Trailer Dollies

[Lucky Skunk]

Hello,

I am receiving a 20FB Caravel soon and plan to store it on my property, in my driveway. My driveway is long and mostly straight, but narrow. Maneuvering it exactly where I want it would be very difficult with the truck. The driveway is flat, so I believe is a good candidate for one of these trailer dollies.

Does anyone have any experience with them? I’m not sure how heavy duty I need, nor how much physical strength will be necessary.

Thank you for any input!

[AlIslander]

I have a parkit360 that I just used for the first time a couple of days ago to turn the trailer around in my driveway. It worked really well but did require force to turn the dolly because the wheels don’t turn independent of each other.

[Mikemdd]

I use a gas AirTug to move my 6500 lb boat in and out of my shop at our summer home. Very well designed and works perfectly. I am going to buy an electric Trailer Tug (15K model) at our main home for my new Airstream Globetrotter 25 FBT, assuming the trailer arrives during my required time frame. AirTugs are pricey but well worth the extra $$$.

[kittmaster]

Airtug

[Lucky Skunk]

I appreciate these recommendations! And ohhh expensive.

[gator.bigfoot]

Guy in town moves his 34 with a riding lawnmower.

[Steamy1]

I have used a manual Trailer Valet XL to maneuver our 19' Bambi and 23FB in and out of our garage. It is a less expensive option if the surface is fairly level and not too distant to travel.

This was the only way I could park both trailers in a 18'x45' garage, along with the Tundra for winter storage. The 19' had to go in nose first and right up against the wall to make it work.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

I have used a manual Trailer Valet XL to maneuver our 19' Bambi and 23FB in and out of our garage. It is a less expensive option if the surface is fairly level and not too distant to travel.

This was the only way I could park both trailers in a 18'x45' garage, along with the Tundra for winter storage. The 19' had to go in nose first and right up against the wall to make it work.

I've also got one of these which I plan to use on our 25-ft Excella once I get the mount installed on the A-frame. We store inside our barn which has a door that only has a few inches on each side to spare, and trying to back the trailer out with the tractor's 3-point lift is not working too well. Hoping that the Trailer Valet can help me get it out past the door where the tractor can take over.

I'll report back once I've had a chance to put it through its paces.

[Lucky Skunk]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

I have used a manual Trailer Valet XL to maneuver our 19' Bambi and 23FB in and out of our garage. It is a less expensive option if the surface is fairly level and not too distant to travel.



This was the only way I could park both trailers in a 18'x45' garage, along with the Tundra for winter storage. The 19' had to go in nose first and right up against the wall to make it work.

So glad this one was mentioned. It’s a much better price point. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[Mikemdd]

As noted, lots of options. If your area is flat and easy to maneuver, a simple trailer mover will work. However, if you have any slope at all, be careful in choosing the "cheap" models. A small grade can make a big difference in how the mover can work. A 6% grade increases the effective trailer weight by around 60 or 70%. Most vendors limit the slope to 4 or 5% max. Also, safety is a consideration when looking at ones that use the trailer brakes and without brakes. Some people find it difficult to horse the trailer dolly around trying to turn the trailer, especially the two wheeled dollys. Some don't hitch solidly to the ball with compaints the trailer disconnected while trying to move. How the tires work on concrete is very very very different than on gravel. For many of these reasons, I chose the Airtug for my purposes: slope where I need to use it, safety (integrated trailer brakes, construction quality), weight specs (my trailer is heavier), utility and ease of use. However, less expensive vendors work in simple applications. In the end, if it doesn't work, it doesn't matter how much you paid.

[jeffmc306]

We have a 10’ concrete pad next to our garage making it a tight fit to back our 27’ GT in. I drop the trailer in the driveway and use the Trailer Valet to park it.

There are a couple of things I learned using it. The spanner wrench that comes with it slips out of the hole when you’re tightening it. I found a strap wrench works much better to tighten the steel nut below the coupler. Getting it tight is critical to keeping the unit straight once you start moving the trailer.

Once you get the hang of it, it does the job. If I had the need to move the trailer farther or had more of a slope I’d invest in one of the other units mentioned.

Good luck!

[DCPAS]

I have a Parkit360 for a carhauler trailer. I intended to use it to move the trailer into a storage unit. Outside the unit there is compacted dirt and rocks. Utterly worthless. No traction. I am letting a friend use it on his trailer in his driveway. Works ok there.

[DonRich7878]

Dont be afraid to use your truck. Practice in an open lot. Use a spotter. Hire a pro driver from a trucker school to help you develop your backing skill.

[Ronald S.]

Hello,
I had a fixed mover installed on my Airstream Excella 1000, 32 feet. It is the "Reich Easy Driver 3.1 Pro". Greetings Ronald

[OrangeCrush]

Stay away from Trailer Valet. I purchased the XL in 2017 and in my opinion the design is precariously unstable and a disaster waiting to happen. Unit broke after 3 uses following all directions to the letter. Company said they would replace it, but never did. After a few months of calling and them saying "oh, yes its on it's way", they then quit answering the phone or returning calls. I finally had to get the credit card company involved to reverse the charge. I then called multiple times leaving messages asking if they want me to send it back and crickets. After a year sitting in the corner of the garage I threw it in the trash. Terrible company, terrible design.

[Steamy1]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

Stay away from Trailer Valet. I purchased the XL in 2017 and in my opinion the design is precariously unstable and a disaster waiting to happen. Unit broke after 3 uses following all directions to the letter. Company said they would replace it, but never did. After a few months of calling and them saying "oh, yes its on it's way", they then quit answering the phone or returning calls. I finally had to get the credit card company involved to reverse the charge. I then called multiple times leaving messages asking if they want me to send it back and crickets. After a year sitting in the corner of the garage I threw it in the trash. Terrible company, terrible design.

WOW; sorry to hear this, though it has not been my experience. As stated above, I have used the XL to move both our 19' and 23' in and out of our garage condo for storage, and the 19' down the side of our house to the back yard every summer. It does have limitations, e.g., I would not use it on wet grass or gravel, or attempt to pull over an edge > 1". I have owned ours since 2016. They even sent me a support bracket once it was available at no charge.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

Stay away from Trailer Valet. I purchased the XL in 2017 and in my opinion the design is precariously unstable and a disaster waiting to happen. Unit broke after 3 uses following all directions to the letter. Company said they would replace it, but never did. After a few months of calling and them saying "oh, yes its on it's way", they then quit answering the phone or returning calls. I finally had to get the credit card company involved to reverse the charge. I then called multiple times leaving messages asking if they want me to send it back and crickets. After a year sitting in the corner of the garage I threw it in the trash. Terrible company, terrible design.

I've also had only positive interactions with them. Perhaps they've grown and improved in the past 6 years.

My initial thoughts on the Trailer Valet were that the mounting system was vulnerable to disaster, mainly since it relies on the mount being tight to the tongue to prevent pivoting the dolly as you move it around. That's why I opted for the permanent mount which goes on the side of the A-frame and should provide a stable place to mount it.

[Doc Savage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrUw9-m_pSA

Several videos on YouTube for the Trax dolly
I acquired a TRAX XT6000 used, a few months ago. It is mostly for positioning the front parallel with the property line and utility box prevents the truck from straight back in. Haven't done a major move, except to jockey it around in the pea gravel. The gravel is a bit of a challenge and requires the chain around the stabilizer to keep the dolly level. When the weather improves, I will pull it to the left in order to hook the truck and try to reverse that on return.

[GetawA-S]

Agree that the stability of the connection is very important. It’s not fun to see your trailer tongue crash to the pavement, or your foot. Also be ready to yank the breakaway switch if it gets away on you.a useful bit of insurance is a hitch post caster, or one bolted to the frame, to stop a fall.
Good luck!

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush

Stay away from Trailer Valet. I purchased the XL in 2017 and in my opinion the design is precariously unstable and a disaster waiting to happen. Unit broke after 3 uses following all directions to the letter. Company said they would replace it, but never did. After a few months of calling and them saying "oh, yes its on it's way", they then quit answering the phone or returning calls. I finally had to get the credit card company involved to reverse the charge. I then called multiple times leaving messages asking if they want me to send it back and crickets. After a year sitting in the corner of the garage I threw it in the trash. Terrible company, terrible design.

OrangeCrush, there were problems with early units; they have updated it since. They added a support from the jack post to the Valet and changed to solid tires.

That said, as I mentioned in my earlier post, you really have to get the coupling nut tightened to keep the unit upright. I wish the nut had wrench flats or knurled finish to make it easier to tighten.