does anyone have any advice on the best way to get whole tractors shipped across the USA?  seems like i am either 500 or 1000 miles from everywhere.

don't have anything specific right now. i was looking at a D4 looked like a 5T at an auction so i used the convenient fr8quote to see aprox what it would cost to ship. the distance was a shade over 400 miles and the quotes i was getting were in the 1600 and above dollar range.

make it as light and compact as possible. so drain the fluids, remove the blade and rippers etc remove any canopy basically if you can get it back the bare machine it will be cheaper to freight anywhere. such as remove the blade from the arms slide it under the machine and sit the arms on top of the track and chain em there things like that. any thing that makes em narrower will reduce cost as it can be sent on a standard width trailer no need for oversize permits etc (wide loads are more costly than things that are just heavy)

be aware you may have to have the machine pressure washed to be able cross some state borders to remove any dirt, dust, seeds this is part of bio-security laws to prevent the spread of weeds, pests and disease. and you must have the appropriate paperwork woe betide you if its not "correct" well that is the situation in my country.

also be aware of heavy vehicle access to your property they need to be able to get the truck or truck and trailer in. you cant always just unload it in the street the local authority may get upset with you. some times it can be cheaper to get it sent to a nearby freight depot particularly if the transport company has a freight depot near you and then collect it from there with your own vehicle/ vehicle and trailer. a heavy duty tilt tray tow truck can be a good way to do this the tilt tray backs up to the freight companies trailer and you drive or winch it on to the tilt tray no expensive crane hire or trying to lift it off with forklifts etc.

long time ago i used to book empty space on flatbeds for pretty cheap. but i have lost all my old connections. backhaul would work good also and i think that is what the f8quote website is doing but the truckers want 3 dollars per mile even if they are getting paid for several items on the truck.