Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

When it just doesn't fit anywhere else.
clutch
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by clutch »

T1- The short version is no i didn't finish school and no i haven't technically been "working" as in having a job with a paycheck. Long version 2015 i had my mental health issues to the point i wasn't even wanting to leave my apartment i had that much anxiety. So by mid 2015 i had quit college, ever since i have been getting things turned around between my physical and mental health. Also last year i was going to have gastric bypass but i backed out on that and i'm glad i did. It would have helped but mentally i wasn't ready for it. So now come up to end of 2016 and my friend i'm staying with now basically sent me a text one morning and told me pack your stuff, i'm heading to Ohio to get you for thanksgiving before you go back off the rails. So came out here and loved it. Then went back to Ohio, it was somewhat better but the trip made me realize atleast right now my family and i need space. So that's why i'm here now, well that and my friend had major surgery.

Neto- Yeah i'm a bit hesitant on the Journey. Between the weight of the vehicle and the trailer i just don't like the idea. As for the automatic i agree i prefer stick for towing but my friend has her back fused at L5 and S1 and she can't drive stick anymore. In regards to the V6 i was amazed at what my 97 Ranger could do with the 3.0 in it. It was automatic and rear wheel drive but that thing a couple times between the truck and trailer combo i would have been over weight. It handled like a dream though. Though it was on 31 inch all terrains, with lift blocks, and the rear end i swapped in had 4.10 gears in it. So it wasn't fully "stock". As for the trailer from uhaul it's tandem axle but the way uhauls are built on their large trailers like that they have a surge brake system. Never really looked into how it works. All i know is it's not bad but anything over the size of their biggest which is the 6x12 trailer i wouldn't want to use that type of brake setup. If things go according to plan and i get this job i can save up and buy a vehicle. Which if i do that i have been eyeing a full size truck or possibly a suburban or expedition.
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clutch
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by clutch »

Well good news. We have an F150 Super Crew cab with a 4.6L V8 and 4 wheel drive with only 130,000 or so miles on it. We are waiting on a few minor things for the dealer to fix so it will pass inspection but we got it. All i can say is for this to happen it had to be God, a tiny bit of luck, and a friend who has a ton of trust and faith in me. She went and got a second car loan just so we would have a solid vehicle to get to Ohio and back and i would have one for work. That being said it's a win for her too because now she will have something to haul stuff with, take stuff to the dump, and pull a trailer or log splitter if needed and not have to always ask her dad, also 4 wheel drive in the winter will be nice. So i guess it's finally happening like people have told me and i kept telling my parents eventually things will fall into place when the time is right and apparently that time is now. All i know is it felt good when my friend showed that much trust in me, though it also scares me just a bit but if it didn't i would be worried. So now that the vehicle is secured we just have to get a reciever hitch installed, it has a bumper hitch and 4 way flat but if i want to pull a 6x12 i'm going to need a reciever hitch. So over all things are looking good. Feels nice when things finally go right for a change.
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Peregrino
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by Peregrino »

Sounds like a good plan. Here's a few of my suggestions based on my U-haul rental experiences.

You probably want to make sure your receiver hitch is at least a class 3, preferably a class 4. Some U-haul dealers can be really picky about your hitch when you rent a trailer.

The 4 way flat should be just what you need for the trailer. My truck had the 7 pin RV plug so I had to adapt it to the 4 pin flat when I rented from U-haul. It would be a good idea to check all the pins, including the ground, with a test light before you pick up the trailer. The dealer probably won't let you take the trailer if the lights aren't all working.

The​ trailers I've rented had surge brakes so you won't need a controller. I never had any issues with the trailers, the ones they gave me were always well maintained and ready to roll. Good luck with your move. :wave:
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Josh
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by Josh »

After moving a few times, I found the easiest plan was to have as little stuff as possible and/or sell things at my origin and buy them on Craigslist at my destination.

I did a move from San Diego to Hartville, Ohio with a wife and baby entirely via checked bags on flights (at the time we could take 3 bags 70 lbs each) plus a few boxes shipped via UPS.
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temporal1
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by temporal1 »

wow, clutch, things are working out!
reading about your trip reminds of some moves, including cross-country moves, we made (at your age) - when i remember, all i can say is, "ignorance was bliss!" .. if we had known better then, we would not have tried!

we didn't, we did it, and, enjoyed the journey(s.) :lol:
great memories.

flying was not on our radar then, nor were trains (for moving.)
however, train freight IS something to consider. i've thot about it for sending boxes to my family, but have not acted on it.

everything we did was by some sort of personal vehicle, once, a small Nissan coupe pulling a good-sized U-Haul .. probably not legal today. this was coast-to-coast. much of our trip was "pushing" the car to do 40mph! .. she did it! and ran like a top for years after. that was a good car.

we often felt like we were "peddaling" along. but, she made it!
we would stop at campgrounds to shower along the way. in those days, stopping for a shower was ok, for a couple of dollars.

coast to coast gas was probably $50, maybe less.
we loved to stop at mom+pop restaurants along the way, a full meal with drink and home made pie was often $3.

the good ol' days. 8-)
i would love for my grown children to experience such a trip.
they are so bogged down with work+life, i don't see it happening. :(
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clutch
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by clutch »

Kind of reminds me of my trip to Wisconsin in 2010. My then girlfriends dad had the i think it was a dodge 2500 crew cab company truck pulling a trailer. Well he was doing 80+ mph how on earth that trailer didn't have issues i don't know, it was quite small. Though he ddid blow a tire near Indianapolis. Anyways there he is flying along and getting mad at me because i'm pushing my ranger on 31 inch tires as hard as i can to even do 60-65 mph. So yep he kept getting mad at me for puttering along and having to stop every 200 to 250 miles to fuel up. Learned a lot from that trip, like never trust your then girlfriends dad when he tries to sell you a trailer that has been at the bottom of the horse pasture for years. Needless to say Somewhere near Wisconsin Dells i realized i lost the drivers side tire on the trailer because it sheared the hub and bearing off. Sad thing is it was such a small trailer it was doing fine on one tire. That being said nothing beats the trip in 09 of frying the rangers alternator and having to change it in autozones lot. Atleast on the way back to New Hampshire we will be running with all my tools and keep those near the back of the trailer by the door in case anything goes wrong. Murphy's law is an old friend of my family on both sides. :lol:
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ohio jones
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by ohio jones »

Josh wrote:After moving a few times, I found the easiest plan was to have as little stuff as possible and/or sell things at my origin and buy them on Craigslist at my destination.
I have always been intrigued by John Freyer's approach (though not motivated to copy the strategy):
All My Life For Sale
update from a dozen years later
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clutch
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by clutch »

Well the move is done. That's the short story. Long version from about the last post on to now life has been absolutely nuts. We got the truck, had some issues with inspection, fixed those. July 2nd i ended up in the emergency room for potential heart issues, still sorting that out. A week later i was in a different ER after having what may have been a seizure. Still sorting that out too. Then during all that my back was out and i was in extreme pain. So take all that, add in the fine folks at Lund sending me the wrong nerf bars for our truck and me not realizing it till i wasted 8 hours fighting it, and not getting the resse hitch on until the night before i was supposed to pick up the trailer in ohio along with our little saving money by staying in cabins at a campground and state park idea going bad and you had a crazy trip. Ohh and throw in a 1 year old lab,pitbull, weimeraner mix and a long haried miniature dauchsund riding 1800+ miles and it was nuts.

The good though is i think it really helped start things changing with my family. Granted there was a lot of tension and aruging a couple times because of the cabin incident and whatnot but after it was all said and done we left on a good note. Also had quite a few surprises too. My grandpa who generally when he is visitng from California hardly says a word to me actually had a meaningful and serious conversation with me. Then my dad actually took a whole day off work to help get the trailer loaded and sort financial issues out, which again was shocking. So overall it worked out fairly well and i think i made the right choice. I will say i hated leaving my dog Karl back in Ohio with my parents but after seeing how much he is slowing down being 15 it was best to not move him this far.

One last bit here. On the way back we decided to stay at hotels. We said forget the camping and cabin stuff. Well my dear friend who i will say was trying to be helpful and save money booked us a room in Clarion, PA at a Motel 6. Well we pull up and the place seems sketchy. My friend checks in and we get our keys. Well we go around the back and go to enter and first thing we notice is no key is needed to enter the building, only for your room. Then as we walk in there is an odd smell, outdated carpet and walls, then to my right is a couple sets of heavy fire doors and signs on them saying that wing is closed. So weird but we were exhausted and were gonna stay in our room. Until we get in and between my friend, myself, and the two dogs we were freaked out big time. Especially when i notice a burn hole from a ciggarette in the blanket on my bed and my friend was afraid to even change clothes or pull the blankets back for fear of catching something. The finaly straw was after i come in from moving the truck to a better lit spot and i hear what sounds like in one room some type of illegal activity going on and the room across from ours a guy walks and looks like he was very intoxicated. Needless to say we left and got our money back. So the lesson stay away from the Clarion,Pa motel 6. However if in the area the Holiday Inn Express is great. Thankfully after that the trip was fairly uneventful except for clipping a jersey barrier with the passenger side front of the truck, no damage thankfully. Then about 4 hours from home we blew a uhaul trailer tire. Then to top it all off my friend got the truck and trailer stuck in her back yard thanks to the former chicken pen enclosure in the middle of the yard and a couple apple trees. Also it diidnt help she is stuboorn like i am and wouldn't let me jusst do the backing of the trailer to begin with. :lol: So to end the saga it all went well, we are doing ok just a bit tight on money but that will balance out soon with my first pay check on the 11th thanks to the job her friend helped me get at advance auto parts. Anyways i just wanted to update the whole situation since i finally got a chance to, i started work on the 28th of july and it has been crazy ever since. I'm supposed to be 30-40 hours a week and i think last week i had probably 50 and this week i'm scheduled for 35 but that could change. Any who that's where things are and sorry i didn't update sooner for those who may have been wondering how the move went.
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temporal1
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Re: Moving Cross Country (roughly 900 or so miles)

Post by temporal1 »

please do take care of yourself. you push yourself so hard.
glad your move is complete, and, you've got a job!
looking forward to more updates as you settle in and adjust. :D
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Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.


”We’re all just walking each other home.”
UNKNOWN
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