Heavy Equipment Towing Toronto:

Float, Tilt Deck or Flatbed?

Heavy equipment towing Toronto contractors ask for usually comes down to one choice: which trailer should carry the machine? A skid steer, an excavator and a generator are all “equipment”, but each loads, rides and unloads differently.

This guide helps you match the machine to the trailer, get it out of a tight city site and give dispatch what it needs for a quote.

GTA Flatbed Towing & Float Services moves equipment across Toronto and beyond; call 416-830-8854 if you would rather talk a move through.

Heavy equipment towing Toronto:

float, tilt deck or flatbed

Each trailer solves a different problem, so start with how the machine gets on and off.

• Float (lowboy) A low trailer that keeps tall machines under bridge clearances. It suits large tracked and wheeled machines, and our heavy equipment transport service uses it for the biggest loads.
• Tilt deck The whole deck tilts to the ground, so a machine can drive or be winched straight on without separate ramps.
• Flatbed A flat deck for items that are lifted on or off, or that sit on their own skid or frame.

The decision rests on the machine’s height, weight and whether it drives. Dispatch confirms the final choice per job.

A simple method chart

skid steers, loaders, excavators, forklifts, scissor lifts, generators

Use this as a starting point, not a final answer. Exact weights and dimensions are confirmed with you when you call.

• Skid steer Tilt deck. It drives on under its own power, and the low angle protects the tracks or tires.
• Compact excavator Tilt deck or float. The tilt deck suits small models; larger ones ride low on a float.
• Wheel loader Float. Its height and size call for a low trailer.
• Forklift Tilt deck or flatbed. A tilt deck avoids lifting; a flatbed works when it can be loaded by other means.
• Scissor lift Tilt deck. A low deck angle keeps a tall, narrow machine stable on loading.
• Generator Flatbed or tilt deck. It is usually lifted on, or slid on if it sits on its own skid.

Our tilt and load machinery moving page explains the tilt deck in more detail, and you can review what we can move on the capabilities page. Machines that will not start can still be moved, since a winch pulls them up the deck.

Getting equipment out of tight Toronto sites:

alleys, slopes, soft ground, low clearance

Toronto’s job sites are rarely open fields. The trailer is often the easy part, and getting to it is the hard one.

• Laneways and alleys A long truck cannot turn in a narrow lane. Give the width and whether the machine can reach the street on its own.
• Slopes and ramps A steep driveway changes the loading angle. Say so on the call.
• Soft ground After rain, a muddy site can trap a truck or sink a machine. Plank, matting or a firm pad changes what is possible.
• Low clearance Parking-garage ramps and low underpasses limit trailer height, so measure the lowest point on the route.

Before the truck leaves, check the city’s Toronto road restrictions page for closures that affect your route. If the job needs a lane or a curb for loading, ask whether the site requires a permit or traffic control.

What to tell dispatch for an accurate quote

A quote is only as accurate as the description. Heavy equipment moves are priced per job, with no standard weight bands, so the details matter. Have these ready:

• The machine Make, model and approximate size.
• Whether it runs If not, a winch loads it, which needs to be planned.
• Attachments Buckets, forks or booms, and whether they stay on or travel separately.
• Pickup and drop-off Both addresses, and any access limits at either end.
• Timing When it has to leave and arrive.

A photo of the machine and the loading area helps a great deal. When you are ready, request a heavy equipment quote with that information, or call dispatch and describe it.

Toronto road restrictions and work zone access for equipment moves

Roadwork and closures are part of Toronto life, and a move can fail because a street is closed that morning. Check the restrictions for the day of the move, and tell the dispatcher about any work zone near either end.

How the machine is held on the trailer is a separate matter, covered in our guide to how equipment is chained down. In short, chains and binders attach at rated points on the machine, and the carrier follows Ontario Regulation 363/04 on securing loads.

Where we move equipment from Toronto:

nearby cities and beyond

Most Toronto equipment jobs run to neighbouring cities, such as Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan and Markham, and longer moves across Ontario are available on request. If your machine is a precision unit, such as a CNC mill, see our notes on plant and CNC machinery moves, which deal with planning, protection and handover.

Whatever the machine, tell us what it is, where it is and where it needs to go. Call or WhatsApp 416-830-8854, 24/7, and we will confirm the trailer and the price before dispatch.