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How are Mobile Homes Removed?

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum

In many instances, mobile home removal may be no more complicated than removing the skirting around the mobile home, releasing the ground ties that help to keep the mobile home in place in inclement weather, and disconnecting any connections to local utilities and sewage management systems. Under these ideal conditions, the mover would then use a crane lift to ease the mobile home onto a flatbed trailer, secure the unit with chains and high quality ties, and transport the mobile home to its destination.

Unfortunately, moving a mobile home that has been unoccupied for a long time may be more difficult. As they get older and are not cared for, rust and general weakening of the structure can make the shell brittle. Under these circumstances, removing them in one piece may not be a viable solution. If it's necessary to get rid of abandoned units, the job may require dismantling of each one. This can often be accomplished by using pneumatic tools to disconnect the sections of the mobile home and allowing those sections to be removed from the property using truck beds.

Mobile homes are often transported on flatbed trailers.
Mobile homes are often transported on flatbed trailers.

While this process is certainly more difficult than removing a mobile home with a sturdy structure, there may not be any additional cost. One advantage is that the landowner can opt to work on the project over several weekends and remove the pieces personally from the property, rather than paying someone to do the job.

Mobile home removal requires taking several precautions. It is imperative for the remover to make sure that connections to power lines, phone lines, plumbing and gas lines are severed and capped off before the mobile home is moved. Any restraints or ties that hold the mobile home in place will need to be released before any section if moved. If the goal is to move a sturdy mobile home from one site to another, the contents must be secured within the structure so that nothing is broken or damaged during transport. For removing junked mobile homes, it is also important that the owner clean out any contents, as they will simply be in the way during the demolition process.

It is imperative for the remover to make sure that connections to power lines, phone lines, plumbing and gas lines are severed and capped off before the mobile home is moved.
It is imperative for the remover to make sure that connections to power lines, phone lines, plumbing and gas lines are severed and capped off before the mobile home is moved.

Personal safety is also important when working on a mobile home removal project. Removal workers should wear protective clothing, including gloves and goggles. Steel-toed boots are also an excellent choice for footwear. Long sleeves will help prevent problems from contact with old insulation and shards of fiberglass. It there is a question about the need for a particular item of protective clothing, individuals should err on the side of caution and wear it.

Mobile home removal is a detailed task and can be more complicated if the goal is to remove a unit that is no longer usable. Still, by following a few basic guidelines, the mobile home project can be completed efficiently and without injury to still usable structures.

Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum

After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including AboutMechanics, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.

Learn more...
Malcolm Tatum
Malcolm Tatum

After many years in the teleconferencing industry, Michael decided to embrace his passion for trivia, research, and writing by becoming a full-time freelance writer. Since then, he has contributed articles to a variety of print and online publications, including AboutMechanics, and his work has also appeared in poetry collections, devotional anthologies, and several newspapers. Malcolm’s other interests include collecting vinyl records, minor league baseball, and cycling.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

anon1000369

I am located in upstate NY and im asking for my son. He owned a 1971 mobile home set up in a park. The park is really run down and its full of really old trailers and messy tenants. My son recently had an electrical fire that destroyed the mobile home. The cause of the fire could not be determined due to how burnt the wires were. The trailer park owner is in the process of updating the parks electric service to the tenants trailers. About two weeks before the fire, the landlord was poking around in back of my sons trailer and had the skirting taken off and said she was checking to see if his trailer was going to hook up to their new service ok. My sons trailer had a fairly new panel box with breakers and the fire dept said the breaker box worked like it should have. my question to this group is, is my son liable to remove the burned out trailer or can he just abandon it? Its going to cost way more money than any of us have for him to have it removed. Also, if he were to demolish it himself, does he need a permit to do that?

anon990228

I have a burned out mobile home. Who do I call to demolish it? Are there companies that do that?

anon328571

I don't know where you're from, but using a crane to lift a mobile onto a flatbed is not the most common way they are moved in Alberta, or most places. They are called mobile homes for a reason. They sit on frames and dollies are used under that frame to roll them down the highway with the truck pulling the load.

A crane may be used to lift a half of a double wide into place, and sometimes a crane is used to place a mobile home onto a basement, though they are often rolled onto the walls using various tools.

anon235696

I have a single wide trailer. It's about thirty years old and I want to replace it with a new one. Maybe I could get a double wide. I don't live in a mobile park. I have my own land.

My question is what permits do I need? I have a neighbor who said we can switch trailers in a twenty four hour period. I live in Florida and don't know if this is true.

anon209573

I have a mobile home and need it moved, but the cost is high for transport and permits and I just want to get rid of the trailer. Any ideas on who are where to begin. I need it moved before winter so I can move another mobile home in its place. Please help me in az.

anon165981

i have a mobile home in Littleton, NH. looking to sell it real cheap, but it has to be moved. any ideas?

anon117008

How do we find a licensed, bonded, reputable company to remove a forty-six year old double wide mobile home from a mobile home park? The unit is currently occupied, but is termite-ridden with a badly leaking roof. If this were a traditional home, it would be condemned by the local municipality. Selling the unit appears unfeasible so removal seems our best option. Please advise.

anon105463

I have a trailer in Frederic, WI. i moved out and i need to get rid of the trailer ASAP. do you know of anyone that could give me a quote and let me know what i am looking at to get rid of it. i think that it is too long to pull out of there and has to be disassembled on site. can you give me any pointers.

anon68654

Need info on removal of a damage old mobile

home located in Salem NH. Is there someone out

there can lead me to the right person.

anon43430

i need to get rid of a 30-year-old mobile home in portland, oregon. the hot tub is new and the appliances are good but i am 62 years old and want to move to texas to live with my sister. what do i do?

anon41793

I had the home removed with no problems. I think the guy probably resold it because he was animate about needing the title. Thanks for the help.

anon41656

I do this type of work daily (demolition).

The fact is that most older mobile homes are way too unstable to even consider moving.

Attempting to move an old mobile home almost always ends in disaster. They are not built to last, and are better off demolished on-site.

I work in Northeast PA, and the Catskills region of New York. --Jim

mdt

Check with local businesses that sell mobile homes. They will know of service providers in the area that haul mobile homes from one location to another, and can probably give you some tips on who does good work and who does not.

youngqsue

I am looking for someone to remove an old mobile home from a lot in lower Delaware. Any ideas of where to find this type of service?

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    • Mobile homes are often transported on flatbed trailers.
      By: Siegfried Schnepf
      Mobile homes are often transported on flatbed trailers.
    • It is imperative for the remover to make sure that connections to power lines, phone lines, plumbing and gas lines are severed and capped off before the mobile home is moved.
      By: evp82
      It is imperative for the remover to make sure that connections to power lines, phone lines, plumbing and gas lines are severed and capped off before the mobile home is moved.