Maneuvering a 2720 in my garage?

[Bill]

Good point, Shane. It is important not to use the hitch coupler to support any weight when the swing tongue is open. Way back when the Forum was new, one of the owners did it, and the welds cracked. The swing tongue will carry weight only when it is closed and latched.

Even if you plan to use a trailer mover, with the tongue open you would need to somehow attach the A-frame, behind the tongue, to the mover.

Bill

[Larryjb]

Something like this will work with the swing hitch swung aside because it can mount directly to the box frame:

http://flylifemagazine.com/monday-ge...trailer-valet/

[cire74]

Good points....What if I put a separate heavy duty trailer jack wheel on the frame, behind the swing tongue? It would be the kind that rotates 90 degrees for storage when not in use. That would allow me to back the trailer in at the 45 degree angle using the powered dolly, then switch to the separate jack wheel and open the swing tongue. I could then push the front sideways into position. With the single garage door open I would be able to continue maneuvering it once the front was past the pillar between the two garages.

As far as the swing tongue on the trailer, aren't loads already being exerted on it when a trailer is being stored with the swing tongue open?

[Larryjb]

I can't answer the swing tongue question, but I'm concerned that with the width of the Trailmanor, you won't have room to swing the trailer past the post between the doors. Being 8' wide, and with the swing hitch swung aside, the diagonal distance to what is now an 18' trailer is 19'9" which is longer than your garage. You might think that the box of the trailer is less than 18', but don't forget the swing hitch will occupy that corner. All I can say is that it looks too close for comfort.

I assume you are unable to park it directly through the single door of your garage.

[cire74]

Originally Posted by Larryjb

Something like this will work with the swing hitch swung aside because it can mount directly to the box frame:

http://flylifemagazine.com/monday-ge...trailer-valet/

Thanks


I just got off the phone with Trailmanor and they suggested I do what we mentioned, add a separate trailer jack behind the swing tongue, then remove the swing tongue entirely before maneuvering in the garage. This would take me down to 18ft. Once I am passed the pillar between the two garage doors I would be home free to adjust as needed since the single car garage door would be open. I greatly appreciate the knowledge and out of the box thinking.

I would be much happier with a 2720 with its bathroom sink and oven, compared to the 2418 without, especially since they are virtually the same price. Trailmanor also confirmed that the 2720 is 3 inches lower than the 2418, which gives me a nice buffer vertically.

I greatly appreciate the knowledge and out of the box thinking. If you can think of any other obstacles to my plan, please let me know. Thanks..

[Bill]

Originally Posted by cire74

As far as the swing tongue on the trailer, aren't loads already being exerted on it when a trailer is being stored with the swing tongue open?

As well as I can recall (it has been about 15 years), THIS IS A NO-NO! You do whatever you can do / must do with the swing tongue closed. Then, when the trailer is positioned where you want it, you lower the stabilizer jacks until they take the weight. Then you raise the tongue jack. Only now can you open the swing tongue. You store the trailer with the weight on the front stabilizers, not on the open tongue.

The original RockyMountainRay did it the way you suggest, and apparently got away with it a few times before his welds cracked. But that is a big price to pay, just to save the little bit of effort required to drop the jacks.

The Owner's Manual does not address the swing tongue, but unless you can get the factory to certify that it is OK, I wouldn't stress those welds in a direction they were not designed to accept.

Bill

[cire74]

Originally Posted by Bill

As well as I can recall (it has been about 15 years), THIS IS A NO-NO! You do whatever you can do / must do with the swing tongue closed. Then, when the trailer is positioned where you want it, you lower the stabilizer jacks until they take the weight. Then you raise the tongue jack. Only now can you open the swing tongue. You store the trailer with the weight on the front stabilizers, not on the open tongue.

The original RockyMountainRay did it the way you suggest, and apparently got away with it a few times before his welds cracked. But that is a big price to pay, just to save the little bit of effort required to drop the jacks.

The Owner's Manual does not address the swing tongue, but unless you can get the factory to certify that it is OK, I wouldn't stress those welds in a direction they were not designed to accept.

Bill

Makes sense. Thank you.

[cjminear]

I just put two jack stands one on each side behind the swing hitch to take the weight.

[Bill]

Cire74 -

Since the dollies don't look like a solution, there is one other possibility for moving the trailer. I used this one a long time ago to maneuver a Model A Ford into the back corner of a garage for winter storage each year. I bought a pair of inexpensive garage-style floor jacks (currently $30 at HF). Finding a couple strong points, I jacked the car up, so all four wheels were just barely off the floor, and it was quick and easy to swing the car around and push it over to the needed spot.

It sounds like you have another potential solution, so you can keep this one in your back pocket.

Bill

[wbmiller3]

We have a similar setup, a 2 bay door and a 1 bay door. A 2619, no swing hitch. The garage door misses the tip of the hitch by less than an inch. (Our trailer is old so it has the spare on the back. My backup plan was to remove the spare if it didn't fit).

We fit 2 pickups and the TM in the garage. The TM takes the center position. The brackets where the wheels end up are spray-painted on the floor.

I have to remove the other pickup when I am backing the TM in. To add extra excitement, our garage is aligned with the driveway so the "straight shot" in lines up with the small door And the DW has a bed full of priceless plants along one side of the driveway. Fortunately the other side has grass to give me some wiggle room.

I have to go in at an angle to get behind the pillar between the large and small doors. DW spots and tells me as soon as the end of the front shell is clear of the pillar so I can start to straighten out.

Years of experience has gotten me to the point that with the DW spotting I can back in to the point that the tongue wheel will set down past the "hump" up into the garage floor. I unhitch at that point and we push it the last foot or so.