deltabravo wrote:
I still can't see how it's going to be possible to move a long long trailer around in your yard, where you said in your other thread that there's a 90 degree turn shown here:
Blanco1 wrote:
I basically have a 90 degree turn I need to make & the neighbors fence is directly across from my driveway.
Blanco, I am not trying to be a jerk.
Just trying to point out the flaws in your plans.
Questions about these powered dollys do come up from time to time.
Only a few times someone says they own one AND LIKE IT..
Every one of the ones I have looked at, the designs range from frightening dangerous to just plain deadly.
Number one, they do not provide braking, some offer as an option add on brake control of the trailer.
Most designs are two wheels, requiring YOU to "leverage" the tongue every time you start or stop. Plain dangerous and puts a lot of strain on the ball AND the hitch. Found a couple that have a third wheel to create a "tripod" that might be workable but still I would never consider them.
These movers are light weight, your trying to move 8K or more lbs with a device that at the most weighs 200-300 lbs, seems like a huge mismatch.
I have a great respect for a trailer that weighs even 2K lbs on wheels, they can easily run over you or into other objects or people.
Most are equipped with treadless wheels, a few offer an upgrade of treaded wheels which would be a better idea.
A few use a single 12V battery, doubtful even with a big gear reduction it would move 8K lbs and if it did would be only a couple of minutes at a time between charges.
A few use 36V battery, that would be much better but you will have to maintain those batteries and replacement is not going to be cheap.
Found a couple that use 120V AC, gets past the short comings of batteries cost time and maintenance but now you will need a long heavy duty extension cord (12Ga at a min) and it now becomes a tripping hazard to you and most likely a target of the trailer mover running over it.
There is no "power steering", you can only easily "turn" them when they are MOVING. This WILL affect how tight you can turn unless you have muscles of steel and boundless energy.
To see how hard it will be, try turning your steering of a vehicle with the ENGINE NOT RUNNING AND THE VEHICLE PARKED.. Takes considerably MORE EFFORT without power and not moving.. And that is with a steering gear box with something like 3-4 to one "advantage"..
They are expensive to say the least, looks like $1,800 for a basic model with not trailer braking and standard tires.. Most likely by the time you upgrade everything you will be well over $3K.
Then consider this, to me, they ALL look like some junior shade tree mechanic built them at night with a few basic hand tools (they don't look professionally designed or built).
If the dolly breaks while your trailer is not fully inside your lot, what will you do?
Not sure how you plan to "test" different trailers, if you think the dealers are going to let you "borrow" a trailer, better think again.. They don't need the sale that bad and it would be foolish for a dealer to allow someone to take their inventory just to see if it fits the potential buyers parking space.
From your pix, I am going to point you in a different direction.
I think that you NEED to reconsider your plan.
You need to forget about parking a trailer in your lot and pay a storage place.
YES, it IS an "expense" to pay for storage, but hey, that IS sometimes the cost to play if you really must have a RV. And sometimes you cannot place a price on YOUR or other peoples safety..
Or, if your really don't want to pay for storage then consider a small motor home..
Class "C" or "B" motor homes most likely would be the better choice in your case. Both are typically based off of Cargo van chassis so as long as you can drive a vehicle into your lot you most likely could get a "C" or "B" RV in there. Expensive, yep, they can be but then again, can you put a price on your life?
