Moving hot tub from NY to UT

[Radiochemista]

We have a 1 year old Bullfrog M8 hot tub. We love it!

Is moving it across country a good idea? How should I go about it? Any recommendations?

Should we just sell it instead?

All points of view are welcome!

 

[ajw22]

I say sell it.

Let's see what @RDspaguy says.

 

[Mdragger88]

We have a 1 year old Bullfrog M8 hot tub. We love it!

Is moving it across country a good idea? How should I go about it? Any recommendations?

Should we just sell it instead?

All points of view are welcome!

Depends on if you can afford to lol! They do take up a bit of space on the truck & you shouldn’t allow things to be stacked on the cover. Also not the easiest thing to move.
If its moved properly (gently & secured well) it shouldn’t be an issue. I wouldn’t allow them to pack it on its side but that’s just me. I know @RDspaguy puts them on their side sometimes but it’s usually for major repairs.
If you do this, When you get to your new home be sure to purge it with Ahhsome before use because it’s almost impossible to completely evacuate the lines & stuff can grow in the plumbing while in transit. I would probably just buy another one for a cross country move but that’s up to you really.
Edit to add: I would probably sell most all my large items rather than move them across the country YMMV.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Down the street to a new home … sure.

2,100 miles from NY to UT …. Uh, nope.

You won’t get close to what you paid for it, but that loss might be worth the headache of trying to fix a damaged hot tub from long distance transport.

I’d talk with the spa shop that you purchased the tub from and see what they say. They receive tubs all the time from manufacturers and so they may know of a transport service that could do the job.

 

[RDspaguy]

moving it across country a good idea?

No.

Should we just sell it instead?

Yes.
I love the easy questions.

 

[Radiochemista]

No.


Yes.
I love the easy questions.

My company is paying for the move. We could get it professionally winterized, put on a truck and shipped. We could hire hot tub installers to place it on the truck and remove it from the truck. Bullfrog comes from from UT so they somehow shipped it to NY. Why should I not be able to ship NY to UT?

We spent 17k for the tub- if we sell it, I imagine we would lose a lot of money on it. I contacted resellers but they are not getting back to me. I have a hard time believing I will be able to sell the hot tub locally (no tubs at all on craigslist, local FB marketplace, ebay). Are there other places I should try?

 

[proavia]

My company is paying for the move. We could get it professionally winterized, put on a truck and shipped. We could hire hot tub installers to place it on the truck and remove it from the truck. Bullfrog comes from from UT so they somehow shipped it to NY. Why should I not be able to ship NY to UT?

We spent 17k for the tub- if we sell it, I imagine we would lose a lot of money on it. I contacted resellers but they are not getting back to me. I have a hard time believing I will be able to sell the hot tub locally (no tubs at all on craigslist, local FB marketplace, ebay). Are there other places I should try?

Include it in the sellling price of the house?

 

[Newdude]

I have a hard time believing I will be able to sell the hot tub locally

It took me 18 months to sell my gently used tub here (suffolk) for 1/3 it's MSRP. On both marketplaces and apps, the market was stale for anyone trying. When I tried, everything for sale had been so for ages, then mine joined them.

But I've sold 150 bigger things and it's all about luck having the right person looking close to when you list it. I've had people just as thrilled to find my XYZ two years later as they were on day 3.

With your work paying for and insuring everything, I'd probably move it.

 

[Mdragger88]

If its on their dime & is that nice of a tub I’d go for it. Otherwise just sell it with the house as an amenity.
I have $2k tub so I won’t be moving mine across the country & would just get another one at costco

 

[Radiochemista]

Include it in the sellling price of the house?

We are under contract and the buyer doesn't want it!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

“Winterizing” is not the same as being shipped from the factory where they are assembled. At the factory, they will often add bracing, padding, and blocking to protect the frame from collapse and then they shrink the snot out of it to hold it all together. They have the lifts, cranes, and the pallet jacks to flip these thing around like hamburgers and move them. There’s no way some rando moving company is going to be able to do the same level of detail.

I would talk to the hot tub store where you got it from or even the manufacturer and see if they have any contacts for potentially moving it or prepping it for a move and then just be prepared to pay someone in UT a lot of money to get it started up and fix whatever breaks along the way. One of the biggest concern will be the acrylic shell cracking from some kind of stress event … if the shell cracks then that’s potentially a very expensive repair or a complete send-it-to-the-landfill killer.

 

[Newdude]

I would talk to the hot tub store where you got it from or even the manufacturer and see if they have any contacts for potentially moving it or prepping it for a move

If they are delivering spas from UT to NY, the same freight company would prefer to make money on the ride home to Utah IMO.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

If they are delivering spas from UT to NY, the same freight company would prefer to make money on the ride home to Utah IMO.

Yeah … I see a big, empty 25ft Yellow Freight truck screaming to be loaded up with a rando hot tub and paid a few thousand dollars for “white glove” door-to-door delivery service … which means they show up at the new place at 8pm, drop the bubble wrapped tub on the curb (upside down), snap a few selfies as proof of delivery and then high-tail out of there to the nearest bar to throw back a few local brews and throw some darts.

 

[RDspaguy]

My company is paying for the move.

Well why didn't you start with that?
If money is no object then go for it.
Yes, bullfrog shipped it on a truck with 7 others to your dealer, the cost of which was in the sale price. For you to get it hot-shotted across country will cost quite a bit more, which is the main reason I said not to.
You can indeed do as you suggest, just be aware that you may have some warranty coverage issues. I've never dealt with bullfrog on warranty so can't say for certain, but many brands will void warranty if the spa is moved by "unauthorized" movers or out of the service area of the original dealer.
So much for "easy".

 

[JJ_Tex]

I did a quick google and these guys specialize in moving spas from the tri-state area. It may be worth getting a quote:

Moving Hot Tubs and Spas - All American Van Lines Inc

Hot Tub and Spa Moving Jobs HOT TUBS AND SPAS All American Van lines is the largest spa and hot tub delivery firm in the tri state area. We are the only firm that has a spa delivery

allamericanvanlines.com

 

[phonedave]

First off, the spa came from Utah in the first place, so it has already made that journey.

Second, I would not contact Bullfrog about how to move it. I love my Bullfrog spa as well, but my friends had a horror story with theirs.

Bullfrog shipped theirs to the dealer, but on the way the truck got in an accident. Bullfrog ships their tubs FOB Utah. Meaning that the dealer takes ownership the second the truck leaves the Bullfrog dock.

The truck it was on got impounded, because it was in an accident, the tub was on the truck for weeks. Bullfrog was like - not our problem. Then when it was released, it was damaged. Again, Bullfrog said, not our problem, have the dealer fix it and then put in a warranty claim. My friends were concerned about damage they could not see. The dealer was trying to figure out how to pay for all of this on the hope that it would eventually be reimbursed by Bullfrog. It was just a mess all around.

But, if money is no object, then as @RDspaguy said, I would go with a Hotshot over LTL. One that maybe has a good reputation.

I mean, heck, if you can get your company to foot the bill, go FedEx Custom Critical.

 

[Radiochemista]

First off, the spa came from Utah in the first place, so it has already made that journey.

Second, I would not contact Bullfrog about how to move it. I love my Bullfrog spa as well, but my friends had a horror story with theirs.

Bullfrog shipped theirs to the dealer, but on the way the truck got in an accident. Bullfrog ships their tubs FOB Utah. Meaning that the dealer takes ownership the second the truck leaves the Bullfrog dock.

The truck it was on got impounded, because it was in an accident, the tub was on the truck for weeks. Bullfrog was like - not our problem. Then when it was released, it was damaged. Again, Bullfrog said, not our problem, have the dealer fix it and then put in a warranty claim. My friends were concerned about damage they could not see. The dealer was trying to figure out how to pay for all of this on the hope that it would eventually be reimbursed by Bullfrog. It was just a mess all around.

But, if money is no object, then as @RDspaguy said, I would go with a Hotshot over LTL. One that maybe has a good reputation.

I mean, heck, if you can get your company to foot the bill, go FedEx Custom Critical.

Thank you! Good tips

Stupid question: what's Hotshot and LTL?

 

[Mdragger88]

Thank you! Good tips

Stupid question: what's Hotshot and LTL?

LTL= less than truck load
Hot shots are independent folks (owner operators) with trailers that bid for hauling smaller or odd loads. They can have open or enclosed trailers, Big rigs or smaller trucks. Usually smaller trucks like duallys.

 

[ajw22]

Stupid question: what's Hotshot and LTL?

What is Hot Shot Trucking?

Learn about opportunities in hot shot trucking for owner-operators looking to make some extra money on the side.

truckstop.com

LTL = Less than Truck Load - Carriers who combine stuff from different customers into one truck to fill a truck. Other carriers charge you for the entire truckload even if you don't fill it up.

FedEx | System Down

 

[duraleigh]

My company is paying for the move.

That's quite helpful.........should help you in your decision, too.