droopypete,
My advise on the flatrack is to get a price. They are way over the top mate. Ro/Ro works OK inbound to the US from Aus, however I have no experience with outbound. Again, get prices from a Melbourne shipping broker.
Deuce dimensions:
Length= 7.0m
Width= 2.4m
Height= 2.8m
Weight= 5910kg wo/w, 6140kg w/w
if you have any friends or contacts in Southern California, give them a shout, because obviously your shipping costs will equal or exceed the truck purchase cost. If you ship out of Long Beach (Los Angeles Harbor) you will be taking advantage of one of the higher utilization corridors and possibly realize the greatest savings through efficiency.
My recommendation is to to ship via container. C'mon over and have a wrenching holiday!!! Break the rig down till she fits inside and G'won with the shipping. You can stuff anything you like inside the container 'cause it's all yours and the cost is already efficient 'cause it's already gonna be over half full, which is the efficiency rule of thumb for outbound containers to Central America.
If you need any So Cal contacts, give us a shout and we will get you set. There are a few members inland a ways from the port who are active with these rigs and probably have room and tools to get you going.You would arrange to have a container dropped off in their yard and after you secure the disassembled load, the container can be trucked to port.
your goal is do-able if you have a plan and a few friends.
Oh, the legal part is a non-issue. Aus is not on the "no-go" list and unless you are Saddam Husein you are good to go. You may have troubles with private sellers due to mis-information about export controlled items. Businesses know the rules and will sell you you.
Cheers,
Rick