What should you do before setting off on your Tiny House adventure?
A Tiny House is unlike any other. What makes it special is that it's mobile, thanks to its trailer and wheels! Whether you're moving a Tiny House on an occasional basis, or traveling with your little house on wheels, we recommend you follow a few simple steps to ensure your journey goes smoothly. Here are a few tips to help you prepare for a safe journey.
Enjoy your journey 🙂 !
Preparing the inside of your Tiny house before you move
The electrical system: what to do before setting off
Your Tiny House is connected to the electrical network:
- In the electrical panel, turn off the switches responsible for the various circuits,
- Then turn off the differential switch: it's the largest switch on the left.
- Unplug your Tiny House at the external power socket, near the drawbar, and replace the cover to protect it. Remember to take the power cable and an extension cord with you.
If your tiny house is equipped with solar panels, you'll need to take a few extra steps.
- When the photovoltaic array is on the roof, make sure the panels lie flat on the roof.
- The batteries need to be disconnected and removed from the system. Ideally, they should be placed in the towing vehicle, as this will considerably lighten the weight of your wheeled house. We remind you that the latter must not exceed 3.5 tons on its own.
As far as the refrigerator is concerned, we advise you to start it up a few hours after you've moved to your new parking spot, for reasons of gas and oil movement.
Gas: what to do before moving your tiny house?
- In the front trunk of your Tiny, close the gas supply valve (vertical copper pipe with valve). Remember: to close a valve, rotate the handle so that it's perpendicular to the pipe.
- Disconnect the cylinder from the pressure reducer and check that it is securely closed.
- Stabilize and secure the cylinder so that it cannot move or fall during the journey.
- In the tinyhouse, shut off all gas supplies using the valves located under each piece of equipment: hotplates, water heater, oven, etc.
Hydraulic installation: the right thing to do before setting off
- Turn off the water circuits by closing the water inlet valve under your Tiny. Remove the hose and take it with you.
- Turn off the cold water supply under your water heater.
- Open the taps in the tinyhouse to let the water run out of the pipes.
- Then drain the hot-water tank using the drain cock underneath. The water from the hot water tank will flow directly under the Tiny through the grey water drain.
- If you have installed a grey water drain pipe under the tiny house, remove it and put it away.
Is your Tiny house equipped with a water autonomy system?
- Turn off the pump using its on/off button.
- Switch off the power source via the electrical panel.
- Empty your tinyhouse's 325-litre tank. Connect a simple drain hose to the tank and open the drain valve. It's important to empty the tank on the drawbar for safety reasons.
- Also close all system valves (filters, pump, etc.).
Organize your equipment before departure
Tidy up and organize your belongings (objects, furniture, provisions, etc.) so that nothing moves during the journey.
- Stow as many personal belongings as possible, even in closed cupboards, to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
- Remember to lock drawers and furniture doors, and empty shelves to prevent breakage. If you don't have locking knobs, you can secure your drawers with string.
- Unhook or secure your Tiny house's ladders to prevent them from moving around during transport.
- As a precaution, you can stick protective felt under your furniture to protect the floor, and prop it up with a rug or plaid, for example.
- Get rid of excess weight: the Tiny House alone, not including the vehicle, must not exceed 3.5 tonnes.
Pay attention to balance: the weight must be evenly distributed. Don't load the tiller or the front trunk of your tinyhouse, as this could damage the tiller, and don't put all the weight on the rear of your tinyhouse, as this could cause the vehicle to overturn.
Here's a video showing the influence of weight distribution on driving.
Preparing the exterior of your tiny house
What to do to the facade, roof, doors and windows before moving the tiny house
Before moving your tiny house, remove any elements that could exceed the 2.55 m width. For example, check that you haven't forgotten any flowerpots, decorations or exterior wall lights you might have installed... Remember that the wall lights installed by Quadrapol are designed to be no wider than 2.55 m. So you can keep them on when you're on the road. So you can keep them on when you're on the road.
Next, check that your tinyhouse's windows and door are securely closed.
Finally, if your tinyhouse is equipped with a wood-burning stove, check that the flue cap does not exceed 4.3m. If so, you'll need to remove the cap for the duration of the journey.
The different stages for the trailer
When you're ready to hitch up your Tiny, remove the 4 stanchions. Remember to take them with you for your next installation. For convenience, store them in the vehicle towing your wheeled house.
Check tire pressure and re-inflate if necessary. Pressure should be between 4.1 and 4.5 bar. Also check that you have your spare tire and its pressure.
Use the key (or crank) to reassemble the landing gear, using the same system as for a jack. Retrieve the wheel chocks and stow them in the towing vehicle.
Adjust the height of the front of your trailer using the small front wheel (jockey wheel). This will enable you to hitch the tinyhouse to the towing vehicle's towing hook at the right height.
You'll find the various steps for attaching a trailer in this article.
Once the trailer is attached, don't forget to mount the jockey wheel and connect the traffic light socket. Once connected, check that the lights are working properly.
Before hitting the road
We remind you that a specific driving license is required to tow a tiny house.
Plan your route!
Check the roads and accesses you'll be using before you set off. This will help you avoid setbacks. You can use mobile applications such as Google Maps, Street View or even camping car or truck applications.
We advise you to prepare your itinerary by choosing your parking location in advance. Here are a few tips:
- Get in touch with the town halls where you will be staying/parking;
- Contact the campsites in your destination area;
- Or get in touch with private individuals offering plots of land (e.g. https://www.homecamper.fr/)!
Respect the speed limit
The speed limit for vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 3.5 tonnes, or for combinations of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of over 3.5 tonnes, with the exception of public transport vehicles, is :
- 90km/h on freeways ;
- 80 km/h on roads with priority status and marked as such. However, this maximum speed is raised to 90 km/h for vehicles with a total weight of 12 tonnes or less on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation;
- 80 km/h on other roads. However, this maximum speed is lowered to 60 km/h for articulated vehicles or vehicles with trailers whose total weight exceeds 12 tonnes.
- 50 km/h in built-up areas. However, this maximum speed is raised to 70 km/h on the Paris ring road.
Do you have a question or a tip? We look forward tohearing from you!
