In some cases, “moving house” means literally moving the whole building. And the trailers used to carry these houses down the road happen to feature some pretty impressive design underneath.
New Zealand company Tidd Ross Todd (TRT) specializes in building gear for the transport and construction industries. The company is particularly adept at constructing special trailers for moving large structures, including houses and bridges. TRT likes to take on tough problems like these, as per the company’s motto: “Saying Sh*t Yeah since 1967.”
TRT’s house-moving trailers feature independent suspension across multiple axles, split across the left and right sides of the trailer. Calling it “suspension” is underselling it, though.
Each wheel has its own hydraulic ram and raises or lowers to meet the ground below. The entire trailer can be jacked up to clear obstacles, or to balance on rough ground. One side or the other can even be raised to allow the trailer to cut over hills.
The trailer also features steering on every axle. This can be controlled automatically via sensors in the trailer coupler, which respond to steering inputs by the driver in the cab.
Alternatively, the steering and hydraulics can be controlled manually by an operator with a remote control. This is typically used when navigating the trailer around a tight job site.
In this video of a recent move, we see a TRT trailer being employed to move a house. Careful hands on the controls help guide the trailer beneath the structure on a rugged and sloping site. Note how the wheels are raised and lowered as needed to keep the trailer level beneath the house.
All this hardware comes in handy when trying to move a house hundreds of kilometers across the country. It can help get the building over obstacles, reducing the requirement to remove street furniture throughout the route. Plus, having all the wheels being able to steer allows the trailer to make tighter corners, cutting travel time and making route planning easier.
Most of us would simply find another house or build a new one when it comes time to move. However, if you really want to take your home with you, you can always hire one of these trailers to get the job done.
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