Forum Discussion

mkirsch's avatar
mkirsch
Nomad II
Sep 26, 2013

Rough surface camper dolly

I want to build a dolly so I can roll my ~1600-1800lb camper around on a hard-packed gravel floor in my pole barn. The camper has been in the way all winter long for the past 3 years.

That means I need some big pneumatic dolly wheels.

The biggest dolly wheels I can find easily are the 10" ones from Harbor Freight. Does anybody know of any that are bigger?

20 Replies

  • Although it seems like this would stress the jacks , it looks like this guy built a track. Maybe you could hire him and sip a beer while he works. :)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZqVF4mb0aY

    When i moved sheds i used heavy 6" pvc tubes under the shed and rolled them on uneven lawns. I used an 8 ft length of 2x4 as a lever to move them.
    You would angle them on a 45 to make a turn. I used 3 or 4 and just kept rotating them where i needed them.
    Maybe after you back the camper in , you could remove the wheels and let the pvc move the camper sideways. A floorjack is all you need to do the lifting.
  • Years ago I made an angle iron frame with a couple of old VW spindles to move my camper with. I stored it on that frame for close to 30 years. I just put wood blocks under the axle so that when the tires went flat the frame was still stable.
  • I used some 18 x 8.5 - 8 go kart wheels, 1" axles and bearings on a dolly once.
  • You could always use 8 of the 10" casters. 2400# capacity. Even if the floor wasn't perfectly flat enough wheels should be on the ground to provide support.
  • Can't use a trailer because the camper needs to be pushed sideways into the parking spot.
  • Tractor Supply sells trailer spindles and mounted 12"(and bigger) trailer tires. It would cost more than dolly wheels as you would have to buy the spindles separate. It would also raise your dolly up unless you made some type of drop spindle mounts.

    I don't think I've ever noticed 10" pneumatic dolly wheels.

    I'll have to keep an eye on your thread, since I would like to come up with a good way to put one in my barn. I have 12' ceilings and a 10' foot door.

    Good luck,
  • The 10" pneumatic dolly tires I just checked online are very close to the max. weight capacity of your camper plus dolly weight. Add the China factor of Harbor freight and I'd be careful. I think I'd consider small 12" trailer tires.
  • What about one of those el-cheapo folding trailers from harbor freight? You could use a garden tractor to maneuver it in the barn.
  • Depending on how far you need to move it, maybe you could lay down some plywood strips to roll to the new spot. By placing a few boards, then moving those you already rolled over to the new, forward positions, you could move the camper to where ever you need to. Just be sure the floor is indeed flat, or it will roll what ever way gravity will take it.

    Another option is to place the camper on a trailer, then move the trailer. Tires could be as small or as large as you wish. An 8' trailer would do...