Garage Parking Question

[DoubleT]

I am looking at purchasing a TM but have a concern in we have a side entry garage vs a straight back in style. My question is can a TM with nose caster wheel in place be manually pushed to back it into the garage. I do this now with my Aliner but it only weighs 1500Lbs. Any experience or thoughts on pushing one into the garage?
Thanks
Mark

[ThePair]

As long as you're pushing on level, yes. I use a winch to get my TM up the driveway, but push it in as soon as the tires are level just inside the threshold.

Guess it all depends on your setup.

[Jim&Joan]

...push ours into the garage. We have a rear entry with a driveway that slopes up from the street and then levels out in the back.

I pull straight in with the trailer hooked up. We have to be sure that we have the TM wheels up to a level point. We chock and unhook the TM. I move the truck up another 1.5 ft.

That puts me in a position to be able to pull and immediately start to pivot the trailer. The wheels are at the rear edge of the garage and it pivots around nice. I pull it forward and then back it into the garage.

DW has to help me get it moving and she isn't able to add much, but I couldn't get it moving by myself. After the initial movement into the rear of the driveway, I can handle it myself. I can stop it and reverse it back into the garage with DW giving me some clearance feedback.

I can pull it out myself, also. So, the only place I need a few more ft lbs is the initial movement after we unhook from the truck.

[Leslie & Nick]

We have a 'drive under' (side entry) garage too. When I used to store the TM here at the house, I bought one of the manual 'dollies' to maneuver the trailer into the garage. The dolly has large pneumatic tires that make pushing the trailer a lot easier. They make electric dollies as well, but they're little pricey.

[Bill]

A couple additional thoughts to add to the good ones already posted.

First, pushing a TM manually, especially with the nose caster wheel, requires a paved driveway. I think you would have no chance at all on gravel or dirt.

Second, you (or at least I) can't push it by hand up even a slight slope, and a lip of any kind at the edge of a garage floor will be a problem. But if you are paved and level, or if you can get the tires into the garage before using the nose caster wheel, the dolly wheel will work quite well.

Third, the dolly mentioned by Leslie and Nick is really pretty nice. See one at Harbor Freight. The pneumatic wheels, and the ability to steer the dolly, make it a lot easier. The nose caster wheel is hard plastic, and will hang up on anything larger than a grain of sand.

Fourth, if you get all set up and you find that you have a bit of a slope, or a bit of a lip, and it is just big enough to make things hard - then an electric winch as mentioned by ThePair is a cheap and easy addition. Again, check Harbor Freight.

In summary, you have one of the nice questions, because you can address it incrementally. Do just enough to solve your own particular problem, and then quit. No need to go further.

By the way, many people scorn Harbor Freight as having cheap Chinese tools. And sure enough, Harbor Freight has a lot of that. But for some applications, I think cheap and Chinese is OK. And in my opinion, as someone who flies the Stars and Stripes at my house every day, this is one of them.

Bill

[M&M Hokie]

I have the harbor freight dolly and it works pretty well. The only negative I found with it is the ball height is about 6 inches lower than level for the TrailManor. So there is some extra raising and lowering of the tongue jack when using the dolly.

However, when I was parking my TM in my garage, the dolly enabled me to steer the TrailManor within an inch of a side wall. Sometimes the caster wheel works better for a movement than the dolly does.

I have a side entering driveway. There is a mostly level spot outside of the garage and then a steep slope down to the street. I would back the TM up to the level part and then do the rest with the dolly. I found that there is almost a ratcheting type movement one can perform with the dolly to get the TM moving provided you have very good traction with your shoes. I had a slight slope uphill to the garage to do by hand. The ratcheting movement is pretty hard to describe though and since it has been 11 months since I have stored the TM at home my memory is failing.

Ultimately, we decided that we prefered storing offsite so that we could park another car in the garage. If anyone is looking for a used dolly and is reasonably close to Santa Maria, CA, let me know. I am sure we can work out a price even cheaper than what Harbor Freight charges....

[Scott O]

Off topic and late, but Harbor Freight has 25% off today, July 4th. At store or on line.

[Jim&Joan]

I certainly agree with several of the comments. It needs to be on level ground. Ground needs to be paved. The caster wheel does hang up on the smallest of things. I have more issues with the caster being a bit sloppy on the post, causing it to want to cant one way or the other.

I only have to get it about 6 inches from my wall on the awning side. I do get to about 2 inches from the rear wall. It's not really too hard all in all once we got the process down. I do find it easier if I crank the jack up high and shift the weight off the caster.

I did consider getting the HF dolly. But, I read so many conflicting reports on the durability I decided to drop it. I read about the wheels collasping or folding under with the weight of the TM.

Which specific model do you guys use that works so well for you?

[Mr. Adventure]

...I have more issues with the caster being a bit sloppy on the post, causing it to want to cant one way or the other...

'Sloppy on the post" should be made worse by cranking it higher (by cranking up the post, "slop" would allow more slopping with a longer post length, right?). And cranking it even a foot or two higher wouldn't appreciably change the weight carried on the post (the same trailer loads are basically still in the same positions horizontally).

The swivel of the caster wheel would move the support point for the tongue plus or minus a few inches, though, with a lighter tongue load when pushing the trailer backwards vs pulling it frontwards. A few inches probably wouldn't amount to much. But a swing tongue that moves the tongue support point from from 2 feet forward to 2 feet back should have a considerable effect (for example, reducing the effective distance of the post to the axle from about 120" to about 70" would add substantially to the weight on the post and caster wheel).

Something else to play with on the scale.

[camp2canoe]

We have a curve on the driveway, it slopes toward the garage, there is a metal grated drain and a lip - oh, and did I mention that we have about 2" of clearance on the awning and exterior lights? As DW and I are 60ish and pushing is no longer an option, we added a front hitch to our F150. Using that I can see both door jambs and make very minute steering inputs. The front hitch also makes a dandy spot to put a bike rack as the bikes are always in sight and you don't need to worry about backing them in to something. - camp2canoe

[Jim&Joan]

The slop is at the interface of the post and the caster socket. Therefore the slop is not a function of extension of post.
The trailer is is much easier to get rolling when the post is higher. YMMV

'Sloppy on the post" should be made worse by cranking it higher (by cranking up the post, "slop" would allow more slopping with a longer post length, right?). And cranking it even a foot or two higher wouldn't appreciably change the weight carried on the post (the same trailer loads are basically still in the same positions horizontally).

The swivel of the caster wheel would move the support point for the tongue plus or minus a few inches, though, with a lighter tongue load when pushing the trailer backwards vs pulling it frontwards. A few inches probably wouldn't amount to much. But a swing tongue that moves the tongue support point from from 2 feet forward to 2 feet back should have a considerable effect (for example, reducing the effective distance of the post to the axle from about 120" to about 70" would add substantially to the weight on the post and caster wheel).

Something else to play with on the scale.

[ThePair]

+1 to Harbor Freight for the dolly and winch. Winch was the cheapest remote model available, works well, albeit slow. But, for $50 or less, I'm not really complaining, vs. who knows how much for an RF remote model from another source?

I have the cheapo dolly as well, and I just make sure I've inflated the tires before each use. It seems like it's a little flimsy, in that the fit and finish is poor, and the handle wiggles, but it's not showing any signs of failure yet, and again, I won't cry over the cost if I ever need to replace it.

Something to be said for cheap Chinese knock-offs, indeed ;)

[Mr. Adventure]

The slop is at the interface of the post and the caster socket...

Sorry, I was thinking about the other end of the post. I'm glad it works!

mmDv

[moaboy]

I also use the Harbor Freight dolly and it works well. I did buy a different ball-it comes with 17/8 and replaced it with a 2 inch ball with a longer shaft that allowed me to add about an inch worth of big washers so the ball is mounted higher. This way I don't have to lower the TM to as low as it would go, before the modification.
And be especially careful if you are dealing with any approach that is not level, as on the dolly, once the TM has momentum it is not easy to stop.
Good luck.

[Bill]

And be especially careful if you are dealing with any approach that is not level, as on the dolly, once the TM has momentum it is not easy to stop.A very good point. Here's a lesson I learned in a campground, almost the hard way. Before you put the tongue on the dolly, fix in your mind where the cable to the breakaway switch is hanging, and which way you pull it to pull the pin and apply the brakes.

Yes, it is right in front of you, and yes, you pull it forward. But in a moment of panic, you don't want to have to stop and think about what to do.

Just my thought (and experience).

Bill

[mbd4kids]

Not sure what you are aiming toward, but we have a Power Caster Electric Dolly that we purchased when we bought out TM, and do not use. Would love to sell it if you are interested. We are outside of Phila, PA.

[rumbleweed]

Not pushing the above for sale post, but I have a power dolly and I love it. I can put my TM withing 2" of the wall with one hand. The power dolly is expensive, but I figure it is less than back surgery. If you have any grade at all, the hand dolly is difficult. By all means if you try it, tie a string to the breakaway line and then to the handle of the dolly so you can pull it quickly. ( make sure you have the battery connected).

[Steverino]

Not sure what you are aiming toward, but we have a Power Caster Electric Dolly that we purchased when we bought out TM, and do not use. Would love to sell it if you are interested. We are outside of Phila, PA.

You have a PM... :)

[moaboy]

did you sell your power dolly?

[darlene&ed]

That sounds like a simple, cost effective idea to use an electric winch to pull your TM into your garage, particularly for folks like me with a driveway which slopes down from the garage.
Appreciate if you can reply with any information on how you installed your winch in the garage, like how did you securely mount it and any other tips or advice. Thanks in advance for your reply.

[ThePair]

That sounds like a simple, cost effective idea to use an electric winch to pull your TM into your garage, particularly for folks like me with a driveway which slopes down from the garage.
Appreciate if you can reply with any information on how you installed your winch in the garage, like how did you securely mount it and any other tips or advice. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Had a friend with the proper equipment molly-bolt it into the concrete on the floor of my garage, nearest the back wall. That thing won't budge for anything! Works well enough, a little slow, but I'll live. The only thing is that it's 12V, so I have a 12V car battery jump-box that I hook to the wires, and that seems to work well.

[SmokeyJoe335]

I have a 2008 2720SL and I live in a condo. I rent a garage on the condo property and menuvering is kind of tight. I purchased a POWERMOVER AC6 and I could not move my trailer around without it. The entrance to my garage has a 10% grade and there is no way I can push the TM. I am alone and although the AC6 is pricy, it works great for me. SmokeyJoe335

[Goodyear Travels]

I just had the good fortune to purchase a Power Caster II for $350 on Craig's List from an individual who lives within 50 miles. I've wanted one for quite some time but $1200 + $200 shipping for new was way above my means.

This trailer mover can handle 6500 lbs and about 800 lbs tongue weight so a 2720sl should be nothing for it. I used my electric grinder to cut the sides off the very heavy, steel bracket designed to bolt to trailers with 2 inch box steel frames. It was unnecessarily massive for my tastes. It was, however, an alternative to linking to the rather weak shaft of the trailer's front wheel.

So, I'm taking my swing arm to my local welder to have what's left of the bracket (basically just a cylinder to catch in the cup of the PC'er) permanently welded to the underside of the swingarm -- for strength, simplicity, and improved appearance.

I'll post pics of the modification along with shots of the PC moving the trailer up my inclined driveway. In the past -- I heated the clutch on my Tacoma by repeatedly "feathering" it -- to move the trailer within inches of the garage side wall. After 35 trips -- the fly wheel had burn marks and needed to be resurfaced (along with a new clutch and pressure plate). It was pretty much -- unavoidable.

You have to be watchful, dedicated, or just lucky (like me) if you want to catch one of these on Craig's List. I guess I was the 1st caller and he had 6 more calls within the next 12 hours -- several offering more than his initial asking price to entice him to turn me away. Thankfully, he was old-school -- a man of his word.

But PC's (or similar devices) are an investment that can prevent injury and make the parking process almost "fun".

One of our members is offering a PC for sale. Someone should grab it.

Pic's in a week or two. Eric

[happybeebob]

Goodyear Travels:
Buy of the Century there.Would love to get a deal like that.