Moving the trailer without your TV?

[Groomporter]

Since the snowblower worked so well even with the cheap wheel of the tongue jack rolling on the ground (see video link above) I think the only other thing I'll need is some sort of simple dolly for the tongue wheel to sit on that has better wheels for rolling on the grass.

I still might have to pull the trailer by hand past the tight between the garage corner and the raise garden to avoid bumping either one, but that's mostly still on pavement. Pulling it with the snow blower went too fast for that tight spot, and as I mentioned above the throttle on the snowblower is finicky.

 

[thegreatoutdoors]

That snowblower idea is brilliant! Anybody want to buy my old manual dolly? I've broken it in for you with a bent axle and a leaky tire.

You can solve your speed and power problem with 2 pulleys in a gun-tackle configuration. Sounds way more complicated than it really is. Double the force, half the speed. Google "snatch blocks" if you need cheap pulleys. Harbor freight sells cheap knock offs.

If you can move the TV to your PUC's final destination, you can use the hitch as an anchor point for the fixed pulley. Make sure to set up tire blocks to stop the PUC.

 

[Nanapoppypops]

Any tricks you've found for moving your trailer on rough ground without a vehicle?

Last fall I roped in a friendly neighbor to help push my tiny home made pop-up on to the patio for winter storage. But the wife has a bad ankle, so it would be nice to be able to do it alone. It is light enough for one person to pick up the tongue and move it around easily on level ground. But pushing it over humps, or dips in the lawn, or on and off the driveway gets to be a bit much for one person. -I'm not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a motorized tongue dolly. And a manual tongue dolly won't help -It's the pushing/pulling that's the problem, not the lifting.

There are no convenient trees for attaching a winch, or come-along, but I'm almost tempted to install a couple short posts in the yard with heavy eye bolts in them that I could attach a small winch to. One on the end of the patio for putting it away and one sort of camoflauged in a garden out in the yard, but in line with the patio for pulling it out in the spring. At least for now, there's just enough room between the house and the garage so I can open it up on the patio and work on it.[/QUOTCheck out Trailer Tug. We purchased this but could not use the red metal tires that came with it because of our driveway terrain. We need the rubber tires. Need to talk to them. There are several videos on their site. We used our once without rubber tires. We have ordered those from Amazon. Something to check out.

 

[Nanapoppypops]

Try looking up the Trailer Tug and watch some videos. The tires that come with it, didn't work for us and we have to order rubber ones. Something to look into though. We will be trying oursas soon as the snow is gone.

 

[Groomporter]

I definitely think I'd go with the "off road" wheels on something like a Trailer Tug. The other thing I'll be doing is adding some soil between the patio and the driveway to try to make it all on the level in the long run. If I had the trailer when we built the garage I would have made the sidewalk wider...

 

[jdsdj98]

Check out the Trailer Valet 5X.

If mounting the bracket on your camper's frame is feasible, you can't go wrong with it. I use this with our pup on our inclined driveway, and for precision placement in the garage. It has high and low gearing, and can be driven with a power drill. I believe the wheels are large enough to handle the uneven surface you're describing, and the tires could be aired down a bit if needed.

 

[Groomporter]

But $500 for a Trailer Valet? That's probably more than the ancient home made pop-up is worth.

 

[jdsdj98]

But $500 for a Trailer Valet? That's probably more than the ancient home made pop-up is worth.

Ha! Maybe so - Looks like they've gone up from the $370 I paid for mine a few years ago. But you don't get something for nothing - It's a great tool and I'm confident it would solve your problem, regardless of its value relative to your camper.

 

[StamfordRob]

I've been using an old craftsman tractor that someone was throwing out. i took off the blade deck and wrapped a tow chain around the seat and bolted the ends together. i hang the hook just below the back fender and its plenty tall and strong to move the popup and around the yard.

 

[Eric Young]

My vote is for the used lawn tractor. An old one with a missing or rusted out deck can be had for nearly free.

As far as the post and winch idea goes. I would just skip the post and concrete a couple of eye bolts in the ground just below the sod.

Just remember where they are or you going to have a big surprise when you hit them with a lawn mower...

 

[Anthony Hitchings]

A trailer tug of some sort is less expensive then throwing your back out.

 

[jdsdj98]

A trailer tug of some sort is less expensive then throwing your back out.

Agreed. The value of the solution to the problem at hand (and prevention of future compounding problems) is its own calculation, irrespective of the value of the components involved. But it is human nature to tie those two together.

"Spend your money once," I always say.

 

[xxxapache]

Just remember where they are or you going to have a big surprise when you hit them with a lawn mower...

That is why I said to put them below the sod.

 

[Nanapoppypops]

I definitely think I'd go with the "off road" wheels on something like a Trailer Tug. The other thing I'll be doing is adding some soil between the patio and the driveway to try to make it all on the level in the long run. If I had the trailer when we built the garage I would have made the sidewalk wider...

The phone number for trailer tug.com is on line. We watched their videos and called them. Be specific in your inquiry when they ask you about the ground you will be moving your tt on. We wound up needing the rubber wheels whchbtheybdo not carrybanymore but could probably be found on Amazon they said or atva local tractor supply etc. it's apriceyblittle thing but we know they're are not a lot of pull thru sites available and it does fold for taking along to get into those little sites. Until our weather is better, I can't recommend it until I get the other tires. Might be worth looking into though.

 

[Nanapoppypops]

The phone number for trailer tug.com is on line. We watched their videos and called them. Be specific in your inquiry when they ask you about the ground you will be moving your tt on. We wound up needing the rubber wheels whchbtheybdo not carrybanymore but could probably be found on Amazon they said or atva local tractor supply etc. it's apriceyblittle thing but we know they're are not a lot of pull thru sites available and it does fold for taking along to get into those little sites. Until our weather is better, I can't recommend it until I get the other tires. Might be worth looking into though.

Just wanted to add that my husband and I are seniors so we hope this will work for us!

 

[Sneezer]

Ha! Maybe so - Looks like they've gone up from the $370 I paid for mine a few years ago. But you don't get something for nothing - It's a great tool and I'm confident it would solve your problem, regardless of its value relative to your camper.

I hope to get one this year. I kick myself for not getting one a couple years back - found one at a Cabelas that was just missing the drill socket, and was marked down pretty steep in their bargain cave. At the time I didn't have the pup but was looking for one, but finances were a little iffy back then, so I let it go. Now that I have a pup and have gotten older, a valet would be really nice I too have a slight incline in the back, and tight turns in the alley to navigate, and if my neighbor is home I can't pull into his driveway either. Costco sells them now, and they had a sale last year, so hoping the stars will align for me this year.

 

[Groomporter]

Humph. Mentioned this in passing elsewhere.

I just picked up one of the tongue dollies from Harbor Freight since I saw they were on sale. I went to use it to move the homemade pop-up on to the lawn so I could lay underneath in the grass and do some maintenance in the lift system. But my trailer tongue seems to be too light for the dolly at least when it's not on even ground...

While trying to pull it past a slight dip in the lawn the wheels of the tongue dolly would come off the ground, so I was getting no mechanical advantage from the dolly. Most of the normal gear stored in the trailer is in the basement for reorganizing and maintenance, so the trailer is even lighter than normal, but that was disappointing. One of these days I need to weigh the trailer...

At least my experiment with the snow blower back in March worked so I may figure a way to attach the dolly to the blower since it would pull straight horizontally. I'm 6-3 so it's hard not to pull slightly upwards on the handles of the dolly. And once the gear is in the trailer there will be more weight on the tongue.

 

[DiamondGirl]

We used a trailer dolly from Amazon with the Aliner and our boat. It worked well on the concrete or dirt.

Now that we went to the Darkside with KODI, we are looking at the Parkit360°. It’s more expensive than our previous trailer dolly. But it’s not needed right away. It would be an accessory for KODI later.

Happy Camping…