Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are planning a move of about 600 miles in the near future. In addition, we have some furniture that needs to be moved 1,000 miles to our kid's homes.
I checked out pricing on rental trailers and trucks from several sources. I am now thinking of buying a used 16 foot enclosed cargo trailer to use for these moves. My thought is that I can buy the trailer, use it for several months to complete the moves, and then resell it on craig's list. Even if I take a $500 hit on the resale, I estimate I can save over $1,000 versus rentals. The other advantage is we can move in stages, taking our time, and put things in storage at the new location for us.
Has anyone else ever done this? If so, how did it work out? Are there any downside to this plan?
We are planning a move of about 600 miles in the near future.
In addition, we have some furniture that needs to be moved 1,000 miles to our kid's homes.
I checked out pricing on rental trailers...
1) DUAL wheels only.
2) Contact trailer dealers near where the kids live.
Tell them the plan and desire to leave it in their town at end of trip.
We did this years ago to move our bikes. Will you be able to store the trailer securely at both ends of the trip? 500 depreciation is probably not a realistic number.
We would be doing one move to Philadelphia for the kids and then several moves of about 450-500 miles from our current home to the new location. We want to sell our current home before buying a new one. We may end up in rental for a while while we look at homes for sale.
We have a place for the trailer at home, not sure about when we move. We could also rent an outdoor space. I thought we could use the trailer as storage space for awhile if we had to rent.
The biggest benefit is being able to move things when we want without doing multiple trailer and/or truck rentals. We also have 4 motorcycles that the trailer can be used to move.
Could be a good idea; I found my cargo trailer useful and the great thing is: NO time limit!
You can take weeks to pack it gradually rather than playing Beat-The-Clock.
Cargo trailers are in demand many places; check the resale prices in the area you plan to sell it.
Another benefit is you know what kind of shape the wiring, brakes etc are in before rolling instead of the dart throw with rented trailers (Did a Maine-to-Florida winter move with a U-haul whose wiring I repaired repeatedly).
Thanks for your responses. I went ahead and made a committment to buy the used 16' cargo trailer. I know some of the history on the trailer and the brakes, tires, and lights are all in good condition.
I really like the idea that we can move when we want in smaller chunks. I have been looking at the used trailer market where we are moving and it is similar to where we currently live.
I will provide some feedback on how it all worked for us when we have completed the move.
We completed our move 2 years ago and I saw I never updated this thread.
We bought a used 26’ enclosed dual axle cargo trailer for $2,000. I had to put two new tires on it and replace one wheel bearing. The cost to do this was approximately $450.
We used the trailer for 18 months and made multiple moves to our new location. It worked out great! We also used the trailer to move Amish furniture from northern Indiana to Eastern TN.
I sold the trailer after 2 years of use for $1,800. Total cost to move was $650.
One other thing we did which worked out well was to solicit used moving boxes from neighbors in the old neighborhood starting 2 years before our move. We collected enough boxes of different sizes to complete our move. I sold the boxes in our new location for $35.
We completed our move 2 years ago and I saw I never updated this thread.
We bought a used 26’ enclosed dual axle cargo trailer for $2,000. I had to put two new tires on it and replace one wheel bearing. The cost to do this was approximately $450.
We used the trailer for 18 months and made multiple moves to our new location. It worked out great! We also used the trailer to move Amish furniture from northern Indiana to Eastern TN.
I sold the trailer after 2 years of use for $1,800. Total cost to move was $650.
One other thing we did which worked out well was to solicit used moving boxes from neighbors in the old neighborhood starting 2 years before our move. We collected enough boxes of different sizes to complete our move. I sold the boxes in our new location for $35.
Good job
I am doing the same except I bought a new trailer. People out here don't sell them much, just keep them for storage. I still figure that I will come out way ahead when I sell mine. My move is 1600 miles.
We completed our move 2 years ago and I saw I never updated this thread.
We bought a used 26’ enclosed dual axle cargo trailer for $2,000. I had to put two new tires on it and replace one wheel bearing. The cost to do this was approximately $450.
We used the trailer for 18 months and made multiple moves to our new location. It worked out great! We also used the trailer to move Amish furniture from northern Indiana to Eastern TN.
I sold the trailer after 2 years of use for $1,800. Total cost to move was $650.
One other thing we did which worked out well was to solicit used moving boxes from neighbors in the old neighborhood starting 2 years before our move. We collected enough boxes of different sizes to complete our move. I sold the boxes in our new location for $35.
Very smart move.
About seven years ago I bought a small used enclosed Haulmark trailer, to move to a farm, kept the trailer for about a year, then sold it for $600 more than I gave for it.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
