Transporting a Mobile Home: Find the Right Mobile Home Mover
Transporting a mobile home and finding the right mobile home mover can be a bit tricky. Mobile homes offer great affordability and convenience but they are not as easy to move as most people think. You cannot just hook up a mobile home and pull it like you can a camper.
Transporting a mobile home requires careful planning, permits, insurance, and the right equipment. Once all the paperwork is done the homes still have to be prepared (or broken-down) for the move and then set-up on the new property. It’s a complex system that requires knowledge and experience.
Transporting a mobile home isn’t cheap. The following should help you learn more about the process of transporting a mobile home and finding the right mobile home mover for your situation.
How a Mobile Home Mover Calculates the Cost of Transporting a Mobile Home
The most important element you need to consider when transporting a mobile home is the cost effectiveness. Mobile homes require special equipment and careful planning to move. You shouldn’t just choose the cheapest company. You’ll want to compare what each estimate includes and what additional costs will be needed. The following will help you understand all the factors that a mobile home mover uses to calculate the cost of transporting a mobile home.
Related: 4 Things to Consider Before Moving a Manufactured Home
Preparing for your move
When it comes to preparing your mobile home, you have two main options, preparing the home yourself or allowing a mobile home mover to do so at an additional cost. This includes securing furniture, removing your valuables, removing breakables, securing doors, windows and toilet seats, removing skirting and ensuring that nothing can fall over or break.
What does the preparation process entail?
- Discontinuing utility services in advance and hiring a licensed electrician and plumber to disconnect your home.
- Removing skirting, sheds, air conditioning and decks and storing them safely for transport.
- Securing windows so they don’t shatter.
- Packing belongings.
- Securing furniture inside the mobile home.
- Lifting the mobile home off the ground for axle and hitch installation.
Transportation Options
Transporting mobile homes can be very difficult because most of them weigh more than 18,000 pounds, see u-ship’s budget ideas with that weight. The home must first be lifted off the base in order for movers to install wheels. Then, a mobile home mover tows your home to the intended destination with at least one guide car. Most states require mobile homes to be accompanied by guide cars in order to protect other road users.
Because of the weight, size, and length of mobile homes, movers must use major highways, travel slowly and stop frequently to replace axles and tires as needed.
Actual transportation costs between $5 and $15 per mile. Here, it is extremely important for the moving company you choose to have insurance for the total cost of damages that may occur during the move. Moreover, insurance, moving parts and any other fees required by your local county or state will affect the cost. So check for local calculators and free estimates.
Current Location and your Destination
Transporting mobile homes involves several factors including disassembly and assembly, distance, permits, travel time, and costs such as employees and gasoline. Therefore, it is essential to understand a great deal about your mobile home in order to get an accurate quote. Here are the factors that a mobile home mover uses to charge for transporting a mobile home:
· Distance
The transportation cost for most manufactured homes ranges between $5 and $15 per mile. However, the cost may vary by mover, state and size of your mobile home. You may also have to pay movers according to the distance they have to travel between different locations during the moving process.
· Park or private property
Moving out of private property is very different from moving out of a mobile home park and this might also affect your moving cost. For instance, when moving out of private property, you must note whether your mobile home is accessible from the road and whether it can accommodate the load. On the other hand, you must inquire whether the moving company will clean the lot when finished because the mobile home park might hold you responsible for any mess left by movers.
Counties
Most counties require that you have licenses and legal permits to move and/or install your mobile home. However, these costs usually depend on where you are moving from and where you are moving to.
· Getting to your township destination
Difficult mobile home moving trips usually cost more. Besides considering whether the roads along the way can accommodate the load, you must also understand that most townships require homeowners to acquire building permits in order to install manufactured homes and this will also affect the costs.
The Mobile Home’s Details
In addition to the issues above, a mobile home mover also factors in the size and construction of the home:
Size
One of the most critical factors that affect your costs is the size of your manufactured home. For instance, moving a double wide might cost twice as much as moving a single wide would cost.
Frame size
The frame size determines the piers and axles the moving company will use to support your manufactured home safely. Watch this video on how to measure your frame for the movers.
Manufacturer
Since manufacturers use different standards in the construction of mobile homes, this may affect factor such as the roof pitch especially for double wide home sand this might also affect the costs associated with moving your mobile home.
Type of siding
You should note whether you have vinyl or metal siding at it also affects weight, insurance and hence the cost of moving your mobile home.
Drywall
Do you have standard mobile home drywall or finished drywall? This will affect the cost of repairing potential damage and the cost of moving.
Axles and Hitch
If your manufactured home includes axles you should check whether they are still intact. If the axles are missing, enquire whether your mover provides them and whether they will furnish the tires too. However, if the hitch is missing you might have to buy a new one and pay for its installation.
Finding Discounts
Since most mobile home parks intend to make money in the long run, they may offer move-in incentives for people who move qualified homes into their communities. Therefore, if the home you are moving is good looking’ and in good condition and you agree to live in the community for a certain number of years, the mobile home park owner might offer to pay for the setup or even part of the entire manufactured home move cost.
You simply need to compare different move-in incentives offered by different local parks and consider their restrictions for new and used mobile homes coming into their communities. Make sure you understand all the details of the contract and have an attorney review it.
Considering all these factors, it is crucial to get individual quotes from several mobile home movers based on your mobile home and your circumstances. Although moving a manufactured home is not an ideal alternative for everyone, getting accurate quotes from different companies will help you make the best decision based on what their moving packages entail and the respective costs. You can check out sites like “how much is it” for additional info not covered in this article. But will all moves, you need to make sure it is the best option for you and your home.
Thank you for reading Mobile and Manufactured Home Living!
Hi i have a 14×60 (single wide) i need moved 120 miles from Pennsylvaniain New Jersy , don’t need i more web sit’s i need a mover Thanks
Looking for a company to move our mobile from Encinal, Texas to Cotulla, Texas this week. We are moving from one ranch to another. Please help.
Hi Becky,
Do a Google search for your area and make a list then call your local manufadctured home dealers and ask them for recommendations. That will give you a good list to work from to get estimates. Best of luck!
Hey I’m looking for a mobile home mover in Louisville KY…. Does anybody have one to recommend?
Hi Crystie,
Do a Google search for your area and make a list from that and then call your local mobile home parts store and/or dealers and you should get a decent list to work from for estimates. Make sure to get at least 3 good estimates. Best of luck!
anyone know of a company that will move a trialer home from west virginia to arkansas
Hi Kelly,
I’m from WV! Your best bet is to contact your local manufactured home dealers and see which ones they recommend. Mobile home parts stores are also good places for recommendations. I’ll be honest, you are looking at a few thousand dollars (8k minimum), we ran some numbers on moving a single wide from WV to SC and it wasn’t worth it – we could buy an older model and fix it up for what it would cost us to move ours. There’s also the strain on the home from the move. Definitely make sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured.
This list from the WV Housing Institute should help you: http://www.wvhi.org/docs/Members%202016.pdf
Best of luck! Let me know how it goes!
i have a 28×60 double wide i need moved 62 miles in Michigan , have tried mutable sits , buy state and most movers on local list don’t move d/w , i’m getting despite and at my wit’s end . my job is on the line . i don’t need more web sit’s i need a mover
Hi Mark, you’ll want to call your local manufactured home dealerships and ask them for recommendations. The industry hasn’t cuaght up with technology so many aren’t listed online. `
BEST OF LUCK!
i need someone to move a singlewide trailer 14×70 about 200 feet across the property in hermitage PA and installed so it can be lived in. ive been trying to do research but i seem to be hitting a brick wall.
Hi Rachael,
I don’t know anyone in that area but I found this list on Google: Mobile home transporter near Hermitage PA.
You can call your local manufactured home dealerships for recommendations as well. Best of luck!
Trying to find someone to move a 3 bedroom trailer (single wide) that is in Washington NC for a reasonable price. I am looking to have it moved to Robersonville NC approx. 50 miles. Are you able to help??
Hi Ashley,
I just ran upon this website that lists movers by state. It may help (I’m not affiliated with the company, it’s a loan company, I just found it during a web search). Click here.
Best of luck!
i need to get a mobile home 1994 model moved 25 miles from its present location to another location and set up to live in. At the same time need the present mobile home moved out of its location and the newer model put in its place as cheap as i can possibly get it done for.Can u help?
Hi Jackie,
I’d contact some of the dealers and mobile home supply stores in your area to find a transporter with a good reputation and that has lots of experience. You could try searching on Google, as well. What you’re doing is pretty standard – many people trade older mobile homes in for a newer one so transporters are used to the situation.
Definitely get at least 3 appraisals and make sure that installation needs are included (footers, piers, blocking, etc.). Check on the inspection requirements, too.
Best of luck!
I have a plumbing issue so I don’t know if it can be addressed here. I own a older mobile home and the bathroom faucet feeders (pipes/ tubes from the nozzle ports) are 6 (six) inch versus the 4-inch that every Home Depot, Lowe’s or anyplace else carries.
I cannot find any site where they list this measurement so I can’t order exactly what I need.
When I asked in the larger stores they say go to a mobile home or RV site… But again I can’t find whatever those little parts are called that come from the nozzle base –the tubes or pipes that are normally 4 inches but I need 6 inch.
I’m hoping and praying someone reading this might have this answer for me to go online and find this!! Thank you very much. ????
Hi Robin,
It sounds like you have a ‘wideset’ faucet that is on a 6″ center. Here is a link to all the wideset bathroom faucets available at Lowe’s: http://www.lowes.com/pl/Bathroom-faucets-Bathroom-faucets-handles-Bathroom/4294737292?refinement=4294765803
If you’ll notice on the Lowe’s link that these faucets have a separate piece for the spout, hot handle, and cold handle instead of a single unit for all three like the ones you see on a lot of the 4″ center faucets. That’s what you will want to look for if you go into Lowe’s.
Hope that helps! Best of luck and thanks so much for reading MHL!
I also found some at Overstock.com here: https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Kitchen-Faucets/5-to-6-Inches,/spout-height,/3235/subcat.html
Now, you can always use an adapter that will allow you to change the faucet to whatever size you want. It basically just hides the additi
Great article.
My husband’s family ran their own mobile home business (from selling parts to moving/leveling/ect) for many years, with Dh heading up the grunt work.
It is a lot of work (on both the owner and movers part), and takes time and some skill to move and reset a home properly and safely.