Anyone ever move a trailer house?

Powerstroke Cowboy · Feb 17, 2013

We have pulled trailer houses.. The most distance was about 20 miles 5 of them were gravel roads.

You will need a permit to do it, I flag car front and back to watch traffic for you.. One thing to do not trust the tires on a mobile home They do not have enough axles or tires for the weight they have on them... They tend to blow very easy!! The hardest part is getting the axles on or tires and setting them back up ounce you get it where it is going.
We used a John Deere 4620 tractor worked great!! A semi with a pintle hitch or the ability to put a 2 5/16 ball on it would work great to...

The mobile home was the best to move out of the other houses and barns we moved.. the mobile home came with the beams and axles. The barns and houses did not. It is tricky taking a two story house off a basement and then putting it back on another basement... Would i do it again?? ONLY if the need came up.. But when you compare the cost of doing it or paying to have it done.. Well lets say it is cheaper to do it yourself.. then again we live out in the country so that helps.

If you are moving the mobile home in a very high populated area i would pay to have it done.. might end up being cheaper depending on what you take out moving it!

OldschoolPSD · Feb 17, 2013

We move them locally. Fork the tongue with the wrecker and run a flag car (truck) in the rear with no permits. Never had an issue with the law, but I'm not sure they would know how to write us up if they did considering that we are exempt from overdimensional and overweight laws for emergency towing.

If you go 200 miles you should probably have you **** in line.

abbottfarms · Feb 17, 2013

$2200 bucks to move all 3 is a bang up deal, I'd be all over that. Between permits, fuel, unforeseen issues along the way, like blown tires(pretty common), stuck brakes, things falling off, axle issues you'd probably be surprised how close to the $2200 you come yourself. Not to mention insurance if something happens...Better to pay the professional to do it and not worry about it.

As others have already stated, I'm all for pushing the limits and have hauled a few myself over the years but if I had any distance at all to travel I would not want any part of doing it myself, to much potential risk if your not properly equipped.

OldschoolPSD · Feb 17, 2013

^Good point about the insurance. For $2200 you may want to ask for a cert from the guy too. It would be a damn shame to lose your investment because he cuts a corner too tight or someone runs into him. At that price, it raises a few red flags about how legit this guy can be.

abbottfarms · Feb 17, 2013

OldschoolPSD said:
^Good point about the insurance. For $2200 you may want to ask for a cert from the guy too. It would be a damn shame to lose your investment because he cuts a corner too tight or someone runs into him. At that price, it raises a few red flags about how legit this guy can be.

Getting a insurance binder from him is a very good idea. I do when I hire outside trucks and equipment, just like they ask for one from me when they hire my trucks and equipment.

UnrepentantSinner · Feb 17, 2013

I'm sorry, it was $2200 each to move. I think i will check these put a little more before i jump in. I just cant see it being that difficult, but as others have pointed out, theres alot of things i hadn't thought of.

Bobby@cp · Feb 17, 2013

UnrepentantSinner said:
I'm sorry, it was $2200 each to move. I think i will check these put a little more before i jump in. I just cant see it being that difficult, but as others have pointed out, theres alot of things i hadn't thought of.

Its not like you just hook up and go.....

What if you have a blowout and end up wrecking and killing someone.... With your auto insurance cover you?

OldschoolPSD · Feb 17, 2013

If you really want to do it, go buy 3 7k axles and build a jeep. If you can get the frame mounted to some reliable axles you will take care of a lot of the common problems that come up.

You still need:
Lights
Permits
Flag Cars
and a truck that is big enough to haul them, but that also has an electric brake controller.

$6600 gives you a little headroom to play with, so it is doable. Personally if it was me I would charge that **** on a credit card and pay someone else to deal with those headaches. Make the minimum payment until you get them rented. Once they start bringing in money pay off the bill. It will cost you $6600 plus interest, but its not tying up any of your cash and you will make the money back in 4-5 months once you get them rented. If you want to make money you have to think like a businessman, cashflow is equally important as profit. Dont want to get in a bind where you have 3 payed for trailers but you cant rent them because they need stupid little things that you cant afford because you dont have the cashflow.

Do you think Donald Trump spends his own money on properties that don't generate immediate income? Hell no finance that ****.