Patent ID: 8281883

Claim:
The method of transporting a backhoe loader within an enclosed cargo container for shipment within the hold of a vessel, the backhoe loader including a tractor, a loader mounted to the front of the tractor, a backhoe mounted to the rear of the tractor and a stabilizer arm mounted on each side of the frame of the tractor, said method comprising: (a) engaging the ground with the stabilizer arms and the loader of the backhoe loader; (b) extending the stabilizer arms and the loader of the backhoe loader so as to lift the frame, the two front wheels and the two rear wheels of the tractor of the backhoe loader off of the ground; (c) removing the two front wheels and removing the two rear wheels of the tractor of the backhoe loader with its frame elevated from the ground; (d) providing two front rollers and two rear rollers; (e) mounting said two front rollers to the tractor of the backhoe loader each in place of one of the two front wheels of the tractor, and mounting the two rear rollers to the tractor of the backhoe loader each in place of one of the two rear wheels of the tractor, so that the height of the backhoe loader is less than the height of the enclosed cargo container; (f) retracting the stabilizer arms and the loader so that the two front rollers and the two rear rollers contact the ground; (g) driving the tractor of the backhoe loader on the two front rollers and on the two rear rollers into the interior of an enclosed cargo container for shipment within the hold of a vessel.