Breaking Down a Mobile Home | Moving.

This was posted by Rob

Breaking down a mobile home means that the home is taken apart at the roof, end walls and floor prior to moving the sections to a new location.

Assuming that the homeowner has previously removed all of  their furniture, personal belongings to a safe location.

The breakdown process usually takes a whole day and around 5 people to do the job safely having the home ready for transport during daylight.

How Much will it Cost to Move My Mobile Home?

I can only answer this question for my own area which is central Florida , but here the main costs will include:

• Set up crew for one day (4-5 men).
• Skirting removal.
• Anchor removal.
• Polythene wrap and furring strips.
• Axle and tire rental. (slips)
• Hitches.
• Utility Disconnect.
• Site clean up and dumpster if needed.
• Transporting the materials to the new site.

Extra cost which are not included or may be incurred:

• Cost of the Toter transport and escorts.
• Welding Hitches.
• Taking down and replacing fences and gates.
• Attachments (sheds,Garages etc)
• Tree trimming or removal.
• Building ramps or bridges.
• Concrete removal and disposal.
• Use of a bull dozer.
• Raised Roof houses.
• Multi level structures

 What will the Moving Crew do on Day One?

The process involves the setup crew arriving at the site removing the skirting around the house to allow easy access. At this point the electrical service, plumbing pipe and AC connections are removed from under the home.

The anchor straps are carefully disconnected or cut to leave enough room for future use so long as the straps meet the present 15-c installation code.

Inside the home the close up trim its carefully removed for future use and the carpet is cut and tacked back from the centerline if it is going to be reused. The trim is labelled and usually transported inside the home.

The crossover electrical wires and plumbing pipes are all disconnected and removed in such a way that they have the best chance of being able to be reinstalled at the new location.

If the home has lap siding on the ends this needs to be removed and each piece numbered for future use. Usually the contractor will wrap up the pieces and place them inside the home for transportation.

Before the home can be split apart the whe wheels and axles need to be installed. Sometimes they are still under the mobile home but usually the crew will bring a set of adjustable axles called “slips” and all of the essential nuts, bolts and hanging gear.

If the hitches were removed and left under the home they may be good enough to reuse. If in good condition the hitches are bolted back into their original location. Usually with older  houses a new set of  hitches will be welded onto the frame if
the old ones all rusty and unusable.

Now the shingle on the peak of the roof can be taken off and the flashing removed. The lag bolts are  removed
from the roof, the end walls and the floor. Some homes will also be spiked in the floor with 8 inch nails which will need to be cut with a reciprocating saw.

This is usually a good time to remove the side wall anchors from the ground. The anchor heads are sharp and can easily burst the tires when the home is pulled of the construction site.

Chains and come-alongs are attached to the I beams of the home so that the home can now be raised up on jacks with rollers then gently rolled apart whilst still maintaining tight control. The set up crew will need the home sections to be at least 4 feet apart for working space.

All base pads, concrete block, wood and wedges should now be removed and placed on a separate trailer for transportation to the new job site along with any usable  a/c units,  ductwork, steps and plumbing pipe.

The sections of the trailer home now need to be wrapped with polythene and furring strips to prevent wind and water damage during transportation by toter.

There are a couple of important things to note:
(1)When a home is taken apart no matter how carefully and transported to a new
location to be be a re assembled it will not look any better than it did before the
move.

(2)New shingle nailed to the roof may not match the old shingles exactly.

(3)Vinyl skirting may not fit in a new location due to a different slope or increased
height of the new set.

These may seem obvious points but unfortunately sometimes miracles are expected.

Everything needs to be put into a contract with contingency plans for when things
don’t go exactly as planned.

Originally posted 2014-11-14 01:15:59.

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