Moving iron safely is less about horsepower and more about judgment. The job looks simple from the outside: hook, lift, roll. Anyone who has winched a dead excavator out of wet clay at dusk, or threaded a 10-foot-wide dozer through downtown traffic, knows better. Heavy duty towing for construction equipment is a craft that blends physics, regulation, and field experience. Done well, it keeps projects on schedule and people out of harm’s way. Done poorly, it turns into bent booms, citations, and claims.
This guide distills the practical side of transporting dozers, excavators, wheel loaders, pavers, cranes, and their oddball cousins. It’s written from the perspective of the people who do the work when the weather turns and the clock runs long. The aim is to help site supervisors, fleet managers, and owner-operators make better decisions before the lowboy rolls.
What “heavy duty towing” means in the construction world
The phrase gets used loosely. On a job site, heavy duty towing typically refers to moving equipment or vehicles that exceed the capacities of light and medium tow trucks. That includes recoveries and transports in the 26,000 to 150,000 pound range, sometimes more, using heavy wreckers, rotators, lowboys, and multi-axle trailers. It covers two categories that often blur at the edges:
- Recovery, where a machine is stuck, disabled, rolled over, or otherwise uncooperative, and you need to stabilize and extract it. Transport, where the machine rolls and steers, and you’re moving it from one place to another on a trailer or, rarely, by towing it on its own running gear.
Heavy duty towing for construction equipment leans more toward transport with recovery skills on tap. Few modern machines are engineered to be towed long distances on their own axles. Bearings, final drives, hydrostatic systems, and planetary hubs do not like being dragged unless the manufacturer says it is safe and you prepare them correctly.
Know the machine, not just the weight
The first mistake newcomers make is to fixate on the headline weight and ignore the shape and guts. A 45,000 pound track excavator and a 45,000 pound telehandler load and secure differently. The details that matter most:
- Center of gravity. Excavators carry high and to one side if the boom is swung. Pavers concentrate weight forward. Cranes have counterweights that should come off for transport when possible. Where the mass sits dictates how you load the deck and set your tie downs. Attachment configuration. Buckets, thumbs, hammers, augers, forks, sweepers, and jib booms all change width, height, and securement points. An excavator with a hammer can be a foot taller. A loader with a high-lift arm can push you over legal height if the bucket is not positioned correctly. Transport mode. Some machines have factory transport modes that lock booms and de-energize hydraulics. Others require physical stops or turntable locks. A missing pin or strap here becomes movement later, and movement translates to claims. Ground clearance and approach angles. Millings and mud build up under the belly of pavers and compactors. That extra two inches of crud is all it takes to hang up on a beavertail. Slopes and breakover angles mean you sometimes need blocking, long ramps, or a detachable neck. Fluid and battery status. Dead batteries turn a 20-minute load into a 2-hour problem. On hydrostatic machines, freewheeling without depressurizing can damage pumps. Bleed-down sticks cylinders if the machine has been sitting. If you transport frequently, post laminated quick-start and transport instructions inside cab doors.
A quick example: a contractor called about “a small dozer” that would “drive right on.” We arrived to find a D6 with a ripper, recent rain, and a narrow access road. The ripper teeth extended the overhang enough to contact the road crest while the blade lifted the front. We had to crib the belly, bump the ramp angle with timbers, and reverse load. Ten minutes of scouting would have saved an hour.
Matching equipment to the job
You can’t fake capacity. Heavy duty towing calls for choices: wrecker versus tractor, rotator versus straight boom, step deck versus lowboy, 4-axle versus 7-axle. The right choice balances capacity, access, speed, and permits.
Heavy wreckers and rotators earn their keep on recoveries and short repositioning jobs. A 50-ton rotator can lift 30,000 to 40,000 pounds at a modest radius if you set your outriggers correctly and understand the load chart. Use them when you need to pick a stuck machine, swing it onto a trailer, or clear a tight urban site where a crane cannot set up. If you plan to haul over the road, shift to a tractor-trailer. Wreckers can tow, but very few construction machines tolerate that kind of movement.
For transport, a lowboy with a detachable neck is the workhorse. A 55-ton lowboy with a 2 + 2 or 3 + 1 axle configuration covers most mid-size excavators, dozers, and loaders. Step decks handle lighter rollers, skid steers, and attachments. As loads push 80,000 pounds gross, you enter permit territory with axle spacings and bridge laws that differ by state or province. Above 100,000 pounds, you’re planning routes around posted bridges and construction zones. Multi-axle beam or dolly systems come into play for cranes and oversized processors.
An easy rule of thumb: if your trailer is at 75 percent of its rated capacity with any single piece, you are on the edge. Add chain angles, dynamic forces, and marginal site conditions, and that 75 percent feels like 95. Move up a step in capacity rather than counting on perfect conditions.
Pre-trip planning that pays for itself
Most headaches trace back to a rushed morning. Ten minutes of planning keeps rigs off the shoulder and inspectors off your back. The essentials:
- Confirm dimensions and configuration. Ask for model, attachments, fluid levels, and any transport kits. If the operator says “standard,” ask which bucket is installed and whether the counterweight is mounted. Check access. Find out if the machine is up a steep driveway, under low utility lines, behind a gate, or on soft ground. Satellite imagery helps, but recent rain and fresh fill can change conditions quickly. Review permits and escorts. Height above 13 feet 6 inches or 14 feet varies by region. Width beyond 8 feet 6 inches will trigger permits in most states. Heavier than 80,000 pounds gross needs weight permits. Night travel restrictions and holiday blackouts sneak up around long weekends. Equip for the tie down pattern you will use. Count securement points, not just chains. For tracked equipment, grade 70 or 80 chains, binders, and corner protectors should be staged so you are not walking the deck hunting gear while the machine idles. Communicate with site contacts. A phone number that gets answered, a clear spotter, and a clean loading area do more to speed a job than any piece of hardware.
I once turned a rig around, mid-route, because the site superintendent casually mentioned there were fresh curbs with a 90-degree turn into the lot. We swapped to a shorter wheelbase tractor and added a 2-axle jeep for weight distribution. That call avoided a curbstone repair and two angry neighbors.
Loading: three variables define your day
Every loading plan has to respect three things: center of gravity, traction, and angle.
Center of gravity matters when you point a boom or raise a blade. Swing the excavator boom over the rear to shorten the overhang and lower the height. Drop paver screeds fully and secure them. On a dozer, ride the blade low enough to add stability but not so low that it digs. Position weight over trailer axles to balance kingpin and tandem counts. Most states allow 12,000 pounds on the steer axle, 34,000 on tandems, and more when permitted. Getting weight right reduces sway, tire wear, and roadside surprises.
Traction is about the interface between track or tire and your deck. Mud and millings make a skating rink out of painted steel. A pile of dry screenings at the bottom of ramps can give tires bite. For tracked machines, wood mats or rubber belting protects the deck and helps keep the machine straight. Spotters should stand where the operator can see them without twisting, with clear hand signals agreed in advance. Machines with poor visibility, like pavers and compactors, often need a second spotter near the rear.
Angle is where injuries and damage happen. A cambered street can shift a load sideways mid-approach. High-belly machines will teeter on the breakover. Lengthening the ramp with cribbing reduces the angle, as does loading from a dock or a berm. On detachable necks, you can build a shallow approach by using portable ramps as an intermediate step. The extra five minutes saves track pads and nerves.
Across all three, the best habit is to pause twice: once when the machine is on the deck but not yet parked, to check ground clearance and axle positions, and again after shut down but before securement, to scan for conflicts with chains, valves, and fragile components.
Securement: beyond the minimum
Regulations give minimums. Experience demands more. The typical standard calls for a minimum of four independent tie downs for heavy equipment, each rated to restrain at least 50 percent of the load in the forward direction, with more required for attachments. In practice, the right number and placement depends on how the load will try to move if you hit the brakes, clip a pothole, or take a decreasing-radius ramp in the rain.
On tracked equipment, use the manufacturer’s designated lugs when available, often welded to the track frames. Cross-chain front and rear to pull the machine down and toward the center of the trailer. Avoid wrapping around hydraulic cylinders, linkages, or handrails. With rubber tires, snub the suspension by compressing it slightly during securement to limit bounce. Wheel loaders benefit from an additional belly chain through the frame to control lateral movement.
Attachments deserve their own restraints. A backhoe’s front bucket can be chained down using the cutting edge and a protected spot on the trailer, while the boom and dipper get separate chains. For excavators, lower the boom and stick to reduce height, set the bucket flat, and chain both the machine and the bucket if there is any risk of pivot. Lock pins add redundancy but should not replace a physical chain.
Edge cases crop up. A milling machine with a conveyor that overhangs the deck needs a protective support to avoid flex damage. A mast on a telehandler might sit within legal height, but wind loads can start it swaying. Think about how the road will excite the machine, not just how it sits motionless on a yard.
Recovery when things are not cooperative
Rain turns haul roads into marshmallows. Slope banks crumble under the weight of a tandem. When a machine buries to the belly or lays on its side, recovery skill takes center stage.
Stabilize first. Resist the urge to pull immediately. Assess the ground, load path, and anchor points. Shovel away material that locks the machine in. Lay mats to spread load from outriggers and minimize secondary sink. If the machine is on its side, identify fluids that may spill and cap or plug lines. Diesel on dirt complicates the day, but hydraulic oil in a stream can escalate into regulators and fines.
Use straight-line pulls whenever possible. Snatch blocks multiply line pull but also multiply line speed and risk if something fails. Increase safety margins by using lines and shackles well above required ratings. On a stuck crawler, hook to reinforced eyes on the frame, not the track chain or roller guards. When you must lift, keep the radius tight and the boom low. Rotators can save a day here by controlling a lateral move rather than dragging through a mess.
Anecdote: a 30-ton excavator sunk to the swing bearing in a borrow pit after an unexpected seep. Two smaller wreckers had tried tugging with no joy. We brought a rotator, cribbed on mats, rigged a 2-part line to the upper structure at manufacturer-rated points, and used a secondary line to steer the counterweight as we rotated and inched the machine onto a mat path. The lift never exceeded 50 percent of the rotator’s chart at that radius. The key was patience and cribbing, not raw pull.
Operator coordination is not a courtesy, it is a control
The best tool on site is a competent machine operator willing to help. If the machine runs, have the operator drive where possible. They know the quirks, like a sticky hydrostat or a slow swing brake. Ask them to center booms, fold mirrors, set parking brakes, and shut down correctly. If you need to winch, coach them through neutral positions and parking brake releases. Modern machines can hide transmission neutralizers in touchscreen menus. Keep a binder or a tablet with transport procedures for common models your shop handles weekly.
If the machine is dead, communicate your plan. Explain where you will attach, what will move, and how the machine might shift. Good communication reduces panic when a cylinder creaks or a chain snaps into tension. Establish the stop signal and stick to it. A calm spotter, visible to both operator and driver, is worth more than another 20 feet of winch line.
Weather, time, and the public
Construction schedules do not care about weather windows, but physics does. Rain lowers friction. Cold stiffens straps and hydraulic lines. High heat softens asphalt, turning landing gear into posts and outrigger pads into pucks. Adjust tactics accordingly. In wet conditions, prioritize matting and longer approaches. In snow and ice, clear deck surfaces and ramps fully, and recheck chain tension after a few miles as ice melts and loads settle.
Urban moves add another layer: traffic, pedestrians, and narrow lanes. Early morning departures help, but many cities restrict oversize travel during rush hours. Utility lines sag more in heat and after storms. If you are close to legal height, carry a clearance pole and a trained person to use it. Always have signage and lighting appropriate to the time of day and weather, not just what the permit mandates.
One of the closest calls I’ve seen came from a dusk move through a neighborhood where a contractor “forgot” to mention the decorative arch at the subdivision entrance. The lowboy cleared the height by an inch, but the excavator’s boom pivot point lined up with a hanging decorative lamp that sat just inside the path. We stopped with inches to spare because the escort driver had eyes up and a radio, not a phone.
Legal and insurance considerations that keep you solvent
Permits get most of the attention, but the paper trail extends further. Your bill of lading should describe the machine, condition, and any attachments. Photos at pickup pay dividends later. List obvious damages, leaks, and missing panels. On high-value moves, request that the customer remove loose items from cabs and toolboxes. If they decline, note it.
Verify insurance specifics before you accept unusual risks. Recovery and towing policies differ, and exclusions can hide in the fine print for lifting, rigging, or environmental exposure. If you agree to a lift that transfers a machine from one trailer to another, you are operating closer to crane work than towing. Confirm whether your policy covers suspended loads and load charts.
Training records matter when something goes wrong. A claimant’s attorney will ask for CDL, medical cards, load securement training, and equipment maintenance logs. Keep them current. It is easier to invest in training upfront than explain a gap under oath.
Equipment maintenance, because the last job affects the next
Nothing slows a day like a binder that won’t ratchet or a hydraulic leak under your rotator. Chains and binders deserve attention. Replace chains that show elongation, flat spots, or deep rust. Lubricate binders and inspect threads. On trailers, check deck fasteners and replace split or rotted boards before they explode under a track. Air systems need dryers working, tanks drained, and brakes adjusted to spec. Tire pressures are not optional, especially on multi-axle trailers. A single underinflated tire can carry double load and fail catastrophically 40 miles into the trip.
Wreckers and rotators should be inspected with a crane’s eye. Test winch brakes, verify line condition, and respool under tension with a guide. Outriggers need pads, not just because the ground may be soft, but because spreading load reduces risk of cracking underground utilities, which has a way of attracting the wrong kind of attention and invoices.
When to decline a job or change the plan
Turning down work is hard. Turning down a bad job is discipline. Red flags include heights you cannot safely reduce without disassembly, weight that puts your rig over permitted limits even with your best axle combination, soft ground without space to crib, or site conditions that stack risk high and in your lane alone. Offer alternatives: partial disassembly, smaller shuttle machines to move equipment to a stable loading point, or a crane assist. You may lose that ticket, but you keep your rig and reputation.
I once declined to drag a dead rigid-frame haul truck three miles down a gravel mine road with a tow bar, as requested by a foreman eager to “get it done today.” The brakes were inoperative, the grade hit 8 percent in spots, and the road had no guardrails. We negotiated a plan to winch the truck onto a multi-axle lowboy at a flat pad, then haul it out with proper permits. Two days versus two hours felt like a loss to the crew, but it kept us out of the incident reports.
Technology helps, but judgment still leads
Telematics can tell you a machine’s last running status and location within a few meters. Digital permit platforms speed approvals and flag route issues. Load monitoring cells in winch lines can display live tension. These tools reduce surprises and improve safety margins. They do not replace walking the site, tapping a cylinder to hear if it is hollow or full, or noticing that the shortest route clips a county fair parade on a Friday night.
For teams that move frequently, standardize checklists and communication protocols. Create quick-reference cards for common machines with photos of tie down points and transport modes. Keep a shared log of lessons learned, keyed by model and site condition. The team that debriefs after a tough move accumulates an advantage that no single manual provides.
Cost, pricing, and the value conversation
Clients often see heavy duty towing as a commodity. A low price wins until something goes wrong. When you price a move, account for more than miles and weight. Factor planning time, permits, escorts, staging congestion, site hazards, load/unload complexity, and post-move inspections. Recovery work should price for risk, time on site, and specialty gear wear. Communicate this clearly. You are not charging for a truck and a driver, you are charging for a safe outcome under uncertain conditions.
A practical approach is to give customers a baseline and a range for contingencies: a fixed fee for standard pickup with clean access and a time-based rate if site conditions slip. Educate repeat clients on ways they can lower cost: clearing paths, pre-positioning attachments, ensuring batteries are charged, and providing accurate dimensions ahead of time.
What separates dependable providers
From the field, the most reliable heavy duty towing outfits share a few traits:
- They ask better questions up front and listen closely to answers that signal risk. Their gear looks used but maintained, with no cracked boards, seized binders, or flapping light bars. Their drivers and operators move with calm efficiency, not speed for its own sake. They communicate changes before a problem lands in your lap. They keep learning, logging model quirks and route lessons so the second move runs smoother than the first.
If you are on the customer side, visit the yard of the provider you plan to use. Walk the trailers. Look at chain racks. Ask how they would secure your specific machine. One hour there tells you more than five quotes in your inbox.
Final checks that prevent regret
Before you pull off the site, walk the rig. Look for crossed chains rubbing on sharp edges, loose hoses, dangling electrical connectors, unlatched gates, and forgotten tools. Verify that load height matches your permit and that flags, banners, and lights are in place. Check the machine’s parking brake and gear selector again. Then stop a second time within the first five miles to retighten and recheck. Loads settle. Straps stretch. Chains can slacken as mud shakes tucson tow company loose. Nobody ever got a ticket for checking twice.
Heavy duty towing is a service that hides in plain sight. When it works, it looks boring, almost easy. That is the point. The quiet move is the safe move, the one that respects weight, geometry, weather, law, and the simple truth that gravity never takes a break. Whether you are spec’ing your first lowboy or coordinating your hundredth excavator move this month, the same habits apply: plan, verify, communicate, and never force a bad situation to go faster than it wants to go.
Bronco Towing 4484 E Tennessee St Tucson, AZ 85714 (520) 885-1925