LUBBOCK, Texas – At Hindman Ready Built Homes, the annual structural mover’s convention joins great minds to watch demonstrations and brainstorm new ideas.
Hydraulics technology has been used for lifting and transporting homes since the 1940s, and with it, it’s possible to move just about anything.
Mike Hindman, a third-generation mover and vice president of Hindman Ready Built Homes, puts on the convention each year with his team, except it was canceled last year due to COVID. However, Friday morning, many gathered to watch how it was all done.
“We like to learn from other movers, how they do stuff and kind of merge all that together and learn new tips, techniques, and just tricks of the trade,” Hindman said.
Edgar Dodson is another third-generation mover from San Antonio. He attends the convention each year and enjoys taking what he learns back to South Texas.
He said, “One of the good things is we will utilize, and take the ideas that we pick up here, and we will take them back to South Texas and implement them.”
Unfortunately, both Hindman and Dodson agree the business is dwindling.
Dodson guessed there were around 500 house movers across the state of Texas at one point, but today there are only about 100.
“It’s just kind of a dying trade. I think that if we could push more people to that, it would really benefit everyone,” Hindman said.
To learn more about ready-built homes and get involved in the business, Hindman suggests starting small, getting involved with a trade, and learning from those who have been in the industry for a long time.
