Swing Hitch mod to Power Caster II
I had the good fortune to find a used Power Caster II on Craig's List for a nearly give-away price ($350). I knew this chain-driven, trailer mover had a 7500 lbs capacity (& 800 lbs tongue weight). It would have no difficulty pushing our 07 2720sl up the inclined driveway. The PC-II came with a very heavy, steel bracket designed to be bolted (or welded) to the sides of the trailer's frame.
As you can see from the photo - the bracket was heavy, unsightly, and appeared to have been damaged and rewelded. So, I used my grinder to cut off the sides and took what remained (a steel cylinder welded to a cast steel plate) along with my swing hitch to my friends at Tolleson Steel (9204 W Van Buren, Tolleson, AZ). They expertly radius'd the square plate and welded it to the precise place I had marked on the underside of the swing hitch. This kind of modification cannot be more than 20 inches from the ball connection and it must allow for hookup with the crank-up wheel down and have sufficent clearance to allow the PC to move freely beneath the hitch.
You can use the crankup wheel shaft (with a shim that can be acquired through the PC people) as a connection point but I was hestitant because it is thin-walled and could shear or bend rather easily (especially hopping the trailer up a curb). You CANNOT connect a PC directly to a ball joint connection. The PC is unstable and can fall to the side (I think this is how the previous owner damaged the steel bracket).
Now it's a dream to park the trailer and the modification was was well worth the $40 spent. Oh, it's also best to do the modification on the side of the swing hitch closest to the "side wall" of your garage. It just makes parking easier. No more knee or shoulder surgeries for this old boy and no more burnt clutches. Hunt down a used PC -you won't be disappointed.
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