using a caterpillar to move a mobile home?

betty_joanne · Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:03 am

My parents are using a company to move a single wide. Apparently the company wants to use a caterpillar to move the home the short distance. Is this normal? I thought they were going to use a truck. So, they are just going to pull the home on its wheels and hitch over to the spot(3000 ft to other side of road). I am thinking that this is a bad idea but i thought i would see what everyone here thinks.

Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:23 am

When moving a home a short distance, it doesn't really matter what they use. Farmers will use tractors and such. A truck with an 8-way hitch makes moving it simpler, but it can be done with other equipment.

Mark

Yanita · Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:17 am

Hi,

I agree with Mark. Many farmers around here move HM with just a farm tractor. As Mark said the trucks with the 8 way hitches just make the moving easier. Those hitches allow slight shifting of the home...say to get it closer to an existing deck or get around a tree easier than moving the truck and home.

About the only concern I would have is making sure that the hitch does not get slammed into the ground, pavement or whatever real hard. The hitch on the trucks allow for the driver to raise the front if necessary. Hope this makes sense.

Yanita

Harry · Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:23 pm

Hi

I helped a friend move his MH on his property with a Dodge pickup truck.

Lots of ways to move a MH a short distance.

Harry

Greg · Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:44 pm

I guess it really does not matter HOW they move it as long as it is done safely and done without damage. Make sure they are fully insured! Greg

Jim from Canada · Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:15 am

One of those cases where it is not so much the tools as the person using them. Hope it all goes well for you.

Jim

Busybee1952 · Mon Oct 08, 2007 9:50 pm

This brings to mind the story of how my mobile home finally landed on it's cement pad. The mobile home was purchased a couple of months before the cement was laid and was situated fairly close to where the cement was going in. We were living in the trailer illegally and had electric, phone, and temporary sewer pipe which ran over to the septic tank all hooked up. We were terrified that someone would make us leave before we could get the cement down and all the final inspections done. The slide out was still pushed in so we didn't really have a living room but there was still a lot more room than in that 24' camper. Once the cement was done, we were really excited and my ex had disconnected everything, moved all the steps, etc, in preparation for moving the trailer onto the slab. The same guy who hauled the trailer here in the first place was called to move it over onto the cement slab and was to arrive at 10:00 a.m. We waited, and waited, and waited. At noon, his wife showed up and said that on the way here, his truck broke down and could not be repaired. We were in a panic! We had no idea what to do! Finally, we called this guy who has some heavy equipment and he came out with his backhoe and moved the trailer onto the slab for $50.00. It was going to cost us $200.00 for the guy with the regular trailer hauler to move it for us. That day ended happily afterall. Just goes to show you that sometimes when things happen that seem like disasters, they could turn out to be a blessing.