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xrvr · 03-01-2012, 12:10 PM

Can the entrance be widened? jim

Jammer · 03-01-2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BradS

Wow Thank you for the ideas. Tim and I have tried wheel dollies to move it but we couldnt get it to go. We put a dolly under each wheel, three per side, and gave it a try. Im thinking that 12 casters per side were to many. each wheel seemed to point in its own direction and they seemed to resist each other.

I am considering laying out several 10' pieces of 4" pvc as rollers, putting a plywood platform on top of this and pulling the trailer onto the platform. Any thoughts about this idea? We are on a concrete floor, although its about 80 years old so its not smooth as glass.

If it won't roll smoothly you may have to use dollies with larger diameter casters. You may also find that it helps to leave the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle at first and move it forward or back a foot or so once the dollies are in place, so that the casters all point in the same direction. Then they will fight each other less when you push it to the wall. Also if you leave the tow vehicle hooked up you can push on the trailer's bumper and get a little leverage.

I don't know whether the PVC pipe will take the weight. You may find that it and the plywood deform enough to preclude rolling.

Whatever you do be careful and be sure you have a means of stopping at any point in the process, and be aware of any slope the concrete may have.

clancy_boy · 03-01-2012, 01:36 PM

It may help, and I have seen this done on some unlevel concrete before, to put the wheel dollies in a track perpendicular to the axis of the trailer in the direction of the move. This helps "level" the floor, points the wheels in the correct direction and keeps them there and provides a smooth surface with a lower coefficient of friction to help with the move. Some C channel just wider than the wheel width of the wheel dollies.

wasagachris · 03-01-2012, 02:21 PM

I found this video of go-jacks in use:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKo...eature=related

Foiled Again · 03-01-2012, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by memgrove2000

Just build another door.

my thought eggs-act-lee!

Or move the SMALL ones and put the big honken 34 in LAST.

But still, I with over 7 years on this forum still learned something new from this thread. My first thought was - sideways? They gotta be kidding! But lo and behold in theory it's certainly possible. I'd use opposing "come-alongs" to nudge the airstream into STARTing, then to slow and stop it as it reaches it's safe destination. Video "the big movement"

for You-Tube, it'll be viral whether it succeeds brilliantly or fails ignominiously!

Paula

ROBERT CROSS · 03-01-2012, 02:44 PM

Just make sure the door is wide enough

Bob

BradS · 03-01-2012, 02:51 PM

I really like build another door option. It is a rented building , if it was mine I would do it.

I think putting the casters in a track is an interesting idea. I moved a house with a friend long ago and as I recall all the rollers were between steel beams. All surfaces were smooth and hard.The moving company was able to put the house right where we wanted +/- 1/4".

Here is a pic of the shop we are working in. The "Big Girl" on the left should go 5 more feet to the left or better yet it should go all the way to the right and clear the isle that the door lines up with. The trailer in the right foreground is my 57 Rear door Ohio built Overlander and the one in the back round is May, Tims 1964 Safari. I have a 22' CCD that Id like to bring in for the winters.Im greatful for all the ideas, thank you. This forum rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jammer · 03-01-2012, 03:07 PM

Brad

Looks like you have enough clearance to work it into whichever spot you want with one of those power hitch dollies. In essence they're a tow vehicle that's only 2' long and can turn on a dime.

Might be easier and cheaper than dollying the wheels.

Nice shop. My place has more room but a dirt floor and no heat.

meadowlm · 03-01-2012, 03:21 PM

I have used two sheets of waxed paper sandwiched between two 2x8’s to move some pretty big stuff. A long time ago I saw it used to get two mobile home halve together.
I am not saying it is right for this application but…

BradS · 03-01-2012, 03:22 PM

We only have construction heaters in there but it is nice. I work outside and the winter is just something you get used to. Being indoors makes everything better. The hard floor is awesome, I usually work on dirt, in mud and off a ladder. Tim and I count ourselves lucky to have found this building. Its about 1/2 hour drive for both of us and we get the whole building.Last year we shared a different building with others and we never felt comfortable leaving anything out.

ROBERT CROSS · 03-01-2012, 03:29 PM

Just got back from the pad looking at Cloudsplitter, it dawned all over me....

Using four jack dollies, you still have the tongue jack to deal with...even with a jack wheel strong enough it wouldn't be easy.

At least it looks like you have a nice smooth floor.

Anyone got a HD ATV? Hitch, tongue wheel and patience might work.

Bob

wasagachris · 03-01-2012, 03:34 PM

Here's a thought if you only need to move the big girl once or twice why not contact a local repo outfit and see if they would rent you their equipment.

Goal15 · 03-01-2012, 03:40 PM

Not sure if this has been suggested yet but what's the biggest set of teflon furniture slides you can book shelves at Barnes and Noble moved with them probably a ton of books can be slid around by one guy... but that was on carpet

BradS · 03-01-2012, 03:53 PM

Im really trying to talk Tim into a shorter trailer, Even a 30' trailer would allow us to park two trailers end to end and two side by side. We only have about one month of storage season and then the Big Girl will come out and go to the Minnesota Airstream Park. Then my 22' trailer can go indoors and there will still be plenty of room. If we can come up with a plan that we know will work I can let go of my outside storage spot next winter.

AirsDream · 03-01-2012, 04:33 PM

I store my coach in a big building - sort of like yours - but it also contains dozens of cars, boats, trucks, pieces of industrial machinery, etc. The owner regularly moves these things sideways to pack them in for more storage. He uses go-jack type units, and pushes on the vehicle wheels / tires if it's a vehicle. It takes just a little extra oomph to get the little wheels all aligned, but soon as they are, it starts moving. I bet you can do it with what you've got, if you take it slow and easy and pre-figure how to stop it once you've got it going. Moreover, with the castering wheels, you can line them up in the direction of travel BEFORE you jack it up and apply load, so they're already aligned ... 'course, you will need another dolly or some such for teh tongue jack. Good luck.

memgrove2000 · 03-01-2012, 05:01 PM

I like the idea of dollies under each wheel and tongue jack. With a floor mounted winch on the wall side and a place to mount a pully in/on the floor on the other side. You could pull it both ways.

I bet a short length of garden hose or electric cord will stop the dolly from rolling. ( It sure does prevent snowmobile dolly wheels from moving!)

How about some scale models and space? (Could be as simple as a sheet of graph paper cut to size) Mybe there is a different "load order" to make it work without pushing it sideways.

pgr32e · 03-01-2012, 06:50 PM

If all you want to do is move sideways, why not build dollys with non castering wheels. Though given the weight involved I think wheels large enough to have bearings would be advised. Good luck.....Phil.

Wabbiteer · 03-01-2012, 07:22 PM

Remove one or two wheel pairs and then grease plates under the remaining tires --- place the A-frame over first and lock/remove the jack-wheel to anchor it, then you might be able to pivot the back over by push - pull on the bumper - -

Grease plates are used often in aircraft hangers, use the length of the frame as leverage as you would the wings - tail of an airplane. You really wanted four four-foot long by 12" sheets of greasy 1/4" (3/8"?) steel or aluminum to store, didn't you?

Either that or two 14-foot 2x8's (picked for hard grain) and twelve feet of 1-1/2 or 2" galvanized pipe cut into 8 or 10" pieces, remove all but one set of wheels, drop the remaining tires on the rollers and tug it over via the bumper.

I've re-railed 40-ton subway cars and we used a 12-inch wide aluminum beam-plank with two sets of four 2" rollers mounted together in a 12"x12" pad - the plank cribbed up level with oak blocks, drop car frame on rollers and use a hydraulic ram to walk the roller pads over twelve inches at a time.

richinny · 03-01-2012, 08:38 PM

got a fork lift?

can you make a sling and lift it from above?

make an ice rink and slide it on the ice :-)

TG Twinkie · 03-01-2012, 09:34 PM

With a couple of 2x12's place them perpendicular to the trailer under the tires. The get 10 sticks (pieces) of 1 1/2" to 2" thin wall conduit. Relatively cheap to buy. Cut the conduit in half making 20 rollers. Place the rollers under the 2 x12's . Put a floor jack under the tongue jack. Don't raise the floor jack, just use it like a dolly.
As you move the trailer side ways carry the rollers that come out the side you are pushing from around to the opposite side.
The Egyptian's used this method to build the pyramids.