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Old 01-14-2011, 11:43 AM   #19
Bill
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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I've got to agree - that driveway really isn't bad. Mine is a bit worse, and there are many on the board worse than mine.

Summary of the solutions presented above, in order of ease, more or less.

1. Release the springbar chains. This will lower the back of the tow vehicle an inch or two, and raise the back of the TM by about half that amount. That may be enough, and it may cause your hitch to drag. Hey, nothing is free, right?

2. When the tow vehicle's rear wheels get in the gutter, that lowers the front of the TM and raises the rear, so I wouldn't expect the back of the TM to hit the pavement at this point. Does the hitch hit the pavement at this point? It did in my driveway. If so, raise the level of the gutter. Rather than constructing a bridge, just lay a short length of 2x6 in the gutter, parallel to the curb (not bridging across it) where each tire will go. For me, one under each wheel was enough - if you need two thicknesses, so be it.

3. Go to WalMart's little RV section, and spend $20 on a plain old hitch with a new ball. Get one with a 2" drop - if it is the wrong value, you can exchange it. You wouldn't want to tow far with this hitch, but it is more than fine for working in the driveway.

A lift kit is not a bad idea, but it is a much bigger deal than the other suggestions above. Don't forget that TM made trailers for decades before anyone thought of a lift kit, and they worked in all those driveways.

For what it is worth, your driveway slope isn't anywhere near 13%. When you get high up into the Rocky Mountains, you will find slopes up to 10% to be reasonably common (but steep!), and a 12% grade is both rare and very hard to get up. Slope is rise over run. From your photo, I'd estimate that you have a 2.5-inch rise (~0.2 feet) in about an 18 foot run, or 1.3%. Possibly he mixed feet and inches to get 13%.

Bill
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