other cargo, and may require repair or containment. |
| Highway-legal width | The tractor's loaded width, height and weight determine whether the move stays within standard limits or needs permits and possibly pilot vehicles. |
A flatdeck is usually enough for smaller and mid-size tractors where the combined deck-plus-machine height stays legal. When a tall or heavy tractor would push the loaded height over the limit, a step-deck lowers the deck to buy back headroom. For the heaviest industrial tractors, or where every inch of height matters, a removable gooseneck (RGN) trailer lets the machine drive on at near-ground level. We match trailer class to your exact machine during the quote.
What Your Quote Depends On
We do not publish a flat per-kilometre rate because no two tractor moves are alike — a compact utility tractor down the highway and a wide-tire high-horsepower tractor with a loader across three provinces are entirely different jobs. Instead, here are the real drivers that move your quote up or down.
| Quote Driver | How It Affects the Quote |
|---|---|
| Distance | Longer hauls cost more overall through fuel, driver hours and time on the road. Remote destinations add to it. |
| Trailer class | Flatdeck is the baseline; step-deck and RGN carry higher costs because of specialized equipment and handling. |
| Weight | Heavier tractors may trigger overweight permits and limit which trailers and routes can be used. |
| Width / height / length | Loaded dimensions that exceed standard limits push the move into oversize territory, adding permits and possibly escorts. |
| Runs under own power onto the deck | A drive-on machine loads faster and cheaper; a winch-on job needs more time and setup. |
| Season | Winter conditions, seasonal road restrictions and frost limits can affect timing, routing and cost. |
| Escorts and permits | Oversize/overweight dimensions may require permits and pilot vehicles, each adding to the total. |
| Distance from a highway-capable road | Soft farm lanes, narrow yards or remote sites far from a truck-capable road add time and may require meeting at a harder surface. |
For tractors specifically, the factors that most often dominate the quote are loaded width (wide agricultural tires and attached loaders), overall height on a standard deck, and how far the pickup or delivery is from a highway-capable road. Distance and trailer class then set the baseline. Get the dimensions right early and the quote comes together fast.
Permits and Escorts
When a loaded tractor exceeds standard legal limits for width, height, length or axle weight, the move needs an oversize or overweight permit, and in some cases one or more pilot (escort) vehicles. Thresholds are not the same everywhere — they differ by province and even by the specific highways your route uses. That is why we don't publish blanket cutoffs: we confirm the exact requirements for your route before quoting, so there are no surprises.
The dimensions that commonly matter for permitting are:
- Overall width — often the first thing to go oversize on tractors with wide tires, duals or loaders.
- Overall height — the machine height plus deck height; taller tractors may need a step-deck or RGN to stay legal.
- Overall length — extended by attached implements, backhoes or long wheelbases.
- Axle weights — how the tractor's weight distributes across the trailer's axles, not just its total mass.
Because we handle this confirmation up front, you know before booking whether your move needs permits or escorts and how that shapes the timeline and quote.
Preparing a Tractor for Transport
A little preparation makes loading day faster, safer and cheaper. Run through this checklist before the truck arrives:
- Clean the machine — knock off caked mud and debris from tires and undercarriage so weight and dimensions are accurate and nothing falls off in transit.
- Secure loader arms and attachments — lower and lock loaders, backhoes and three-point implements so they cannot shift.
- Remove loose weights if needed — suitcase weights, wheel weights or ballast may need to come off to stay within limits or to reduce risk.
- Take photos — document the tractor's condition from multiple angles; this supports our own condition reports.
- Confirm farm-lane access — make sure the truck can reach the machine on firm ground, or arrange to meet at a hard surface near the site.
- Confirm it runs, steers and brakes — tell us up front if it does not, so we plan for a winch-on load instead of drive-on.
Explore our other popular routes and services, including excavator transport Canada, lowboy RGN trailer transport Canada, and heavy equipment transport Ontario.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you transport a tractor with the loader still attached?
Often yes if width and height stay legal for the chosen trailer. Oversized loaders may need to come off or trigger permits — send photos with the quote request.
Do you pick up from farms and jobsites?
Yes, where the truck can reach safely. Soft ground or narrow lanes may mean meeting at a harder surface near the site.
What information do you need for a tractor shipping quote?
Make and model if known, operating weight, overall width and height with any loader attached, whether it runs under its own power, pickup and delivery addresses, and target dates.
Do you transport heavy equipment to or from the United States?
No. Red Foot Haulers moves equipment within Canada only. Cross-border hauls involve customs and different permitting we do not handle.