In need of a creative way to move to the country

backwoodsdream · #1 09/23/12, 01:00 AM

Hi all! We are putting the finishing touches on our plan to move to North Idaho. We will (fingers crossed) close the week of Thanksgiving and will be ready to move from Arizona in December or January.

We need to move a 3 bdroom's worth, 2yr old, 4 yr old, 2 cats, a dog, a grumpy husband and lots of tools from Phoenix to rural North Idaho. We are keeping one SUV. We also have a hobby truck that I would like for hubby to be able to keep.

I thought we could buy a 40' storage container, load it up and have it delivered by truck or train. Evidently that is impossible without also owning a giant crane.

Uhaul is the least favorable option.

Every dollar spent is less that goes toward the new house project.

Does anybody have any creative ideas like backhaul or something? Would love to hear them. Thanks!

Stiffchick · #2 09/23/12, 01:26 AM

We are also trying to move from Phoenix and go back to NY. I have been thinking of Ideas to move some of our stuff cheap as well. I think you are in a better position than we are, going to Idaho. Have you thought of trying to contact some of the abundant snow birds we are going to have? There are a ton from Idaho, even from Canada. Maybe some of them will be willing to take small loads, or even pull your hobby truck for some money or even a barter of something? Do you have a yard with space you could rent or trade? Good luck and let me know what you come up with! when we go, we are going to sell everything we can, but keep our tools, trucks, pets and appliances.

dancingfatcat · #3 09/23/12, 04:19 AM

There are those PODS you fill and they deliver. good luck.

wogglebug · #4 09/23/12, 04:49 AM

A shipping container is generally a better deal, but you can also buy outdated truck trailers. They are generally shorter than what is now allowed, and the trucker's customers want to ship the max, so the older shorter trailers are outdated. However, they may suit you. You can get soft-side or hard, even insulated reefers (refrigerated). I've heard of the table-top from a soft-side later being used as a bridge over a creek or gully.

Helena · #5 09/23/12, 05:41 AM

Daughter did one of theose "ipod" trucks and was pleased with it. It was delivered a few daays after they actually arrived at their new home. So they made sure to pack the essentials in their own u-haul for all the extra stuff they would need on arrival at their new house. I hope the weather cooperates with you driving that time of year to Idaho..snow ?? Best of Luck !!

mrs whodunit · #6 09/23/12, 06:39 AM

Some people buy a huge horse trailer or cargo for the move and then sell after the move.

Depending where in Idaho you are moving to Uhaul or Budget would be your best bet. Just make sure you get a truck with really good tires for the trip. Been there done that. Rental truck was the cheapest option when we moved, Pods aren't in rural areas.

catahoula · #7 09/23/12, 07:17 AM

Hey nieghbor to be, Does the hobby truck run? would it make the trip loaded pulling a trailer? I hope winter doesn't make your move too difficult.

If it were me I would sell as much stuff as I could; try to pare it down to the two vehicles loaded pulling trailers. You'll probably get the most money for the kids, depending on how grumpy the husband is you might have to throw in the hobby truck to get him sold...I kid I kid.

OkieDavid · #8 09/23/12, 07:50 AM

Depending on how "grumpy" hubby is you may only have to move half the stuff. Moving is stressful enough with willing participants. Throw in a partner who isn't fully on board AND a move to snow country in the winter and you are looking a nightmare in the eyes.

Look in the yellow pages for the nearest trucking company to the area you are moving to. Contact them and see if they haul to Phoenix, if they occasionally "dead head" back to Idaho, there may be an option there to cheaply haul some stuff. We used to dead head back from New Orleans and whenever we could pick up a haul back load to offset some of the fuel cost we would jump on it.

Best of luck to you.

backwoodsdream · #9 09/23/12, 08:21 AM

Thanks everyone! Thanks OkieDave! Call the trucking companies up there, huh? Blondie here had it backwards.

Not looking forward to a winter move to the north....but i sure am excited to get going! Hubby is excited too, but I was just remembering moves and roadtrips of the past and dreading the eventual foul mood. We make a great team...but throw in our two little ones and it can get pretty crazy.

I don't want to do this... but it isn't feasable to sell everything, and we can't teleport.

Anymore advice on backhaul or deadback? How will they expect the cargo to be prepared?

Also... if I buy a truck trailer- who hauls it for me? I cannot seem to find any used for sale.

Also...none of our rigs will be used to pull anything. The only one we really need to keep is my 10yr old toyota 4runner. She will be my grocery gitter up there. I would rather ship her.

Living debt free is hard when something like this comes up! Totally worth it, though!

ronbre · #10 09/23/12, 09:01 AM

i agree, check out PODS

jonig99 · #11 09/23/12, 10:23 AM

Contact ABF otherwise known as U-PAck, they bring truck, you fill it, they drive and deliver it...you unpack and they pick empty truck back up. we did it 4 years ago, cheaper than u-haul when you add the price of gas in, go to www.upack.com for a free estimate

Dusky Beauty · #12 09/23/12, 10:28 AM

Good luck on the move! please send tree photos back for this Oregon girl stuck in the desert!

Molly Mckee · #13 09/23/12, 10:55 AM

Call or go to you local RR shipping office--if Burlington Northern- Santa Fe has an office call them. They can have a semi trailer delivered to your house, you load, they pick up and deliver to your new house. You can put the truck into it if there is room for it. It is the cheapest way to move. You will have to pay in cash up front.

oregon woodsmok · #14 09/23/12, 11:45 AM

OK. A couple of options. If you want to keep a 40 ft shipping container for storage on your new place, then buy the 40 ft container. Lease a tilt bed trailer for it. Park it, on the trailer, at your house and build a ramp to load it.

Have it hauled to the new place and unloaded from the trailer where you want it. You don't need a crane to off-load it. There is a specialized trailer for shipping containers that tilts up and they slide off.

You will have to contract with a freight carrier to haul the cargo trailer for you. If you do not want to keep the shipping container, then lease a container for the move and they will take it away again and you won't have to deal with it.

If you can fill a 40 foot cargo container, you are not going to make the move with just a U-Haul.

My son priced a U-Haul plus a car dolly, for his last move and it came to very close to the same price as a good 14 ft enclosed cargo trailer. So he bought the trailer and pulled it with his blazer. We use that trailer all the time. It was a good investment.

If you have enough stuff to fill a 40 ft container, and you don't get the shipping container, you are going to have to thin your stuff out considerably, or else make multiple trips.

oregon woodsmok · #15 09/23/12, 11:48 AM

Also worth a try: if you buy or lease the 40 foot container and do not fill it completely, sometimes you can sell the extra space to another family that is going in the same direction.

Call for prices, but PODS can cost as much for one pod as you would pay for an entire 20 ft shipping container.

frankva · #16 09/23/12, 12:00 PM

Another possibility. UHaul/Ryder/ some other type place might be looking to reposition fleet as you are moving in Winter.

Might just get lucky and find some driveaway type place that needs a boxtruck back up in the PNW.

Less you have to move the better. Don't be afraid to check shipping prices. Can even build a box/crate to get stuff shipped.

backwoodsdream · #17 09/23/12, 12:10 PM

I know the shipping containee would pay for itself twice over the next year. Would love the storage option on property while building house.

Btw- cost for sell most, rent penske– $3000 plus headache
Cost for abf upack - $4500 plus car and family

I know I am totally pennypinching... but I would rather give $3k to a trucker who is going that way anyway and fit it all in one haul without selling it all off.

coolrunnin · #18 09/23/12, 12:12 PM

I would have to agree with the idea of buying a pickup/trailer combo in Arizona using it for the move and selling in Idaho.

My thinking is a rust free Arizona vehicle will bring a premium in Idaho, just not sure you can get anything big enough to haul all your goods in one trip.

bajiay · #19 09/23/12, 12:20 PM

When we moved from Utah to Idaho, one of our friends worked for a smaller trucking company. His boss let him move us, using a 53 foot semi, and charged us $1000 each way. The ranch we were moving to paid half of our moving costs. Uhaul and others quoted us $7000. He showed up the night before, all of our friends came and helped us load up, and we left the next morning.

Know anyone that drives truck?

stef · #20 09/23/12, 12:28 PM

You've already touched on this slightly, but I wonder if you would reconsider looking at your belongings again and being willing to just get rid of more stuff?

I have moved numerous times, dragging items from one place to another. Each time I ended up thinking 'why did I hang on to this?'. If you haven't used it in a year, clothes, furniture, toys, food, dishes, pots and pans, paperwork, book, magazines, electronic equipment, tools, etc. the odds are likely you won't use it again in the future.

With yard sales, second hand shops, Ebay, Craig's list, if you should need anything down the line, you could replace it for cheap and save yourself the work and expense on this end.