Width of Trailmanor - with awning

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by ThePair

Too bad the awning can't be modified to flip-up, somehow. Likewise, the lights that stick out...but I don't know what they look like, so I can't even imagine a solution like that...

Marc

Marc,

I bought this awning from this eBay seller, about a year ago, for our Coleman PU.
Here's a link to pics that I took when I installed it on our PU.
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/...59651940aSEhYE

It's a great awning. Easy to set up, light, easy to install and it's strong. It also could be installed so that it could either be easily removed or flipped up on top of the camper while backing into the garage. The awning rolls up into a vinyl bag that just hangs from a track that is mounted on the top edge of the camper shell. The track would have to be purchased separately but it shouldn't be hard to find or install.

Here's a link to a current auction for the same awning from the same seller:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/A-E-T...Q5fAccessories

[ThePair]

Originally Posted by rtcassel

Have you considered these?
http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...5063_200365063

I have. I was thinking that that might facilitate the maneuvering, reducing the "gerrymandering" effect of a slight misalignment. Would the TM need to be jacked up to get onto these, or would the lifts work, or is there a trick of which I'm not aware?

Originally Posted by camp2canoe

I've been backing a 2619 through a single garage door just slightly wider than the TM itself for 4 years. The only mishap I've had cost the trim strip on the garage door and the decal on the awning when DW and a neighbor were helping me to push it in manually. Since that time I've been using a front hitch - I still need a spotter but haven't had any more mishaps. The front hitch facilitates tight turns so, as mentioned above, I can actually angle it in to avoid the awning and then swing it so that the TM is as close to the wall as possible. - camp2canoe

Sounds great, but I'm driving a Sienna minivan, and there's no way to attach a front hitch

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

One thing you could do to help facilitate the tight squeeze into your garage is to build a track system for dollies like those, or just the TM tires themselves. Maybe bolt some angle iron to the garage floor, for example, on the outside of where the tires are supposed to run. When you hit the driveway, where you presumably don't want something permanently installed, drill a few holes in the concrete where you would be screwing the track down, and just drop some pins (like large nails) to secure the track to the driveway. When you're done, just pull the track out. If you don't like the idea of putting holes in your driveway, bolt the sections of track on one side together with the sections of track on the other. That way all the track outside of the garage will become one piece, and all you have to do is line it up with the track inside the garage....and perhaps connect the two with a lap joint or metal plate or something....lots of possibilities here.

You could even make some a "gutter" for the tire out of some plywood. Once each of the TM tires is in the gutter, it won't go anywhere but in the straight line of the gutter. I think this would make for a stress-free pulling-out and backing-in process.

Dave

I like this idea, a lot. Driveway is pavers (so there's a limit to drilling), and on a small slope, and has a curve...but I'm thinking a combination of things may work, here. The little wheel dollies would allow me to pull into the main garage, then slide the TM sideways towards the single bay (avoiding the curve of the driveway). Then, the tracks + perhaps a winch in the garage would allow me to pull the TM into the garage proper, at least far enough to get the wheels over the "threshold" onto the flat area. Then, it would be a simple push into final position.

Yessss....this might work out well. Anyone have a suggestion for a small winch of some kind to attach to the front of the TM to pull it in?

Oh, for those with easy access to measurements: what's the distance from the front of the hitch to the wheels? It'd be nice to make sure I can somehow avoid going on the grass with the wheels, you see... curving it into the garage may be possible with those wheel dollies, but knowing the distance would help with the estimations...

[ShrimpBurrito]

I'm not exactly sure how you're thinking of using the winch, but a winch used to pull a boat onto a trailer would probably work fine, and they're cheap and easy to mount. Most of them come with straps, and even the smallest manual one ($35) would probably be more than sufficient.
Boat winch selection at West Marine

Dave

[Bill]

Remember that if you use a winch, you must anchor it to something. If you put a bolt into the back wall of the garage, you run the risk of pulling the wall apart.

A more minor issue is that if you use the wheel dollies, their little tiny wheels will tend to hang up on the expansion joints in the concrete floor. You may need to grout a small section of the crack in order to allow the dollies to pass over them easily.

Bill

[ThePair]

Originally Posted by Bill

Remember that if you use a winch, you must anchor it to something. If you put a bolt into the back wall of the garage, you run the risk of pulling the wall apart.

A more minor issue is that if you use the wheel dollies, their little tiny wheels will tend to hang up on the expansion joints in the concrete floor. You may need to grout a small section of the crack in order to allow the dollies to pass over them easily.

Bill

I was thinking I could bolt a powered winch to the 8 inch concrete step that runs the length of the back of the garage...preferably the front of the step, on the ground. This way it would be out of the way, but capable of pulling the trailer at least most of the way into the space. Would be less risky for damage, too.

As to the dollies, that's good for me to know. I'd probably have a few such areas that would need some TLC. Do those dollies work on pavers/bricks? If not, I might need to rethink the "approach" part of this plan. Are they easy to get under the wheels? Is it just jack-slide-lower, or is there a better method?

Marc

[ShrimpBurrito]

Bigger dolly wheels will make any floor imperfections less of an issue. Plus, if you do use a winch, the imperfections will be less of an issue. Check www.grainger.com for a very wide dolly collection.

Instead of jacking the TM up to get it into the dolly, consider using ramps. Much faster.

Dave

[ThePair]

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

I'm not exactly sure how you're thinking of using the winch, but a winch used to pull a boat onto a trailer would probably work fine, and they're cheap and easy to mount. Most of them come with straps, and even the smallest manual one ($35) would probably be more than sufficient.
Boat winch selection at West Marine

Dave

Thanks for the link. I think I'd prefer something powered, potentially with a remote, as I mentioned above. What kind of "lifting capacity" would I need...since I'm not trying to life the TM, per se, but just pull it up a slight incline, I'd assume that I don't need 3,500 lbs as that number, but maybe I'm misunderstanding the rating system. They have a 2,000 lbs winch that can mount on any flat surface, and then another one that seems to be rated for 15,000 lbs?

Marc

[ThePair]

Would something like http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...9001_200329001 or http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...2117_200352117 work? Seems like those just slide under the wheels, then lift them up (like a BAL leveler on casters?) Might be easier to handle on a small incline then trying ramps... I do already have some ramps, which I can see for getting the trailer on to the dollies...but I don't see how they would work for getting off....

Marc

[Bill]

There was an earlier discussion about winching a TM into the garage, including the forces involved. The thread wandered off the original topic, and onto winching, at about post number 8, so don't stop reading too early.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6407

Bill

[ThePair]

Secondary question: Can anyone with a 2720 tell me the actual box length, not including the hitch part? If I nose the trailer in, the hitch can (I assume) sit over the 8 inch step at the rear of the garage. However, there is a small corner of wall slightly over 18 feet from the door, which could potentially be the limiting factor for length.

Considering the given tow length is 20' 2", and the swing-away hitch reduces that length by almost 2', that means that the "folded" length of ~18' 2" includes the hitch frame area, so I'm assuming the actual box length is smaller (hopefully smaller than 18' !), but if someone could confirm, that'd be great

Marc