Mobile Home Tie-Downs: Retrofits & Replacement

Why re-anchor a mobile home?

Many older manufactured homes were anchored to the standards of their day, and straps rust, loosen, and get cut over the years. We bring your anchoring system up to current Florida installation standards (Florida Administrative Code Rule 15C-1) for your home’s size and wind zone.

Most of our tie-down work starts for one of three reasons: an insurer wants a tie-down inspection, a home is being bought or sold, or the owner wants the home ready for hurricane season. Whatever the reason, the fix is the same: a complete, properly tensioned anchoring system.

What Florida requires for manufactured home tie-downs

Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles sets installation standards for new and used mobile and manufactured homes in Chapter 15C-1 of the Florida Administrative Code. Among other things, the anchor and tie-down rule calls for:

• Diagonal frame ties spaced no farther apart than 5 feet 4 inches on center, with anchors placed within 2 feet of each end of the home.
• Longitudinal tie-downs or another approved longitudinal stabilizing system, designed to resist wind on the ends of the home, in addition to the side-wall and marriage-wall anchoring.
• Centerline ties on every multi-section home, including a tie within 2 feet of each end of each section.
• Approved components only: anchors, piers and tie-down parts must be tested, listed and approved by the department and installed to the manufacturer’s instructions, with auger anchors set according to the soil classification.

Your home’s manufacturer setup manual can add requirements of its own. We follow whichever applies to your home.

Sources: Rule 15C-1.0104, F.A.C.; Rule 15C-1.0102, F.A.C.

Mobile home anchors: older homes vs. newer homes

Florida’s rule sets two anchor ratings. Homes manufactured before July 13, 1994 use Type I anchors tested to a 3,150-pound working load; homes manufactured after that date use Type II anchors tested to a 4,000-pound working load. July 13, 1994 is the date HUD adopted the tougher ANSI/ASCE 7-88 wind standard for manufactured homes.

Your home’s data plate also shows the HUD wind zone it was designed for. Fourteen Florida counties are in Wind Zone III and the rest of the state is in Wind Zone II, and a home can’t be installed in a higher wind zone than its data plate allows. See the FAQ for the county list.

Sources: Rule 15C-1.0104, F.A.C.; s. 627.0629, F.S.; 24 CFR 3280.305; 24 CFR 3285.103

What a tie-down replacement includes

• New ground anchors sized for your soil and spaced to code
• Replacement of rusted, frayed, loose, or missing frame straps
• Longitudinal stabilizing systems to stop end-to-end movement (many older installs never had them)
• Marriage-line anchoring on double- and triple-wides
• Every strap re-tensioned, checked, and photographed

Because a home that’s out of level puts uneven loads on its straps, we check level at the same time and can relevel your mobile home before the final tensioning.

Start with a free tie-down inspection

We look at every anchor, strap and connection, check for a longitudinal system and centerline ties, take level readings, and photograph what we find. You get a clear picture of what your home needs before any work starts. Here’s what the free inspection covers.

Mobile home tie-downs across Florida

We’re Florida-based and serve all of Florida. A few of the areas we cover:

• Mobile home tie-downs in Ocala, FL
• Mobile home tie-downs in Gainesville, FL
• Mobile home tie-downs in Tampa, FL
• Mobile home tie-downs in Fort Myers, FL
• Mobile home tie-downs in Jacksonville, FL
• Mobile home tie-downs in Pensacola, FL

See every area we serve →

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