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12-14-2014, 08:13 PM
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#21
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3 Rivet Member
2014 23' Flying Cloud
2015 28' Flying Cloud
Kalamazoo
, Michigan
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 102
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I'd try it before I did anything. My driveway is as steep if not more. With very limited space at top, no turn around. Granted mine is FC 23D. But, I have no problem with clearance etc.
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12-15-2014, 11:43 AM
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#22
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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The front hitches I have researched have a tongue weight limit of either 350 or 500 lbs. This is more about the capacity of the front end suspension of the truck than the hitch itself. I asked a mechanic at a suspension shop whether he would try it anyway when the tongue weight of considerably more and he said "yes". Front hitches bolt to the front end of the two rails that characterize a truck frame. This can handle less weight I would guess than the hitch receivers at the rear. Those are usually welded and bolted (or welded and not bolted) to the back of the frame rails. But you have to be able to remove the front hitch in many cases if you want to change oil and filter, so the front hitch can't be welded. Welds are supposed to be stronger than bolts.
If you are moving the trailer on the level, I suspect there is a lot less strain on the hitch and truck than pushing it up a hill. It is hard to see just how steep the hill is or whether you have enough room at the parking area to move things around or turn the truck around to the front hitch.
There are Curt front hitches on Amazon for about $125-150. They cost somewhat more from a suspension shop in GJ, but Amazon kept sending me the wrong one for our FJ Cruiser so I ended up ordering it from there for a plow. I haven't picked it up yet, but I think it may be a challenge to get the bolts in. The trick may be once it is installed, when removing it, to leave the bolts and remove the hitch, then attach the nuts to the bolts tightly until you put the hitch back on.
A dolly (so long as you have the proper ball on the tongue) may be the easiest thing because it takes a lot less space than a truck and you will have more room to maneuver. Or, you could find another house. When we were looking for a house, RV parking was very important. We have the parking, but getting the trailer in can be difficult. It depends how tired I am after driving home. Sometimes it takes a few minutes, other times, 20 minutes. I have so far only backed it in, but will probably try the front hitch on the Tundra next travel season.
Or you could wait for enough rain to float it up to the top. I hope you have enough space for us to park our trailer when we come to spend the summer. I want full hookups, cable and wifi, but no cats.
Gene
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-15-2014, 11:45 AM
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#23
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Rivet Master
2013 30' Classic
Greenwood
, Mississippi
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 12,111
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If the trailer will indeed not go up the driveway, is there a storage place nearby?
I live in the flat Mississippi Delta and I scraped going into my driveway when I was experimenting with hitch settings.
__________________
2013 Classic 30 Limited
2007 Silver Toyota Tundra Crew Max Limited 5.7 iForce
2006 Vivid Black Harley-Davidson Road King Classic
1999 Black Nissan Pathfinder LE
TAC #MS-10
WBCCI #1811, Region 6, Unit 56
Airforums #70955
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12-15-2014, 12:14 PM
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#24
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Slowpoke
2012 27' Flying Cloud
Portland
, Oregon
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 255
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I wouldn't worry about selling the trailer on the west coast vs. the central location in the midwest. Airstreams are selling well on the west coast - the dealer group in OR, WA, ID and northern CA has sold a thousand trailers in the past three years. I cruise CL in the major markets, and AS listings don't stay up long, which leads me to believe they sell pretty quickly.
So bring the trailer out here, and if it won't work in the driveway, find a place to store it, or sell it here. Or...find a different house!
__________________
Like the tortoise, travelin' slow with the house on our back
2012 FC27FB "Ted Zeppelin"
2010 Tundra Crewmax Platinum "Silver Rhino"
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12-15-2014, 12:23 PM
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#25
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Rivet Master
2013 31' Classic
billings
, Montana
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,570
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You can do it, use drop hitch, down low to start, have some one watch, when near the top raise the hitch, easy...
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12-15-2014, 12:30 PM
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#26
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnorts
I wouldn't worry about selling the trailer on the west coast vs. the central location in the midwest. Airstreams are selling well on the west coast - the dealer group in OR, WA, ID and northern CA has sold a thousand trailers in the past three years. I cruise CL in the major markets, and AS listings don't stay up long, which leads me to believe they sell pretty quickly.
So bring the trailer out here, and if it won't work in the driveway, find a place to store it, or sell it here. Or...find a different house!
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I think that is what we are going to do. We will keep the trailer and wait until we get there to decide if and how we can make it work. I will rent a storage spot for it, so we will have a fall back plan. If nothing else, it will be an expensive pet carrier to move our three cats and 7 parakeets in.
In the meantime I will get out there and take some accurate measurements.
Ken
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12-15-2014, 12:32 PM
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#27
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3 Rivet Member
1972 23' Safari
NSB
, Florida
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 139
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eubank
Buy yourself a Ford 8N tractor (made from 1947 to 1953), hitch on, and tow it up there. Leave the tractor attached. When you want to go on a trip, back it down into the street, and hitch onto the truck.
Lynn
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I love those things.
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12-15-2014, 12:35 PM
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#28
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Lynn, is that your tractor? I would think whatever is behind it should be your MG or trailer, but it looks red and has really big wheels. Nice looking tractor.
I hope you are Maria are well.
Gene
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-15-2014, 12:37 PM
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#29
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Rivet Master
2015 30' Classic
2012 28' International
Greensboro
, North Carolina
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,708
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I know this won't be a comfort to you, but I have a steeper slope (from looking at your picture) that I successfully navigated with my 2012 28' Intl CCD, and will soon navigate with a 2015 30' Classic. My challenge is even tougher as the shed it fits into is 11' wide (post to post), and the trailer is 8 and a half. The secret is PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I did this in an empty parking lot using traffic cones to back between. It's also about taking all the time you need, getting out and checking, and being focused. It's nice if you have someone else as a ground guide, but most of the time I didn't. If (by chance) the slope caused you to bottom, I'd use some 2x6's in the right place to give you the lift you need.
__________________
_________________
"SilverLeaf II" 2015 30' Classic
2019 RAM 2500 Limited 4x4 CC w/6.7L Cummins
ProPride 3P
AIR# 58452
WBCCI # 3430-Unit 21
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12-15-2014, 12:38 PM
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#30
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4 Rivet Member
1966 24' Tradewind
2005 22' Safari
Bastrop
, Texas
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 329
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a six inch drop hitch inserted into your receiver instead of your on the road hitch , would give you several more inches of height at the rear of your trailer , could be enough to get it backed in without seriously dragging the tail on the concrete.
and an old house trailer mover trick is to crib up the low space of your drive with 2x6 or even landscape timbers laid parallel so that the trailer tires are elevated above the road surface allowing for event free egress or ingress . if your truck is a 4x4 you could leave them in place and not spin them out from under you while backing in .
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12-15-2014, 12:44 PM
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#31
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4 Rivet Member
2003 30' Classic
Stratford
, Prince Edward Island
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 259
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I have a 30 foot Classic and I didn't have any problem backing up a hill that was steeper then this. My friends have a 34 foot Limited and backed up the same driveway without any problem. The owner of the driveway has a 40 foot 5th wheel and, again, no problem. Slow and easy. watch for tail dragging. We have Hensley hitched on our Streams.
__________________
Mac from PEI
Prince Edward Island
Canada
WBCCI #4782
"Southern Belle"
'03 Classic 30'
'10 Toyota CrewMax
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12-15-2014, 12:59 PM
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#32
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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Quote:
Originally Posted by macofpei
I have a 30 foot Classic and I didn't have any problem backing up a hill that was steeper then this. My friends have a 34 foot Limited and backed up the same driveway without any problem. The owner of the driveway has a 40 foot 5th wheel and, again, no problem. Slow and easy. watch for tail dragging. We have Hensley hitched on our Streams.
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Thanks,
I have a ProPride. Do you take the tension off your weight distribution bars before you backup the hill? It seems to me that the lowering of the front of the trailer would help. As I look at our hitch, it seems to me that raising of the the rear of the trailer when the wheels start up the hill is going to actually put more force on the WD bars.
Ken
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12-15-2014, 01:32 PM
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#33
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Rivet Master
2015 25' FB Eddie Bauer
2013 25' FB Eddie Bauer
2012 20' Flying Cloud
Small Town
, *** Big Sky Country ***Western Montana
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 2,860
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Should be a piece of cake with a front receiver hitch on your 2500... otherwise, backing would seem to be a very stressful situation. We also live on a hill with a compound angle driveway. We use either a front receiver hitch on the pickup or the one on our Jeep Wrangler.
The weight on your front end (make sure the front receiver hitch is reinforced to handle the load * as well as the front suspension on our Wrangler) will cause the suspension to compress and -at least in our case- allow easy transition from the road and up the driveway.
__________________
2015 25' Eddie Bauer Int'l FBQ / 2023 Ford Lightning ER
2022 Ford F350 6.2 V-8; equalizer hitch + Shocker air hitch
Honda Eu3200; AIR# 44105; formerly WBCCI 2015.1
Terminal Aluminitis; 2-people w/ 3+ dogs
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12-15-2014, 02:09 PM
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#34
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Rivet Master
2002 30' Classic S/O
Fleming Island
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 4,667
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I bought a foot for my tongue jack with a wheel on it from HF. Rated for 1000#. I use it to avoid overloading the front suspension/hitch when maneuvering my 25 through a tight right angle turn into its spot in my driveway. I back in, then when unhitching, I replace the existing foot with the one with the wheel. I turn the truck around, hitch up, and park the trailer. Before I unhitch I put the original foot on the jack.
This approach may create more problems for you with the dip and crest of your driveway, but just thought I'd put it out there. The trailer did pop off the ball one time but I don't think it was properly latched, and I think I had the jack up too high, actually trying to lift the truck. Since I have paid more attention to the process, no problems.
Al
__________________
“You cannot reason someone out of a position they have not been reasoned into"
Al, K5TAN and Missy, N4RGO WBCCI 1322
2002 Classic 30 Slideout -S/OS #004
2013 Dodge 2500 Laramie 4x4 Megacab Cummins
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12-15-2014, 02:13 PM
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#35
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Rivet Master
2008 30' Classic S/O
Dearborn
, Michigan
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,403
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eubank
buy yourself a ford 8n tractor (made from 1947 to 1953), hitch on, and tow it up there. Leave the tractor attached. When you want to go on a trip, back it down into the street, and hitch onto the truck.
lynn
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this!
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12-15-2014, 02:50 PM
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#36
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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Here is a couple pictures that give a better idea of the slopes.
Ken
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12-15-2014, 03:08 PM
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#37
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4 Rivet Member
1972 27' Overlander
Penokee
, Kansas
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 339
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I had a 8N, 9N,, and a 2N Fordson,, and would not dare dropping our 27 foot A$ hitch onto the 3 point hitch and try to pull it up any hill.. Unless you have a heck of a lot of basket weight on the front.. The other problem is the lack of real brakes any Fordson I owned.. Could get scary real fast.. MHO.. Sodbust
__________________
2012 Ram 1500 Tradesman Hemi, 4x4, 6 speed
20mpg empty, 14 mpg with 27' Overlander.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life!
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12-15-2014, 04:44 PM
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#38
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,694
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Looking at the photos, the grade doesn't look too bad. But backing from that road might be a challenge. You'd have to be in the left lane to gain a little help from the way the driveway is angled in photo #1 and your view on the right side (oncoming traffic) would be blocked by the turning trailer.
If the drive to the house (photo #2) connects to the parking area in #1, you could drive forward to the front of the garage under the house and then back all the way to the parking area. But the two walls in #2 may make the turn to the left when backing difficult. The grade to the house driveway looks like a lot less than the drive in #1. I guess the cnnecting drive ascends to what we see in #1.
It is pretty unusual to have 2 driveway cuts on a public road, but the drives are different in the photos, so I guess you have 2 entry points and that makes more options. You could drop the trailer between the drives on what looks like a drive between the 2 driveways in the photos. But that looks like a hill and you'd want to move the trailer to a level place.
Perhaps blueprints would help.
Now about the house—the two tone blue is nice, but I never have seen a Victorian styled house with much blue. You can paint the 2nd floor siding different colors for each course. And get carriage house garage doors since the first thing we see is the doors. We have the same cheap looking doors and our garage is the first thing you see when you pull up to the house too. I want fake carriage house doors (really overhead doors in steel and not wood, but they look ok) but Barb says they don't fit the house. If we never agree, we save money and paint the existing doors. But I would paint them the trim color (terracotta) and Barb would paint them light tan. We're going to save on paint too.
Gene
__________________
Gene
The Airstream is sold; a 2016 Nash 24M replaced it.
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12-15-2014, 07:02 PM
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#39
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Regular Guy
1978 31' Sovereign
Hot Springs
, Arkansas
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 603
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It's easy to get "psyched out", and it appears somewhat daunting, but with a person spotting for you in the blind spots, I would think you could get it in where you want it in less than 3 minutes. Really. Do you have any friends in the National Guard? You could sling it and fly it.....
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12-15-2014, 07:09 PM
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#40
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Rivet Master
Port Orchard
, Washington
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,463
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NavyCorpsman
It's easy to get "psyched out", and it appears somewhat daunting, but with a person spotting for you in the blind spots, I would think you could get it in where you want it in less than 3 minutes. Really. Do you have any friends in the National Guard? You could sling it and fly it.....
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No, but it's less than a block from Puget Sound and Bremerton Naval Ship Yard is not far away. Maybe I could borrow one of their cranes on a barge. I'm sure if I tell them I'm a veteran, it will be no problem.
My wife thinks I don't do well at the backing, and I'm sure she gives lousy guidance, So she does the backing of the trailer, while I keep her from running into stuff.
Ken
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