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Old 04-26-2021, 01:48 PM   #11
ShrimpBurrito
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Excellent! If you can think of a problem, someone here has probably already experienced it, and in many cases, found a solution. The forum is a great resource.

Dave
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Old 04-26-2021, 03:08 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by jjplumley View Post
Maybe use some wheel tracks and a powered winch.
There is another thread somewhere from an owner who installed steel tracks in the floor of his garage. I can't find it at the moment, perhaps someone else will. As you can imagine, he simply got a pair of long channel irons of the appropriate width and shallow depth, and bolted them to the garage floor. If I were doing it (and I have not done it), I would augment the setup with a pair of L-angle irons on each channel, maybe a foot or two long. Lay them on the floor at the entry end of the channels, but splay them apart to form an entrance funnel to guide the tires into the channels. Then bolt them down.

I always thought a powered winch would be a good solution to a lot of the problem. Most likely you also have a removable wheel for the tongue jack, one with a small hard-plastic wheel, like the one in the picture. If you bought a similar device, but one having two larger pneumatic tires and a steering rod projecting from the front, you might be pretty close to a solution. I know I have seen the dual wheel thing, but I'm having trouble bringing it up at the moment. I'll keep looking.

You have a very attractive garage door entrance. I can see why you would be reluctant to mess with it. You might consider narrowing the center pillar (much easier than removing it), and getting two specialty-width garage doors. This would gain a few precious inches while maintaining the basic appearance and the symmetry.

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Old 04-27-2021, 10:31 AM   #13
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There is another thread somewhere from an owner who installed steel tracks in the floor of his garage. I can't find it at the moment, perhaps someone else will.
Hi Bill,

Yes, that was "ThePair", and you can see photos of those tracks in the thread referenced above. Great solution! He also put tracks in for the tongue jack wheel.

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Old 04-27-2021, 12:09 PM   #14
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Found it. I thought it was attached, rather than linked, so I missed it at first. And aha, he used angle iron rather than C-channel iron, which is easier and works just as well, I'm sure. The guide track for the tongue wheel helps keep the trailer from getting crooked as the tires enter the track. The sharp corner at the end of an angle iron will tear up a tire in a heartbeat - don't ask me how I know. Anyway, a great idea I hadn't thought of.

JJPlumley, I hope you are getting a lot of good from this discussion. It is what our membership does so well. You might want to join us when your Trial Membership runs out.

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Old 04-28-2021, 06:01 AM   #15
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Yep! Lots of good suggestions in here. I'm looking into making the garage door trim removable on each side (it needs to be replaced anyhow), as opposed to tracks. That's the current plan at least.

Also got an appointment this morning with a garage door company to see if the middle divider can come out. If I had a 17' garage door I shouldn't have any clearance problems!

-Joe
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Old 04-28-2021, 07:13 AM   #16
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Seriously, I miss a couple days checking the forums, and you're all up in my business!!

Yep, I went through winch/tracks and powermover, along with TM mods to make it fit. The next step was to devise removable trim, which is probably a relatively simple solution. You don't need 3 inches of clearance (speaking from experience!), but 1/2 inch will be annoying and difficult.

You may want to do trim removal and tracks -- the tracks are cheap and really, really helped until I got the powermover.

I'm here to help, just let me know!
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Old 04-28-2021, 07:46 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jjplumley View Post
Yep! Lots of good suggestions in here. I'm looking into making the garage door trim removable on each side (it needs to be replaced anyhow), as opposed to tracks. That's the current plan at least.

Also got an appointment this morning with a garage door company to see if the middle divider can come out. If I had a 17' garage door I shouldn't have any clearance problems!

-Joe
Knowing a bit about construction - I think that conversion of the two single doors into a "double" will not be viable, due to high cost for that reconstruction. The "middle" post was almost certainly built as one (or two) load-bearing posts for two short and separate header beams on each door.

If it was built that way, then the two header beams themselves would have to be replaced by a longer structure, at a high cost (due to complexities of supporting the load while the short beams are removed and replaced). I hope that width+trim changes can provide enough room for you to avoid the big conversion.
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Old 04-28-2021, 08:21 AM   #18
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Seriously, I miss a couple days checking the forums, and you're all up in my business!!

Yep, I went through winch/tracks and powermover, along with TM mods to make it fit. The next step was to devise removable trim, which is probably a relatively simple solution. You don't need 3 inches of clearance (speaking from experience!), but 1/2 inch will be annoying and difficult.

You may want to do trim removal and tracks -- the tracks are cheap and really, really helped until I got the powermover.

I'm here to help, just let me know!
Thanks! Yep, I have 1/2" clearance now, and "annoying and difficult" is the exact description. I could probably get it through, but if it's "difficult and annoying", we're not going to use it much. So, the solution's gotta be simple.

Removable trim sounds like the best solution. Started on that yesterday. Discovered some termite damage behind the trim, so that'll get fixed too.

I'm having trouble visualizing how the tracks would work. If they're mounted to the garage floor, for the tires to use them (assuming backing in), the back half of the TM would already be through the door opening (the hard part of backing it in is getting it perfectly squared up). Seems like they'd have to be mounted to the driveway to be of any use.

Pulling in tongue first (using a track for the tongue jack wheel) is out of the question, right now. It'd be too many steps to get it into the garage (pull in driveway, chock wheels, disconnect trailer, move tow vehicle out of the way, connect winch, pull into garage - Then do it all over again when we need it out). Sailors launching deep keel boats use a similar method, with straps or chains, to get the trailer deep enough to float the boat off. Too much work for me - I'd probably do it once and then call it off after that.

My dad suggested tracks also, so I know it's a viable solution, just trying to figure out how they'd be used.

-Joe
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Old 04-28-2021, 08:30 AM   #19
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Knowing a bit about construction - I think that conversion of the two single doors into a "double" will not be viable, due to high cost for that reconstruction. The "middle" post was almost certainly built as one (or two) load-bearing posts for two short and separate header beams on each door.

If it was built that way, then the two header beams themselves would have to be replaced by a longer structure, at a high cost (due to complexities of supporting the load while the short beams are removed and replaced). I hope that width+trim changes can provide enough room for you to avoid the big conversion.
Garage door guy just left. You're exactly right on the construction! We talked of adding a structural beam across both doors, but there's not enough clearance. It would've cost a bundle anyhow with all the work to do it.

If not for my new camper, I would've never removed the trim or discovered two of the four 2X4's supporting the middle are completely gone due to termites! So, it's a good thing I'm digging into it and can make the repair.

-Joe
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Old 04-28-2021, 09:39 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by jjplumley View Post
If not for my new camper, I would've never removed the trim or discovered two of the four 2X4's supporting the middle are completely gone due to termites! So, it's a good thing I'm digging into it and can make the repair.
See, the camper is saving you money already! Maybe now you should consider adding a boat?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ThePair View Post
Seriously, I miss a couple days checking the forums, and you're all up in my business!!
Haha!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jjplumley View Post
I'm having trouble visualizing how the tracks would work. If they're mounted to the garage floor, for the tires to use them (assuming backing in), the back half of the TM would already be through the door opening (the hard part of backing it in is getting it perfectly squared up). Seems like they'd have to be mounted to the driveway to be of any use.

Pulling in tongue first (using a track for the tongue jack wheel) is out of the question, right now. It'd be too many steps to get it into the garage (pull in driveway, chock wheels, disconnect trailer, move tow vehicle out of the way, connect winch, pull into garage - Then do it all over again when we need it out). Sailors launching deep keel boats use a similar method, with straps or chains, to get the trailer deep enough to float the boat off. Too much work for me - I'd probably do it once and then call it off after that.

My dad suggested tracks also, so I know it's a viable solution, just trying to figure out how they'd be used.
Joe - So why not install tracks in the driveway? Not permanently, but drill a few holes in the driveway for some 1/2” bolts, and when you’re ready to pull the TM in or out of the garage, lay down the tracks on the driveway, and just drop the bolts through the track and into the cement/asphalt to hold them in place. Then after the TM has passed, simply pull the tracks up and put them in the garage. The only thing permanent is a few holes in the driveway, which could easily be filled if needed. Then mount additional track in the garage to meet up with the ones in the driveway.

I have 2 such holes in my driveway for long bolts that anchor a 6x6” timber that secures large wood chocks that keep my TM from rolling down my driveway into the street. It’s a belt and suspenders approach, but it works great.

Since your holes would be open most of the time, which is the opposite of my situation, you might consider plugging them with something pretty flat to keep dirt out (and ice from forming in the winter, if it gets that cold where you are).

Dave
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