Hydraulic Hammer Transport Services
Hydraulic hammers — also called hydraulic breakers or rock breakers — are high-impact demolition and excavation attachments that mount to excavators, backhoes, and skid steers. When detached from the carrier machine and transported separately, they range from compact 500-pound tool class units to massive demolition hammers weighing 30,000 pounds or more. The largest demolition-class hammers require specialized lowboy trailers and oversize permits for transport.
R&RM LLC has transported hydraulic hammers across all 48 continental states for demolition contractors, quarry operators, mining companies, road construction firms, and equipment rental fleets since 2011. Whether the move is a single hammer between job sites or a multi-unit fleet relocation across state lines, we handle the permits, trailer selection, and safe delivery.
Types of Hydraulic Hammers We Transport
Mini and Compact Hammers (Under 1,000 lbs)
Small hydraulic breakers designed for mini excavators and skid steer loaders. Models in this range — such as the Atlas Copco SB 52, Epiroc MB 1000, and Caterpillar H45 — can typically be transported on flatbed trailers alongside the carrier machine. Weight and size are generally within standard legal freight limits, keeping permitting requirements minimal.
Medium-Class Hammers (1,000–5,000 lbs)
The most commonly transported category, medium-class hammers serve 5-to-25-ton excavators in construction demolition, trench work, and site clearing applications. This range includes the Atlas Copco HB 2000, Epiroc HB 3100, Rammer E68, Furukawa F45, NPK H-16X, and similar models. These hammers move on standard flatbed trailers and most are within legal freight dimensions when palletized or crated.
Large Construction Hammers (5,000–15,000 lbs)
Large hammers serving 30-to-70-ton excavators in heavy construction, highway demolition, and quarry work. Models include the Atlas Copco HB 5800, Epiroc HB 7000, Rammer G100, Furukawa FXJ550, and comparable units from Soosan, Doosan, and Montabert. At 10 to 15 feet in length and weights approaching 15,000 pounds, these hammers may require an oversize or overweight permit depending on the transport configuration and the states on the route.
Demolition and Mining Hammers (15,000–35,000+ lbs)
The largest hydraulic hammers in regular use — massive demolition-class breakers and mining hammers mounted on purpose-built demolition excavators or high-capacity carrier machines. The Atlas Copco HB 10000 and Epiroc HB 10000 DP (each weighing approximately 22,000 pounds), the Caterpillar H175Es, and specialized mining breakers from Montabert and Furukawa fall into this category. Transporting these separately requires a heavy-duty lowboy or multi-axle trailer, and most moves in this class require oversize permits due to length and height once the hammer is secured upright in a transport cradle.
Brands We Regularly Transport
Atlas Copco / Epiroc
Following Atlas Copco's mining and rock excavation spinoff as Epiroc in 2018, both legacy Atlas Copco hydraulic hammer lines and current Epiroc models remain common in North American construction and mining fleets. We transport the full range from the compact SB 52 to the HB 10000 DP — and legacy Atlas Copco HB series hammers that predate the spinoff — nationwide.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar hydraulic hammers (the H-series, from the H45 through the H175Es) are widely deployed with Cat excavator fleets in the US. When Cat hammers are transported separately from their carrier excavator — for maintenance, fleet redistribution, or sale — they move on the same flatbed or lowboy trailers that carry other Cat equipment. We have experience with Cat hammer transport as part of broader Cat fleet moves as well as standalone shipments.
Rammer
Rammer hammers (Sandvik subsidiary) are common in demolition and quarry applications. The S-series and G-series cover a broad weight range from compact to large construction class. Rammer hammers are manufactured in Finland and frequently arrive via port into East or Gulf Coast facilities, making Southeast-based carriers like R&RM LLC a natural fit for initial domestic distribution moves.
Furukawa
Furukawa Rock Drill hydraulic breakers (the FX and FXJ series) serve construction, demolition, and highway work across the US. Japanese-manufactured hammers imported through West Coast and Gulf ports often require cross-country repositioning for deployment in the Southeast, South, and Midwest — moves well within R&RM LLC's regular service territory.
NPK, Soosan, Doosan, Montabert, and Volvo
We transport hydraulic hammers from all major manufacturers regardless of brand. NPK (Allied Construction Products), Soosan, Doosan, Tramac, Montabert, Indeco, and OEM hammers from Volvo CE and Komatsu are all within our transport experience. If you have a hammer that needs to move, call us regardless of the brand — we transport all makes.
Transport Methods for Hydraulic Hammers
Flatbed Trailer
Standard 48- or 53-foot flatbeds are the most common method for transporting medium and large hydraulic hammers. A hammer laid on its side in a purpose-built transport cradle typically loads to a height that keeps it within legal limits on most routes, avoiding oversize permit requirements. Flatbed transport is cost-effective and straightforward for hammers up to approximately 12,000 pounds.
Step Deck (Drop Deck) Trailer
Step decks provide a lower deck height than standard flatbeds, useful when a hammer's height in transport cradle exceeds standard height limits on a flatbed but does not require a full lowboy configuration. Many medium-large hammers (8,000–15,000 lbs) transport efficiently on step decks without height-related oversize permits.
Lowboy and RGN Trailer
Heavy demolition and mining hammers — particularly those over 15,000 pounds or those that must be transported in an upright or semi-upright orientation due to their hydraulic circuit configuration — require a lowboy or RGN trailer. Lowboy transport keeps the center of gravity low and provides the deck capacity to handle full weight. Most moves of hammers over 20,000 pounds use this configuration.
Oversize Permit Requirements
Whether a hydraulic hammer move requires an oversize permit depends on the transport configuration, the hammer's dimensions in the chosen cradle, and the states on the route. Key thresholds:
- Width: A hammer in a standard side-lying transport cradle is rarely wider than 8 feet 6 inches. Hammers with large service side plates or specially designed cradles may exceed this.
- Height: Hammers transported flat on a flatbed are typically 12 to 14 feet in total height — within legal limits in most states. Hammers transported on a lowboy that must stand at a slight angle may approach or exceed 14 feet in some configurations.
- Weight: A 25,000-pound hammer on a 40,000-pound trailer with a 20,000-pound truck amounts to 85,000 pounds — above the 80,000-pound federal limit, requiring overweight permits. Most large hammer moves require an overweight permit.
R&RM LLC handles permit procurement for all hammer moves that require them. We work with permit services experienced in each state's requirements to ensure the correct permits are in place before departure. See our permit services page for details on how the process works.
Common Hydraulic Hammer Transport Scenarios
Job Site to Job Site
The most common hammer transport scenario: a contractor finishes one project and needs the hammer moved to the next site. Depending on the distance and the number of states involved, this may be a straightforward flatbed move or may require oversize and overweight permits. We handle both regional and cross-country moves efficiently.
Dealer Inventory and Distribution
Hydraulic hammer distributors and dealers frequently need to move hammers between distribution centers, ship dealer-to-dealer units, or deliver new hammers from port to end customer. These moves often involve multiple units and benefit from consolidated shipping when possible. Contact us to discuss multi-unit moves and options for reducing per-unit cost on dealer distribution shipments.
Auction Purchases
Equipment auctions and online platforms generate a large volume of single-unit hydraulic hammer moves as buyers at construction equipment auctions take possession of hammers they purchased and need delivered to their home base or job site. We work with auction buyers regularly and can arrange pickup from auction yards nationwide.
Rental Fleet Redistribution
Equipment rental companies with nationwide fleets routinely rebalance hydraulic hammer inventory across branches as demand shifts regionally. These moves — often involving multiple hammers to multiple destinations — benefit from a carrier experienced with rental fleet logistics. R&RM LLC has worked with major rental fleets on equipment rebalancing moves and can coordinate multi-stop delivery routing.
OEM Port Distribution
New hammers imported from manufacturers in Europe, Japan, and South Korea arrive at US ports — primarily on the East Coast, Gulf Coast, and West Coast — and require distribution to dealer networks and end customers across the country. Port-to-dealer and port-to-jobsite hydraulic hammer moves are a regular part of our service offering.
Loading and Securing Hydraulic Hammers
Hydraulic hammers present several securing considerations that differ from self-propelled equipment. Key requirements for safe hammer transport:
- Transport cradle: Most manufacturers supply or specify a purpose-built transport cradle for larger hammers. This cradle distributes load to the trailer deck and provides attachment points for chains and binders. If the cradle is not available, our drivers work with the shipper to fabricate suitable blocking.
- Tool orientation: Whether the hammer should be transported with the tool (chisel) end forward or rearward depends on the cradle design and the manufacturer's specification. Incorrect orientation can cause the impact mass to shift during transport. We confirm the correct orientation before loading.
- Hydraulic hose protection: The hydraulic hoses and fittings on the hammer's inlet and outlet ports must be capped and protected against impact during transport. We confirm caps are in place before departure.
- Tie-down chain count: Per FMCSA cargo securement rules, large hammers require a minimum of four chains with the appropriate chain grade for the load weight. Our drivers apply the correct securement pattern for the hammer weight and cradle configuration.
Operating Range and Coverage
R&RM LLC is based in Cumming, Georgia, and serves all 48 continental states for hydraulic hammer transport. Our strongest coverage and shortest positioning times are in the Southeast — Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, the Carolinas — and the South Central states including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. We regularly haul hammer moves to and from all regions of the country.
For hammer moves in states we serve regularly, see our regional coverage pages: Georgia heavy haul, Texas heavy haul, and Florida heavy haul.
Getting a Quote for Hydraulic Hammer Transport
To provide an accurate quote for hydraulic hammer transport, we need the following information:
- Hammer make, model, and approximate weight
- Whether a transport cradle is available or needs to be sourced
- Pickup location (city and state)
- Delivery location (city and state)
- Requested pickup date or date range
- Whether the hammer needs to be loaded by crane or can be fork-lifted into position
With this information, we can typically provide a quote same-day and begin the permit process for moves requiring oversize or overweight authorization. Call us at (404) 987-6225 or use the online quote form to get started.