Moving a home in winter

Winter moves are routine across most of our coverage. In the mountain states they are a planning exercise, and the constraints are worth understanding before you commit to a date.

Passes close to oversize loads first

A pass that is open to cars is frequently closed to oversize loads, and the restriction is not always published in advance. Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon all run seasonal restrictions that can add hundreds of miles to a route or hold a load for days.

Spring thaw is worse than winter

Counterintuitively, the hardest window is not January. It is the thaw. When frost comes out of the ground, secondary roads soften and states impose weight restrictions that shut them to heavy loads entirely, often for six weeks. Frozen ground is firm ground.

Pad work is the real constraint

You cannot compact frozen ground properly and you cannot pour footings into it. If the destination needs a new pad, that work has to happen before the ground freezes or after it thaws. The haul is flexible; the pad is not.

Wind holds more loads than snow

Every oversize permit carries a wind restriction. A double-wide side-on is an enormous sail, and the threshold is lower than people expect. Most of our winter delays are wind, not snow, and we do not negotiate them.