Hauling your own skid steer or CTL is the kind of job most contractors learn on the fly — until something goes wrong. This covers what trailer actually fits your machine, how to strap it down properly, what the law requires across Canadian provinces, and the cold-weather details nobody writes about.
Before you even look at a trailer, know your machine's operating weight. Not rated operating capacity — the machine's own weight.
| Machine Class | Example Models | Operating Weight (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Mini CTL | Bobcat T66, Kubota SVL65-2 | ~5,500 lb (2,500 kg) |
| Compact Skid Steer | Bobcat S450, Cat 226D3 | ~7,000–8,000 lb (3,175–3,630 kg) |
| Mid-Size Skid Steer | Bobcat S650, Case SV250 | ~8,500–9,500 lb (3,860–4,310 kg) |
| Full-Size CTL | Bobcat T870, Cat 289D3, Kubota SVL97-2 | ~11,000–14,000 lb (4,990–6,350 kg) |
Add your attachment. A 48" bucket weighs 400–600 lb. A hydraulic breaker can add 700–1,000 lb. An auger drive with a 48" bit adds 800 lb or more. Whatever you're hauling, weigh it — or at minimum, add the attachment weight to the machine's rated weight and use that as your planning number.
There is no one-size-fits-all here. The wrong trailer creates a genuine safety hazard — not just a regulatory problem.
The most common setup for compact and mid-size skid steers. A 14,000 lb GVW tilt deck — the PJ T6, Load Trail 14K, or Big Tex 14ET are common Canadian market units — carries a 7,000–9,000 lb machine comfortably within legal limits when paired with a properly rated 1-ton truck.
Tilt decks load without ramps. The deck itself angles back to ~10–14° and the machine drives on. The mechanism means you need clearance behind the trailer — back up to a clear zone, tilt the deck, drive on. Ramp angle is forgiving for standard ground clearance machines, but a full-size CTL with steel tracks on a 10° deck is tight. The front of the machine's tracks will clear the hitch end of the trailer by a few inches when fully loaded — check that before you start driving forward.
Weight distribution on a bumper-pull is critical. The machine's center of mass needs to be slightly forward of the trailer's axle(s) — 60/40 front-to-rear is the standard target. Too far back and the tongue goes light. That creates trailer sway at highway speed, which on a 9,000 lb load is not a recoverable situation.
The right choice for full-size CTLs and heavier skid steers. A gooseneck distributes tongue weight directly over the rear axle of the tow truck, which dramatically improves stability and legally allows higher GVW than a bumper-pull hitch. Most gooseneck flatdeck trailers in the 20,000–25,000 lb GVW range are what full-size CTL operators use.
Loading a gooseneck requires ramps or a loading dock. The deck height on a standard gooseneck is 30–36" — not a tilt deck, so machine ground clearance and ramp angle matter more. Most gooseneck trailers come with fold-down ramps rated to the trailer's GVW. Confirm ramp capacity separately; some cheaper trailers have deck ratings that exceed their ramp ratings.
Common in ag and military applications. The pintle coupler (hook and lunette ring) tolerates more articulation than a ball hitch and handles off-road conditions better. If you're hauling over rough resource roads in northern BC or Alberta, a pintle hitch setup is more durable than a ball-and-coupler under heavy loads. Trailer ratings and weight math are the same as bumper-pull — the hitch itself doesn't increase capacity.
You won't own one of these. Lowboys are for large contractors moving 20,000–60,000 lb machines. If your full-size CTL won't legally fit on a 20K gooseneck trailer, it's time to rent a float service — Mammoet, Day&Ross, or a local heavy haul outfit will have the right equipment and the permits sorted.
Truck tow rating ≠ safe to use the full rating in all conditions. But the math has to work first.
| Setup | Truck Tow Rating | Trailer GVW | Max Machine Weight | Fit For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-350 SRW gas + 14K tilt deck | ~15,000 lb | 14,000 lb | ~9,500 lb | Compact SS, mid-size SS |
| F-350 DRW diesel + 14K tilt deck | ~18,000 lb | 14,000 lb | ~9,500 lb | Compact SS, mid-size SS |
| F-450/F-550 DRW diesel + 20K GN | ~20,000–24,500 lb | 20,000 lb | ~14,000 lb | Full-size CTL, full-size SS |
| Ram 3500 DRW diesel + 16K tilt GN | ~19,780 lb | 16,000 lb | ~10,500 lb | Compact CTL, mid-size SS |
Trailer GVW is the total weight of trailer plus load. A 14,000 lb GVW trailer that weighs 4,200 lb empty leaves you 9,800 lb of payload — not 14,000 lb. That number is what you compare to machine + attachment weight.
This section is worth reading carefully. Improperly secured machines shift on trailers, and a shifting 9,000 lb machine at 100 km/h is catastrophic.
Every skid steer and CTL has designated tie-down points on the frame. They're typically cast or welded hooks or rings, low on the machine, near the corners. Use those.
Chaining through the lift arm — looping a chain around the boom tube or through the lift arm linkage — destroys the pivot pins over time and can crack lift arm welds under the dynamic loads of transport. The lift arm isn't designed to be a structural anchor point. It moves. Every pothole flexes the chain, and the chain flexes the arm. Bobcat, Cat, Kubota, and every other OEM explicitly says not to do this. The tie-down points are there. Use them.
Minimum four tie-down points, one at each corner of the machine. Not two. Not three. Four. The National Safety Code in Canada requires sufficient securement to prevent movement in all directions — forward, rearward, lateral, and vertical. Four corners achieves this. Two chains don't, regardless of how tight they are.
The minimum for a compact skid steer is 3/8" Grade 70 (G70) transport chain — the gold-coloured chain you see at trailer supply stores. Working load limit on 3/8" G70 is 6,600 lb per chain. Four chains gives you 26,400 lb of combined working load, which is adequate for machines up to about 9,000 lb with standard safety margins.
For full-size CTLs in the 11,000–14,000 lb range, step up to 3/8" Grade 80 (G80) alloy chain (WLL: 7,100 lb per chain) or 1/2" G70 (WLL: 11,300 lb). The math needs to work — sum your working load limits across all four chains and it should exceed machine weight by a meaningful margin, not squeak past it.
Engage it. Every time. The boom lock pin (sometimes called a transport pin or safety pin) mechanically prevents the lift arm from raising during transport. Without it, hydraulic pressure creep or a bump can cause the boom to drift. A raised boom on a moving trailer raises the center of gravity and changes trailer dynamics. It also endangers anyone near the trailer when you're maneuvering in tight spaces.
On Bobcat machines it's a yellow-painted pin stored in a bracket on the frame. On Cat it's a similar orange-handled pin. On Kubota SVL-series, it locks through the lift arm linkage at the top of the travel. It takes 10 seconds to insert. There's no reason to skip it.
Drive on bucket first (facing the trailer, bucket toward the cab end of the trailer). This puts the heavier end — the cab and counterweight — toward the trailer's hitch end, improving weight distribution. It also means if you need to unload at a slight grade, you're driving forward and uphill rather than backing a machine off a ramp.
On a tilt deck, let the deck do the work. Back the truck up, tilt the deck, position yourself centered on the ramp, and drive on slowly. Stop when the front tracks or tires are past the axle center of the trailer — don't go further forward than needed, but don't load too far back either. The deck will tilt level as weight comes forward. Feeling the deck settle flat is your cue to stop and set the parking brake.
Never load across a slope. Always position the trailer so the loading direction is up-or-downhill, not lateral. A skid steer on a ramp angled sideways will tip over. The machine doesn't need a steep angle for this to happen — 10–15° of lateral slope combined with ramp angle is enough.
If you're loading at a job site where the only option involves some grade, park the truck and trailer as close to level as possible, even if that means moving material or backing to a different spot. An extra 10 minutes of repositioning beats a tipped machine.
Provincial transport rules in Canada are similar but not identical. The interprovincial trucking rules under the National Safety Code set a baseline; each province adds its own specifics.
| Jurisdiction | Standard Max Width | Permit Required Over | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 2.6 m (8'6") | 2.6 m | Class A oversize permit for wider loads; seasonal weight restrictions March–April |
| Alberta | 2.6 m (8'6") | 2.6 m | Single-trip permits available online; spring road bans (typically Feb–May) |
| British Columbia | 2.5 m (8'2") | 2.5 m | Oversize load permits through CVSe; resource road rules differ (see below) |
| Saskatchewan | 2.6 m (8'6") | 2.6 m | Seasonal weight restrictions; spring thaw bans can run 4–8 weeks |
| Manitoba | 2.6 m (8'6") | 2.6 m | Spring weight restrictions; oversize permits from Manitoba Infrastructure |
Wide-track CTLs are the width issue to watch. A Bobcat T870 with wide steel tracks measures roughly 92" (2.34 m) across — under the threshold. But some CTLs with extended undercarriage or aftermarket wide tracks can push past 2.6 m. If you're hauling a machine wider than 8'6", you need a permit in every province except where you've specifically checked the threshold.
If you're hauling on BC Ministry of Forests resource roads (logging roads, industrial access roads), the rules are different from BC highways. Resource road permits under the Forest and Range Practices Act allow loads up to 10% over standard highway axle weights without a special oversize permit in many cases. Confirm with the forest district before assuming — the roads are active and there are seasonal closures tied to road conditions, not just spring thaw.
Every province has them. Dates vary by region and year — a wet April pushes them later, a dry spring brings them off earlier. In Ontario and Quebec, rural secondary roads (the ones you're most likely taking to job sites and farms) go to 5-tonne axle limits during spring thaw, down from 10-tonne. A loaded equipment trailer easily exceeds this. Getting caught on a posted road with a heavy load means fines, and in some provinces, the fine is per-axle, not per-trip.
Check the provincial Ministry of Transportation's road restriction portal before hauling anything heavy on secondary roads in March and April.
Loading a skid steer in deep cold is harder than it looks, and not for the reason most people expect.
Hydraulic oil at -30°C behaves like cold honey. The cylinders are stiff. The pilot controls may feel sluggish or unresponsive. Trying to raise the boom and curl the bucket with cold hydraulics — before the system has warmed up — puts enormous pressure on cylinder seals and hydraulic lines. Don't do it.
The right procedure in extreme cold: start the machine, run it at low idle for 10–15 minutes. Move the drive levers gently. Then cycle the auxiliary hydraulics and the lift arms slowly — short movements, no full extension, no hard stops. Only after the hydraulic oil has warmed and the controls feel normal should you drive onto a trailer or work the boom through full range.
Loading on ice or hard-packed snow is a separate issue. Traction on ice is near-zero for rubber tracks and marginally better for steel tracks. If the loading surface is icy, either break the ice surface, add traction material, or don't load until conditions improve. A skid steer sliding sideways on icy ramps has no good outcome.
These come up so frequently they're worth listing directly.
Ratchet straps instead of chain and binders. Already covered above, but it's the most common mistake. Ratchet straps are not rated for this. They also stretch under dynamic loading, meaning a machine that was tight when you left can have 2–3" of slack after 100 km of highway.
Only two tie-downs. Four corners. Non-negotiable.
Chaining through the lift arm. Uses the first convenient loop the chain fits through. Destroys pivot pins over months of regular hauling.
Forgetting the boom lock pin. Usually fine. Occasionally not.
Loading too far back on the trailer. Tongue goes light. Truck sways. This is the one that causes accidents on the highway.
Exceeding tow rating on spring-restricted roads. The road restriction signs are real, the fines are real, and the damage to unpaved roads in spring thaw is real. Plan your hauls around the restrictions, not through them.
Planning to transport attachments? Check attachment weights and specs in the skid steer attachment catalog before loading up — weight ratings matter for trailer selection.