Ship ATV to Europe

How to Ship ATV to Europe?

To ship ATV or a car to Europe you will first have to get it to a port. This can be done with an enclosed or with an open carrier.

Because ATVs are not as big as cars, they may be affected by the carrier’s movements. To solve this problem, you will have to fix it on a pallet with soft ties. Regardless of what ATV or motorcycle type you want to transport, this will reduce its movement.

Enclosed vs. Open Transportation

When it comes to cars, luxury, vintage, or high-priced models are normally moved in an enclosed trailer, while normal vehicles are shipped with open carriers. However, because the engine and most of an ATV’s parts are exposed, open carriers are very rarely used.

You should only use open transportation in cases when:

• The port you’re trying to get your ATV to is less than a day away, so weather conditions or road grime won’t affect it much. A shorter distance also reduces the chances of theft happening during the driver’s breaks.
• You must meet a shipping deadline, and kicked-up rocks or small scratches are not a problem. Because an open carrier is much easier to find than an enclosed one, it’s the best option in such cases.
• Your ATV or motorcycle is unusually big and requires a lowboy truck or a flatbed to transport it.
• You’ve secured the ATV or motorcycle in a wooden crate. The carrier will need a harness system to transport your vehicle, so let them know beforehand.
• You need to ship more than 3 automobiles at a time. If you must transport these many ATVs at once, speak to your auto transport company about getting a flatbed truck.

On the other hand, you may consider an enclosed carrier to ship ATVs to Europe when:

• The port your ATV must reach to get to Europe is longer than a day’s driving distance.
• You are not in a hurry, so the company can take its time to assign an appropriate carrier.
• Your motorcycle is not larger than 46 inches wide and 108 inches long.
• Your ATV is not larger than 60 inches wide and 90 inches long.

If your vehicle is larger than these measurements, it falls into the oversized category. To transport it, different procedures, specific to oversized vehicles, must be followed.

Enclosed Shipping Types

There are several enclosed ways to ship ATVs to Europe. Among the most used, we name:

1. Crated: As the safest and most used way to transport ATVs and motorcycles, it involves fixing your automobile in a wooden crate on top of a pallet. The crating keeps your ATV safe and prevents it from bumping into other vehicles.

There are several preparations you must make when using crated shipping. You must disconnect the vehicle’s battery, drain its fluids, find/buy a big enough crate, and remove the mirrors and any other parts which stand out from the whole.

Ways to obtain a crate:

• If the ATV’s manufacturer has given you a crate and you still have it, you can use that one;
• Bike shops near you may have used crates they no longer need;
• Buy one from a company dealing in such products;
• Build one yourself.

When procuring a crate for your ATV, make sure its dimensions are a maximum of 47 inches wide, 98 long, and 50 in height. Because of this restriction, Class 2 and 4 ATVs cannot be transported in a crate.

1. Uncrated transport: If the auto shipping company can provide a trailer with the necessary harness system for fixing an ATV to its floor and walls with tiedown straps, then a crate is no longer necessary.
2. Transporting your ATV with a metal pallet: This creates an area where the ATV is secured, despite still being strapped inside the carrier’s trailer.
3. Transporting your ATV with a wooden pallet: Similar to the metal pallet option, it is less expensive, though less durable.

All these transport options are safe and also covered by the auto transport company’s insurance.

Loading

To ship ATV to Europe, you must first load it on the truck that will take it to the nearest port. The way you load the ATV on the trailer or truck will be determined by your shipping option.

• Using a liftgate: If on your truck’s rear, there is a liftgate, you can put your ATV on a platform, located on the truck’s back, and lift it to the trailer floor’s level. Afterward, you can just roll it inside.
• Using a ramp: With a sufficiently wide ramp, the ATV can simply be pushed inside the trailer.
• Using a ramp with a winch: In this case, you can use the winch to load the vehicle.
• Using a pallet and a forklift: You must first fix the ATV on a pallet before you can lift it with the forklift and place it inside the trailer.

RoRo Shipping

After your ATV reaches the port, it can be loaded using a couple of methods, the most popular of which is RoRo.

Certain ships are designed to transport cargo with wheels, such as ATVs, motorcycles, or cars. The ATV is driven onboard as if it were a parking garage. This is where the RoRo method got its name from. The automobiles are rolled on and rolled off the ship at the source and destination ports respectively.

After being loaded, the ATV is secured and strapped in place, so it will not move until its destination. Beneath it, a metal protector is locked and fixed to the deck of the ship, so the ATV will not slip or slide at sea. The tires will also be unable to move because they are fixed in the metal protector.

This way to ship ATVs to Europe is very cost-effective and efficient. Also, the arrival and departure dates are almost as predictable as the schedule of an airline flight.

Shared Container

If you’re using a container for the sea freight, then it may be cheaper to share it with other vehicles. The ATV will likely not fill the entire container, so it’s best to share it. However, the container must be filled before it can depart from the warehouse, which may cause your departure date to be delayed.

The ATVs are securely strapped in place, so movement is not possible. When loading and unloading the ATVs, they are usually picked up using a forklift one at a time.

European Marine Ports

Unless your new home is near one of the following ports, you will have to arrange for your ATV’s transportation from the port toward it. Please keep this in mind when trying to ship ATV to Europe, and pick the port closest to you:

• West Europe:
  • In France: Le Havre;
  • In Belgium: Antwerp;
  • In Germany: Bremerhaven;
  • In the Netherlands: Rotterdam.
• Mediterranean Europe:
  • In Italy: Genoa;
  • In France: Marseille;
  • In Spain: Barcelona.
• Northern Europe:
  • In Sweden: Gothenburg;
  • In Denmark: Aarhus;
  • In Norway: Oslo;
  • In the United Kingdom: Thamesport;
  • In Ireland: Dublin.