Any guesses?? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

Any guesses??

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

you might want to check with the heavy equipment people in your area.....someone moving an excavator or dozer down that way would have an empty drop deck coming back.....because of the hieght of the trailer it will take a drop-deck to do it

The Bear II · RV-Dreams Family Member

Based upon watching the cable show called "Shipping Wars" which follows four professionals that get their loads via Uship, I'm guessing $2000 to $4000. They tend to bid each other down to where they barely make money on the loads and if they have mechanical problems which seems to happen often, they lose money.

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Bear II wrote:
Based upon watching the cable show called "Shipping Wars" which follows four professionals that get their loads via Uship, I'm guessing $2000 to $4000. They tend to bid each other down to where they barely make money on the loads and if they have mechanical problems which seems to happen often, they lose money.

I would hope it would not be that much to haul it only 170 miles but I guess you are limited to the ones that have the proper equipment to do the job and what they are willing to accept to do it.

good luck,

Phil

Alie and Jims Carrilite · RV-Dreams Family Member

I would use the term "Professional" loosely there. Everytime I look at the show it looks like a bunch of monkeys *&^%$ a football.

I would look at any of the heavy equipment movers like Mike said. They would have the equipment to pick it up and set it back down.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

judging from the size of the trailer you might try looking around for a stripped twin axle camper frame.......cross block yours and remove your axles.....back the trailer under and secure your unit to the frame and get it home.

the new camper frame can be used to replace yours during restoration...............just an economical thought and should cost less than shipping

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

Bear, a friend on another forum thought $2-3000 and said he's be really surprised if it came in any lower than that. I told him if that was the caswe I'd find a mobile welder to come out and stiffen up the frame so it was road-worthy, but Mike, your idea of putting it on a different frame is good. Heck, I'd even have a title, working lights and a valid license plate for it that way! LOL

From browsing other heavy equipment shipments I am hoping it will come down to around $3-400. The high bid was $1704, and when I checked just now the lowest bid is down to $962. The auction runs until the 17th, so maybe someone will get down as low as I'd like it to be. Most of the people bidding so far have a flatbed behind a pick-up, and I don't know if the caboose has enough ground clearance to get it on something that tall. Last night I requested bids from some carriers that seem to have much better set-ups for something like this, but haven't seen bids from then yet.

The low bid currently is a gal who is a broker, her profile says 5000 trucks, so who knows what might sow up to haul it if that's the bid I accept.

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

I dont know much about the route , but keep in mind height..... it cant be loaded on a standard equipment trailer....it would require a lowboy or a split lowboy if the axles are left on......

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

nightsky wrote:
Well, there's still a few more days to go on Uship, but the low bid so far is $400 (plus fees) and the carrier's profile says he has a lowboy and a removeable gooseneck, whatever that is. That's about what I was hoping to spend, so maybe, just maybe, I'm actually going to get this thing home yet!

A lowboy with removable gooseneck means that the center of the trailer sits lower in the middle than at the front and back. The removable gooseneck allows them to unhook from the trailer in some way and then load your trailer onto the low section from the front end. You can see in the drawing in the image below where they seem to show the gooseneck "partially" un-attached to the trailer.

What you will need is to have some vehicle with which to back the caboose up on the trailer and perhaps some kind of ramps to make it easier getting it up on the load area. You may check with the hauler to see if he already has ramps. The image above shows ramps at the outer sides of the front, but I don't know if his trailer is just like this one or whether those ramps can be moved more to the center for loading. Then when you reach your destination, a vehicle is needed to pull the caboose off of the trailer and park it.

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 14th of January 2013 07:03:55 PM

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

be nice during teardown......you have to start at the top and come down trying to keep all exterior metal intact and try to keep each wall the same.......lots of pictures!! and numbering..........that way all replacement parts can be made to a replica of what was removed.

Have a little modular exspierience under my belt

http://newenglandhomes.net/factory_tour.cfm

-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Monday 14th of January 2013 08:25:48 PM

Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 14th of January 2013 08:46:59 PM

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well, there's still a few more days to go on Uship, but the low bid so far is $400 (plus fees) and the carrier's profile says he has a lowboy and a removeable gooseneck, whatever that is. That's about what I was hoping to spend, so maybe, just maybe, I'm actually going to get this thing home yet!

baysailor · RV-Dreams Family Member

hmmm maybe it will make the show

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well Im free from here at the end of the month unless it is life threatening.......have a few appointments to run back and forth for but if there is an AMTRAK nearby , be more than happy to put some of my yankee ingenuity and experience into helping out for a bit!!!!

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry and Jo wrote:
nightsky wrote:
Well, there's still a few more days to go on Uship, but the low bid so far is $400 (plus fees) and the carrier's profile says he has a lowboy and a removeable gooseneck, whatever that is. That's about what I was hoping to spend, so maybe, just maybe, I'm actually going to get this thing home yet!

A lowboy with removable gooseneck means that the center of the trailer sits lower in the middle than at the front and back. The removable gooseneck allows them to unhook from the trailer in some way and then load your trailer onto the low section from the front end. You can see in the drawing in the image below where they seem to show the gooseneck "partially" un-attached to the trailer.
What you will need is to have some vehicle with which to back the caboose up on the trailer and perhaps some kind of ramps to make it easier getting it up on the load area. You may check with the hauler to see if he already has ramps. The image above shows ramps at the outer sides of the front, but I don't know if his trailer is just like this one or whether those ramps can be moved more to the center for loading. Then when you reach your destination, a vehicle is needed to pull the caboose off of the trailer and park it.
Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 14th of January 2013 07:03:55 PM

Thanks for the info, Terry! If that's what he's got, that is awesome! I can push it/pull it to load and unload, but he did say he has a winch also.

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lucky Mike wrote:
Well Im free from here at the end of the month unless it is life threatening.......have a few appointments to run back and forth for but if there is an AMTRAK nearby , be more than happy to put some of my yankee ingenuity and experience into helping out for a bit!!!!

Once I get it home, the next issue is money. I spent a bit too much in December, and January is estimated tax month so right now I'm flat broke, and then it's the big scrimp-and-save to see if I can come up with enough to pay the taxes in April. Luckily the tear-down shouldn't cost anything! LOL

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

be nice during teardown......you have to start at the top and come down trying to keep all exterior metal intact and try to keep each wall the same.......lots of pictures!! and numbering..........that way all replacement parts can be made to a replica of what was removed.

nightsky · RV-Dreams Family Member

You don't want to just move in for a year (or two) until this thing is done, do you?? LOL

Oh, I'll be nice! And take TONS of photos! Another sort of urgent issue is where to store all the parts and pieces as they come off, I'm still working on that one.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Caryn,

Keep in mind that he may want to charge extra if loading and unloading takes longer than normal. While he may have a winch, it may still be tricky to guide the caboose so that it is centered on the lowboy. Likely the winch is on his truck, so if he uses that to pull the trailer up onto the lowboy, it will need to be long enough to reach from clear in the back of his lowboy. Plus, something will still need to be done to get the trailer close to the front of the lowboy for loading. He may not be able to drop his trailer front right in line with the caboose.

Terry