In Central VA., I'm looking for the cheapest company or other way to relocate a 10'x20' shed approx. 20 miles.

Question

Is this too large for a tow-truck (roll-back)? If I chose to use a shed sales company, would they nail me for the fees because I'm not buying a shed from them? What's the most economical way to relocate? There isn't even any highways to travel, it's all back-roads...

Answer 1

I have moved 2, the first one I jacked it up and put a trailer axle and wheels under one end and made a tongue for the other, pulled it with a tractor.

The last one which worked a lot better. I borrowed a 16 ft flat bed trailer. Borrowed 2, 4X6 timbers 12 ft. Cut holes to fit the 4 X6`s two to a side, had a couple of pcs of half inch ply board, cut them in too, used sheet rock screws and beefed up the sides where the 4 X 6`s were going thru. The trailer was 18 inch's high but the tires were about 29, so I did a little calculating, I had to jack the front end 30 inches off the ground to clear the tires, but after I backed the trailer under the bldg. and let it off the jacks, the building cleared the ground by about a foot. Chained the 4X6`s to the trailer, Sun morning just after day lite, we took a ride. Had 6 miles of black top and the other 10 was gravel, never met any one.

Answer 2

To start with, my first question would be is the "shed" as you call it, even worth the moving cost????????
The next question would be, do you have any tools, jacks, saws, drill, drill bits, etc., that you own or can borrow???????
Third question is are you the type of person that can do the labor involved in getting it ready to move.

With that said, "IF" and I mean "IF" , all the answers to the questions above are yes, then the cheapest way would be to buy two ruf cut 22 foot 6" x 6"s from a local sawmill. And then bolt them to the bottom of it with 3/8" x 10" lag bolts into each and every floor joist with the 6x6's spaced about 6 feet apart.
Then buy a used mobile home axle and tongue. Rent the wheels and tires from a mobile home dealer, because they are too expensive but the axle and tongue can be bought for nearly junk iron cost in most areas.
I can buy them here for 100 bucks for both of them with a little searching.
I got paid 150 bucks one time to take them off and haul them away, and I needed them, lol.
The U-bolts on the springs will lossen up so you can slide them to fit the 6x6's. Bolt the tongue onto the extra 2 feet sticking out, hook up and take off. Anyone with a full size pickup.
Now I want to twll you, this is a very dangerious job, if you are not the type of person to be able to do it. You'll need to jack it up and stake block to set it back down on or dig out so you can slide the axle under it. And you must be very careful, or you can get yourself killed in a heart beat. If a load like this falls, it would squash you like a pancake.
If you don't have the abillities to do the work, find some one that is and pay them a 100 or 150 bucks to do it. A building isn't worth you getting killed over.

It would be a lot easier, and according to where you live, to have someone with a small crane and lowboy trailer to move it for you. They can strap it off and pick it up and set it on and off the trailer but that would probably cost you 200 bucks or so, but atleast you would have some one there that truely knows what he is doing.
They will charge by the hour so the faster you figure out how to help him and do so, the less it will cost you.

My last advice would be to see if there is any Mormans in the area. Most of them build buildings like this to sale and move them all the time. And they are good and very reasonable with the prices they charge.
I hope this helps and I hope I get a best answer also, lol.
God bless
Dennis

By the way. I live in Danville, Va. Should be about 100 miles due south of you, lol.

Answer 3

I can't know if any answerers are in Central VA or not, and certainly the first 3 all give valid answers.

I guess my first questions to you would be, what is the construction of the "shed" AND what is its value to you?

Certainly to rent anything large enough to haul a 10 x 20 wouldn't be cheap, and might still involve as much labor from you as disassembly/reassembly.

The back roads option might still mean some difficulties. I have no clue about road laws in VA but something 10 ft wide where I live might need a permit to move. It's worth an inquiry at least, before you begin. 20 miles may seem a short distance until you're actually on the road with a structure.

Steven Wolf

Answer 4

I had to move two years ago and found the local tow-truck service(had a large flatbed wrecker), was the least expensive. Ours was a 10x15.

Answer 5

I would think the most economical way would be to disassemble the shed and carry it over in pieces, especially on the kinds of roads you describe.