Tractor and combine transport in Iowa
Moving a tractor, combine, planter, sprayer or grain cart? Measure it, check it against Iowa’s legal limits, then send your haul details. We’ll email you back and look for an Iowa carrier. We don’t haul anything ourselves.
Send my haul details- Legal limits 8 ft 6 in wide and 13 ft 6 in high, loaded. 80,000 lb gross, set by axles
- Iowa DOT permit $35 state fee for a single trip, good 5 days
- Auction pickup BigIron: 14 days to remove it, then storage fees may apply
Rules checked Oct 27, 2026 at iowadot.gov.
What should you measure on a tractor or combine?
Measure the machine the way it will ride on the trailer: width at the widest point and height from the ground to the highest point, with anything that stays on. Get the operating weight from the spec sheet or your dealer, and note whether it runs.
A combine and its head are two loads. Take the head off if it will ride separately, measure the combine’s length, width and height, then measure the head on its cart.
| Tractor | Width across the widest tires, duals included if they stay on. Height to the top of the cab or exhaust. Note a loader, front weights or anything left on the 3-point hitch. |
|---|---|
| Combine and head | The combine and the head separately. Height to the highest point with the unloading auger folded. Note a header cart if you have one. |
| Planter | Width and height folded for transport. Note whether the markers and any fertilizer tanks stay on. |
| Sprayer | Width with the booms folded, and height to the highest point, booms or cab. Note whether the tank is empty. |
| Grain cart | Width across the tires and height to the top of the folded auger. Empty weight is on the spec sheet. |
Does a tractor or combine on a trailer need an Iowa permit?
A load generally needs an Iowa DOT oversize or overweight permit when the loaded truck is wider than 8 ft 6 in, taller than 13 ft 6 in, or heavier than its axle count and spacing allow, which Iowa DOT sums up as 80,000 lb gross. Height counts the trailer deck, so a machine shorter than 13 ft 6 in can still be over the limit once it’s loaded.
The single-trip permit fee is $35, good 5 days on state and interstate highways. A permitted move on county roads or city streets also needs those local permits. Over 12 ft wide, Iowa’s escort chart may call for an escort vehicle or amber lights, depending on the road. Ask the hauler whether the quote includes the permit.
Check your machine
Enter your machine's own numbers. Each line shows whether the machine alone already tops the limit or whether it depends on the truck and trailer. The numbers carry into your request.
Do Iowa’s farm equipment rules apply when a hauler moves your tractor?
Off the interstate, a farm implement driven on the road is exempt from Iowa’s size and permit rules, but its weight rules and posted road and bridge limits still apply. That rule is about the implement driving itself. Don’t assume it covers a machine riding on a hauler’s trailer. Ask the hauler, or ask Iowa DOT.
Sources: Iowa Code 321.453, 321.1 and 321.463, read Oct 27, 2026.
| Driven on the road | Off the interstate, an implement of husbandry skips the size rules and Iowa DOT permits, but not the weight rules or posted road and bridge limits. A self-propelled one has to run at 35 mph or less to count. |
|---|---|
| Grain carts and wagons | Grain carts, tank wagons and fence-line feeders driven on the road have their own axle limits: 24,000 lb per axle from Feb 1 to May 31 and 28,000 lb from June 1 to Jan 31, with 96,000 lb gross at most. |
| Hauled on a trailer | The loaded truck follows the general limits: 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in high and 80,000 lb gross, set by axles. Over those, a permit is generally needed. |
Bought a machine at auction? Plan the pickup before you bid
Auction houses set pickup deadlines, so line up a hauler early. BigIron’s terms, for example, say buyers must remove items within 14 calendar days of winning the bid, and the seller or BigIron may charge $25 a day in storage after that unless the sale’s own terms say otherwise. Other auction houses set their own terms, so read the sale’s terms before you bid.
Source: BigIron Terms and Conditions, read Oct 27, 2026. The same terms treat items left 30 days as abandoned.
- Pickup deadline: read the sale’s terms and put the date in “Needed by” when you send your haul details.
- Paid invoice: BigIron’s terms say you or your hauler need a paid-in-full invoice to take the machine.
- Site access: ask the seller where the machine sits and whether a semi and trailer can reach it.
- Loading: ask how it will get on the trailer, especially if it doesn’t run.
- Measurements: if you can’t measure it yourself, get the width, height and weight from the listing or the seller.
How much does it cost to haul a tractor?
uShip’s Iowa heavy equipment page says most jobs average $2 to $4 per mile. That’s a published average, not an Iowa quote, and the hauler you hire sets the real price.
Source: uShip’s Iowa heavy equipment page, read Oct 27, 2026. More in the equipment transport cost guide.
| Distance | Longer trips cost more in total. Ask about a minimum charge on short hauls. |
|---|---|
| Size and weight | They decide the trailer and whether a permit is needed. A combine head on its own cart can mean a second load. |
| Permits | $35 Iowa DOT single-trip fee, plus any county or city permits on the route. |
| Loading | A machine that doesn’t run may need a winch. |
Send your haul details
- You send the machine, both ZIP codes and how to reach you. It's free.
- We email you back and look for an Iowa carrier.
- If we find one and you say yes, we share your details. The carrier sets the price and terms, and you decide whether to book.
More on how a request works.