Tractors & combines

Shipping Tractors and Combines Overseas: Cost and Prep

What it costs to ship a row-crop tractor or a combine harvester from the U.S. by RoRo, flat rack or breakbulk, priced by region from our cost model, with the header, the cleaning standard farm machinery is held to and the duty in Australia and Kazakhstan.

By the Seaway Export logistics team Updated October 2026 7 min read

from ⁦$5,200⁩

8R tractor by RoRo to Kazakhstan's gateway

4.07 m

S780 combine height, header off

Australia duty, U.S.-built tractor

Size, weight and the methods that fit

A John Deere 8R 370 with its duals and front weights off is 5.85 m long, 2.6 m wide and 3.35 m tall at about 12 t. It drives aboard a RoRo ship, and that is the cheapest way out on all six lanes on this page; breakbulk and the flat rack are the fallbacks.

A John Deere S780 combine with the header off is still 3.93 m wide and 4.07 m tall, at 22.3 t, taller than carriers take on a single flat rack. It goes RoRo, ⁦$12,200–19,500⁩ to Kazakhstan's gateway port, or breakbulk; the header rides separately on its own transport cart.

Tractor: duals and suitcase weights off and shipped as loose parts, to bring the width in.
Combine: header off on its cart, unloading auger folded; RoRo or breakbulk only.
Both: washed free of soil, chaff and seed, inside the grain tank and the cab as well as outside.

Class	Reference model	L × W × H (m)	m³	Weight (kg)	Methods
Row-crop tractor (8R class)	John Deere 8R 370¹	5.85 × 2.6 × 3.35	51	12,000	RoRo, driven or towed aboard · 40′ flat rack · Breakbulk
Combine harvester (header off)	John Deere S780²	8.51 × 3.93 × 4.07	136.1	22,300	RoRo, driven or towed aboard · Breakbulk

Sources^1,2

Price by region

Farm machinery ships in season, so book RoRo space early for spring arrivals. Guatemala sets the Central & South America column for an 8R at ⁦$3,400⁩, and Australia is the dearest region at ⁦$6,200⁩. Kazakhstan is not a column; its ocean leg to Poti or Klaipėda is priced in the next table.

Each cell is the lowest-priced method for that reference machine to the region's featured destinations, from a U.S. East or Gulf Coast port: the range runs from the published "from" price to the typical high. Port-to-port; the importer's side is separate.^{3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10}

Reference machine	Central & South America	West Africa	UAE & Saudi Arabia	Australia
Row-crop tractor (8R class)John Deere 8R 370	⁦$3,400–5,200⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardLowest in GuatemalaModel estimate	⁦$6,200–10,100⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardLowest in NigeriaModel estimate	⁦$4,700–8,800⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardLowest in United Arab EmiratesModel estimate	⁦$6,200–10,800⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardModel estimate
Combine harvester (header off)John Deere S780	⁦$7,500–11,400⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardLowest in GuatemalaModel estimate	⁦$15,000–24,300⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardLowest in NigeriaModel estimate	⁦$10,900–18,300⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardLowest in United Arab EmiratesModel estimate	⁦$14,100–22,900⁩RoRo, driven or towed aboardModel estimate

Every destination's equipment price, in one table

Every method on one lane

To Kazakhstan's gateway ports a tractor rolls on for ⁦$5,200–8,300⁩, well under breakbulk at ⁦$7,700–13,600⁩. The combine has no flat rack option, so its table shows RoRo and breakbulk only.

Kazakhstan: port-to-port price by method^3,4,5,6

Reference machine	40′ flat rack	RoRo, driven or towed aboard	Breakbulk
Row-crop tractor (8R class)John Deere 8R 370	⁦$11,200–18,200⁩	⁦$5,200–8,300⁩lowest	⁦$7,700–13,600⁩
Combine harvester (header off)John Deere S780	Not a method for this size	⁦$12,200–19,500⁩lowest	⁦$17,500–29,800⁩

Flat rack fit

Even with the duals off, an 8R is 16 cm over a flat rack's 2.44 m width and 1.1 m over its 2.25 m height, so it blocks the stacks beside and above it. That lost space is why the flat rack is the dearest way to ship a tractor on most lanes.

Machines against a 40′ high-cube flat rack^11,12,13

Machine	W × H, m	Weight, kg	Over width	Over height	Lost slots	Flat rack
Row-crop tractor (8R class)John Deere 8R 370	2.6 × 3.35	12,000	Yes	Yes	5	Out of gauge

Sources¹¹

Preparing it for the ship

1
Clean it like an inspector would
Grain, chaff and soil hide in the feeder house, grain tank, rotor, radiator screens and wheel wells. Australia, Chile and Peru inspect used farm machinery and can order dismantling or treatment at the importer's cost.
2
Book BMSB treatment for Australia
Tractors and machinery shipped from the U.S. between September 1 and April 30 need brown marmorated stink bug treatment. For breakbulk and flat racks it is done before loading.
3
Take the header and duals off
The combine header goes on its own cart and ships as a separate unit. Tractor duals and weights come off and travel as loose parts, each listed on the invoice.
4
Peru: get the phytosanitary certificate
Used agricultural machinery for Peru must carry a phytosanitary certificate stating it is free of pests, soil and plant debris, issued after the cleaning.

Sources^14,15,16,17

Where they ship and what it costs

Kazakhstan's grain belt and Australia's broadacre farms buy high-horsepower U.S. tractors and combines; Chile and Peru buy for fruit and export agriculture; and Nigeria and Ghana buy used row-crop tractors for commercial farms.

Row-crop tractor (8R class): lowest-priced method by destination

Kazakhstan^4,5,6,3⁦$5,200–8,300⁩by RoRo, driven or towed aboardDuty for this tariff line is quoted per shipmentCountry guide Price this route
Australia^{4,5,6,3,7,10,18,19}⁦$6,200–10,800⁩by RoRo, driven or towed aboardDuty 5% · 0% U.S.-built (AUSFTA)Country guide Price this route
Chile^4,5,6,3⁦$6,700–11,300⁩by RoRo, driven or towed aboardDuty for this tariff line is quoted per shipmentCountry guide Price this route
Peru^4,5,6,3⁦$6,700–11,300⁩by RoRo, driven or towed aboardDuty for this tariff line is quoted per shipmentCountry guide Price this route
Nigeria^4,5,6,3⁦$6,200–10,100⁩by RoRo, driven or towed aboardDuty for this tariff line is quoted per shipmentCountry guide Price this route
Ghana^4,5,6,3⁦$6,200–10,100⁩by RoRo, driven or towed aboardDuty for this tariff line is quoted per shipmentCountry guide Price this route

Duty and import taxes

Australia charges 5% duty on wheeled tractors, 0% for U.S.-built ones under AUSFTA, plus 10% GST: on a ⁦$250,000⁩ CIF tractor that is ⁦$25,000⁩ for a U.S.-origin machine and ⁦$38,750⁩ otherwise. No certificate of origin is required, but keep the evidence.

Kazakhstan adds a one-time utilization payment on tractors and combines, scaled by horsepower, on top of import VAT. Our duty tables do not yet cover combines (HS 8433) or tractors outside Australia, so the clearing agent confirms the line before you buy.

Sources^18,20

Specs and loading records

Specifications, loading records and engineering for these machines are on our project cargo site, Seaway Project Cargo (English):

Prices on this page come from our boat and machinery cost model, reviewed October 26, 2026, the same figures as the rate hubs and the calculator. They are port-to-port and per unit; duty and the importer's side are shown separately.

Sources

1. John Deere 8R tractor specifications, John Deere (Manufacturer), accessed October 26, 2026
2. S780 combine operator's manual: dimensions and machine weight, John Deere (Manufacturer), accessed October 26, 2026
3. Seaway Export lane rate card (destination pages), Seaway Export (Tariff), accessed October 26, 2026
4. RoRo bunker adjustment factor and high & heavy surcharges, Wallenius Wilhelmsen (Tariff), accessed October 26, 2026
5. RoRo surcharges and high & heavy acceptance, Höegh Autoliners (Tariff), accessed October 26, 2026
6. Vessel-operating common carriers: published tariffs, Federal Maritime Commission (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
7. Yacht transport sailing schedule and pricing guidance, Sevenstar Yacht Transport (Specialist carrier), accessed October 26, 2026
8. Middle East and Red Sea situation: land bridge and booking status, Maersk (Specialist carrier), accessed October 26, 2026
9. Customer Advisory 25-2026: Middle East situation update (UAE), CMA CGM (Tariff), accessed October 26, 2026
10. BICON: used machinery and vessel import conditions, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
11. 40′ Flatrack High Cube: inside dimensions and payload, Hapag-Lloyd (Specialist carrier), accessed October 26, 2026
12. Loading and lashing cargo on flatracks (over-width measurement), Hapag-Lloyd (Specialist carrier), accessed October 26, 2026
13. Special cargo: flat racks, open tops and out-of-gauge acceptance, Hapag-Lloyd (Specialist carrier), accessed October 26, 2026
14. Cleanliness requirements for imported machinery, equipment and spare parts, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
15. Seasonal measures for brown marmorated stink bug: target high-risk goods and offshore treatment, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
16. Resolución 3103/2016: phytosanitary requirements for used machinery, Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG) (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
17. RD 027-2024-MIDAGRI-SENASA-DSV: used agricultural machinery, SENASA (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
18. Working Tariff: chapters 84, 87 and 89, Australian Border Force (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
19. U.S. free trade agreements: tariff schedules, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (Official), accessed October 26, 2026
20. Order No. 448: methodology for the utilization payment on tractors, combines and trucks, Adilet (Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan) (Official), accessed October 26, 2026

Download the full model as open data

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to ship a tractor to Australia?

An 8R class tractor runs ⁦$6,200–10,800⁩ by RoRo, port to port. A U.S.-built tractor then pays GST only, ⁦$25,000⁩ on ⁦$250,000⁩ CIF, plus cleaning inspection on arrival.

Does the combine ship with its header?

Not attached. The header comes off onto its transport cart and ships as a separate unit, usually on the same RoRo sailing; we quote it on its own measured size.

How clean does farm machinery have to be?

Free of soil, seed, chaff and plant material inside and out. Australia, Chile and Peru inspect on arrival, and a machine that fails is cleaned, treated or re-exported at the importer's cost.

What is Kazakhstan's utilization payment?

A one-time charge on tractors, combines and trucks, scaled by engine power, paid once when the machine is first registered there. Earthmovers such as excavators and loaders are not on the list.

Can a tractor go in a container?

Not an 8R class tractor: at 2.6 m wide and 3.35 m tall it is over a 40′ door in both directions. Compact utility tractors under about 2.3 m wide and 2.5 m tall can, and we price those on their measured size.