Tow-Tuff

[Padgett]

Anyone have any experience with a Tow-Tuff Multidirectional Travel Jack ? Will it work on a sandy but flat lawn ? If it works could be an alternative to a lawn tractor. Do not need to go far or fast.

[Bill]

Padgett -

I have no experience with it, and don't plan to. It looks like an interesting product. My comments below are based solely on the materail on the web site in your link.
1. The dual wheels look like a good choice. Much better than a single hard wheel on sand/dirt/gravel.
2. The video says it will handle a 1500-pound tongue load. The printed specs say 500. Consistency would be nice.
3. User reviews are generally awful. Tongue loads well under 500 pounds caused it to collapse for several users.
4. It weighs around 50 pounds - more than I would want to mount permanently on the already-heavy tongue of my TM. Since the primary use would be around home, it is too bad it is not detachable.
5. The pictures and video show a trailer without any WDH snap-up brackets that I can see. Good thing - the unit would be in the way of these brackets. Same observation for a swing hitch, if your trailer has one.

This unit appears to be identical to the Trailer Valet that we have reviewed earlier on this board, though the Trailer Valet is somewhat more expensive.

For your situation (flat sandy lawn), it would seem easy to put down length of plywood as a temporary "highway", and use the hitch wheel that came with the TM. I do that with my boat trailer, and it helps a lot. That doesn't provide the hand-cranked drive capability, of course.

Just my observations.

Bill

[Padgett]

Is something I need to think about. Biggest thing I saw in the video is the tongue seems in the way of the steering tiller in a right turn.

Agree mainly useful at home (and if I ever needed to back into the single 8' door on the back garage, something like this would be essential).

Also I find that people often fail to undertand how a product needs to be installed or works and blame the mfr when it fails.

Finally I suspect that if the pin is pulled the drive can be lifted off the mount but only one way to find out.

So still on the fense

[klpauba]

I have the Trailer Valet and generally like it. I have the mounting bracket attached to the A-frame of the tongue and it doesn't seem to interfere with the WDH bars. I keep the TValet in my TV and it quickly attaches to the trailer.

I try to use the TValet cranked as much as I can in the lowest position. This minimizes the "moment arm" (twisting) along a horizontal axis while moving.

As you suspected, it turns much sharper in one direction than the other (depending on the side that it's mounted).

I find it really handy for final positioning the trailer and when moving the trailer over the TV ball.

Unfortunately, I don't have much sandy soil around my parts to test things out for you Padgett. I've only used it on gravel and concrete so far. I suspect it'll work OK on grass but probably require the use of the "low gear".

[Padgett]

Do you know where the Trailer Valet is made ? Looks like it is avalable for $340 vs $270 for the Tow-Tuff from Northern and they look like the same design (TT may be a clone).

[klpauba]

I don't know where it was made ... I bought mine from eTrailer.com. I do see small differences in the units, though. TValet made a few changes over the course time and the amazon ratings seem to have improved.

[Padgett]

Well if made in the USA it will be stamped somewhere. If none then probably not.

[klpauba]

One site I looked at said that it wasn't made in the USofA