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Moving services: Pods vs U-Box vs ?

Discussion in 'General' started by shakazulu12, Feb 22, 2022.

  1. shakazulu12

    shakazulu12 Well-Known Member

    All right, going from Portland to Phoenix. 2400 square foot house with lots of stuff. Starting to collect quotes etc. Anyone with a preference for one company over the other or other alternatives? PODs is saying two of the 16 footers. U-Box is saying 6 containers. Both ending up around the same price.
     
  2. beac83

    beac83 "My safeword is bananna"

    Bury some air tags in the boxes so you can track your stuff.

    Seriously, a few friends have done the cross country move. All have been eff'd over by their movers. Extra fees, breakage, "lost" items, delivery delays, etc.

    Their advice is to sell/toss as much stuff as you can part with, and replace in the new home. Take only that stuff that can't be replaced.
     
    Gorilla George and shakazulu12 like this.
  3. shakazulu12

    shakazulu12 Well-Known Member

    Didn't even think about things like air tags. That's good info. Other option I think is I could just buy an 8x20 trailer and haul it behind the van. Then sell the trailer once I get there. Just the drive ends up being a major pain in my ass.
     
    Phl218 likes this.
  4. Steak Travis

    Steak Travis Well-Known Member

    I'm about to move too.Trailer idea isn't a bad one hrmmmmm
     
  5. Nick_OMC

    Nick_OMC Will crash your bike

    We used ABF U-Pack back in 2017 and ended up nearly filling a 20' truck. I think the cost was somewhere in the neighborhood of the $2,xxx area.
     
    Senna likes this.
  6. R1M370

    R1M370 Dr. P Ness

    Two Men and a Truck moving service gets it done.
     
    RichMangus likes this.
  7. shakazulu12

    shakazulu12 Well-Known Member

    Quick scan of CL reveals trailers are now made of platinum just like everything else. Though I may reach out to the riding community and see who has one sitting around that they just haven't bothered to get rid of yet.
     
  8. jrsamples

    jrsamples Banned

    Sounds like you are mostly DIY with loading.

    So two options:

    My daughter used PODS from Wilmington to St. Louis without a hitch.

    I arranged an owner operator (18 wheeler box 53' box trailer) to come to my cousin's home in Chicago & transport her stuff to Asheville. I built her a ramp. She only had to pay the truckers per mile rate. Saved her a lot. For my help she made me a bologna sandwich.
     
    Phl218 likes this.
  9. Jedb

    Jedb Professional Novice :-)

    There are some companies that do "Less Than Full" loads inside a semi-trailer. You have XZY feet of space in the trailer. They drop the trailer off at your house. You load it up, then it shows up at the far side and you unload it. Did that when my Ex moved to my house in Portland, and a year later when her mom moved up to King City retirement community.

    It was pretty easy and I'm sure if you hire a couple of guys from Home Depot, the heavy loading will be easy.

    Some options. We used ABF

    Top 10 LTL Freight Companies
    • FedEx Freight.
    • YRC Freight.
    • XPO.
    • Old Dominion.
    • TForce Freight.
    • Estes.
    • ABF Freight.
    • R+L Carriers.
     
    shakazulu12 likes this.
  10. ChemGuy

    ChemGuy Harden The F%@# Up!

    Arent you in the service? DITY move...do they still call it that...and make some $$$.

    Rent 26 box truck and car trailer. Load up truck and POV. Drive. Collect $$ as your costs are probably lower than what Uncle Sugar would have paid to have your stuff hauled.
     
    auminer and ducnut like this.
  11. Hooper

    Hooper Well-Known Member

    This is a timely thread. I am using PODS to move my stuff from San Jose to the RGV in Texas. While still quite expensive it was also the cheapest option of all that I explored. It also is going to work logistically better than most of the other options with me driving my truck to TX with a few suitcases full of clothes and a sizeable tub in the bed with some useful odds and ends departing CA a few weeks after the POD has been picked up. I did end up going with the 16' because I'm almost certain that the 8' pod would just be a little too small. The 12' pod would probably be perfect for me but I was told that those are for local moves only. The total price probably would not have been that much cheaper with the 8' anyway because the majority of it is the transportation fee. And I would rather have a packed pod with room to spare than a pod that just can't hold all of my stuff.
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2022
  12. shakazulu12

    shakazulu12 Well-Known Member

    Definitely will check this out. And yeah, I was going to get some labor for the lifting.


    Not in the service unfortunately.
     
  13. Hooper

    Hooper Well-Known Member

    I have actually found the U-haul website to be pretty helpful as well. I have already bought some moving supplies through them (various boxes and packing materials) as well as one of those convertible hand-trucks for a better price than what I found on Amazon. I have a U-haul place just up the road from me so I just paid for everything online and used in-store pickup.

    I also used their Moving Labor tab to find and book a couple of guys for a couple of hours to actually load my heavy stuff in the POD. Not as cheap as the guys at Home Depot but these guys actually have reviews and speak good English. :D
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2022
  14. rd49

    rd49 Well-Known Member

    For boxes, look on Craigslist. People who pay for full service moves, sell them for pennies on the dollar. They will usually have a full range of sizes, wardrobes, TV boxes, etc.
     
  15. YamahaRick

    YamahaRick Yamaha Two Stroke Czar

    I found PODS' pricing to be out-of-this-world high. But I'm cheap.

    I have no idea if this is possible, but if I were moving X-county, I'd:

    1. Locate 20 or 40' container, and have it brought to my home.

    2. Self-pack everything in boxes, so you know it was done right. Use pre-printed labels to ID where the box needs to go at the destination. You can create these yourself.

    3. With your own container, you can put things like Zumas and lawnmowers in there (I think). Certainly refrigerator, freezer, washer and dryer, etc. As mentioned above, be sure to toss in one of those iFruit tracking thingies. And you can put your lock on the container's door.

    4. Ship to new location and empty.

    5. Sell container or have new secure garage for "stuff."
     
  16. shakazulu12

    shakazulu12 Well-Known Member

    I've used the Uhaul contracted folks to load up past moves, would definitely do again. Though my GF is Mexican, so if we can get it cheaper and I don't actually have to talk to them........

    Way ahead of you on this one. I'm mostly just comparing the services to actually deliver the stuff.
    My only issue here is HOA's etc. We will definitely be packing and labeling everything ourselves. The rest of the moving will be hired out though. Too lazy to get that involved these days.
     
  17. Jedb

    Jedb Professional Novice :-)

    Why would an HOA be an issue when you are moving? Can't you give them notice of a delivery date and an expectation when you'll be done?
    Additionally with the ABF partial trailer thing, they give you a time frame and if you are done early, they come get it earlier.

    Let me know if any of that ammo's too heavy for you to move. I'll come get it.
     
    auminer likes this.
  18. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    like a connex box???
     
  19. Hooper

    Hooper Well-Known Member

    My DIL is Mexican-American and I'm moving into a house near her hometown that she and my son bought. So I already have labor lined up to unload the POD when it gets there. :D
     
    shakazulu12 likes this.
  20. ChemGuy

    ChemGuy Harden The F%@# Up!

    Oh and congrats on getting out of the commie hell hole that is pOrT-LAnd. While PHX is not my favorite place (Summer), I would live a lifetime of August's there vs 1 month in $hitland.

    Every since the Rhienlander closed I have no desire to even look at that state. Mmmmm....... saurbrauten mit rotkohl....
     
    shakazulu12 likes this.

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