This article appeared on mobile home living.
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.
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.
Manufacturer
Since manufactures 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 set up 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.
