Trailer Valet XL - experience?

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by DRPREECE

I pulled the trigger on one yesterday. We'll see how it works but I think I will be pleased. I also needed to get the ProPride Lot Bar and locking plate. All in, I think this will save me a lot of frustration putting the 26U into the storage garage. And possibly maneuvering in tight camping spaces.

The TV-XL is 50lbs. The Lot Bar is probably another 20lbs. This hitch equipment is heavy!

Could you post some pictures with the lot bar in place?
TIA

[DRPREECE]

It will be a while since we just put the rig back into storage until our next outing.

[centennialman]

I got the ball loose and the plate installed....will be moving the Airstream tomorrow....thanks for the help!

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by DRPREECE

It will be a while since we just put the rig back into storage until our next outing.

One thing I have learned over the years.... patience!!!

[kjbishop2]

Ok, bad experience. Moving a 27 ft FC with Trailer Valet XL and attached drill.... drill was VERY sensitive to being over torqued when stopping and when is was it almost ripped my hand off - very painful. Very swollen wrist and sore thumb now. Be careful, this is not as easy as it looks in the youtube videos. Now have Parkit360 on order as that actuates the trailer brakes so should give more progressive parking. Hand cranking the Trailer Valet until then!!!!

[centennialman]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that you hurt your hand. I tried the drill only once and went back to hand cranking. I prefer slow and steady when using the Trailer Valet.

[Mikenbern]

Sorry for the mishap KJBishop2 --
I am careful to stop the drill prior to lowering the handle to apply the brake.
Hand crank works for flat or short uphill - my parking maneuver is a lil lengthy for hand cranking

[WherryWillie]

I reported some weeks back that I was buying. I'm waiting on e-trailer to credit my returned valet, but will report my experience.
By all accounts here and in the instructions, I had it mounted correctly. It stayed vertical and pivoted properly.
But my DeWalt could barely move it and I too suffered the wrenched wrist.

I am "pushing the limit" as someone above asked, moving a 26u: 7,500 lb. total and 903 lb tongue per the book. Water and waste tanks were empty but LP tanks nearly full.
I was on a slightly uneven asphalt driveway and it was an extreme and difficult effort to make it move.
The principal problem was that if I was not applying significant upward pressure on the handle the brake would lock, instantly and completely. I suppose this is a safety feature, but the contortion of lifting the handle and working the crank is just not possible against the load of that trailer. It was this touchy brake engaging that twisted my wrist using the drill.

I contacted e-trailer and their return approval was a bit hesitant. I was inside their 60 day window. But they seemed to be wavering on their requirement that it not have been "installed". I explained it was not working as advertised and possibly this particular unit was defective in that regard. They agreed to take it back but they have not yet credited my account back. I'll let you know how that works out.

As others have noted, it is a very sturdy unit, and conceptually it seems like a good solution to the problem. A suggestion I would make is to provide some sort of carrying case for it. It is heavy (~50 lb), has some spare parts (spanner, crank, drill adapter) that do not all fit in the box once assembled. It does not freewheel, you basically have to crank it or carry it.
Regards,

[kjbishop2]

Their advertising says the XL will handle a 10,000 lb trailer with a 1,000 lb tongue weights so I would say you are not pushing the limit. The instaneous application of the brake is very dangerous when using a drill. And the very low height of the unit, having to hand crank and keep brake handle elevated at the same time makes it extremely difficult to use for anything more than a few feet.

Hope the wrist recovers soon, mine still sore three weeks later!

[TroyH]

Has anyone used the TrailerValet on a slope? And if so, how steep a slope?

TrailerValet officially says to not use it on any slope (liability concerns, I assume), but somewhere in their literature they say slopes are okay as long as they are not greater than 10%.

Our drive way has a 17% slope into the garage and I'd love to be able to use the TrailerValet to get our Basecamp into the garage because it's kinda tricky to do with the tow vehicle because I have to do it from a 90º angle (our garage is off an alley) and there's not a lot of room for both the Basecamp and the tow vehicle.

Thanks!

[Iansk]

Originally Posted by TroyH

Has anyone used the TrailerValet on a slope? And if so, how steep a slope?

TrailerValet officially says to not use it on any slope (liability concerns, I assume), but somewhere in their literature they say slopes are okay as long as they are not greater than 10%.

Our drive way has a 17% slope into the garage and I'd love to be able to use the TrailerValet to get our Basecamp into the garage because it's kinda tricky to do with the tow vehicle because I have to do it from a 90º angle (our garage is off an alley) and there's not a lot of room for both the Basecamp and the tow vehicle.

Thanks!

Hey Troy,
No sure what tow vehicle you have, but the best thing I've ever done for my trailer parking experience, is to install a front hitch on my (last three) trucks. For precision parking it is truly astounding where one can put a trailer with one. Cheap too, around $250 shipped for my tundra. I use it for other things as well, but I imagine with a basecamp, you could just about get it into any spot.

I've parked my 31' AS into a barn around a tree that everyone around me was saying was impossible. I regularly move my 24' Silverstreak and 28' Avion into different places around my property with it as well.

Just a thought.

[pteck]

I've used a trailer valet XL on my 27FB with great success. It is indeed a bit tentative the first few times as you get to learn the tool. And it's not the most ergonomic position with it being rather low. But I do use it now comfortably, to back my trailer into the side of my house, between a 10' wide gate.

Gentle slopes are okay. I think mine is something like 5%. It's definitely geared low enough to provide the power.

I think key in using a power drill, is to use one that has low range. This affords much more control and torque to drive the dolly. Also, it's important to ease into starts and stops, so one has to operate the drill with a bit of finesse. Much less likelihood to wrench your hand with this. Helps with some practice.

Sharp turns also needs some convincing, on a tandem axle trailer, as the trailer tires will load up and resist the turn. It can be done. To do extremely tight sharp turns, it can be easier to put the tongue jack down, and re-align the dolly to the new direction.

It was money well spent for me and I like the tool.

[kjbishop2]

I would not recommend this on any slope, my wrist is still recovering from the torque that resulted from stopping a park valet with an airstream on a flat driveway. Would hate to think the damage done stopping against a slope.

[joevdb]

We use it with a 25 footer. It has a tendency to roll on slopes, meaning you need to keep a firm hand on it all the time. That's not always possible! I would not recommend it in the case you describe.

[WherryWillie]

This thread is a curious thing to me. Kjbishop2 and I had really bad experience with this device and in the same respects:
It takes a lot of upward force on the steering handle to keep the brake from engaging.
It is very awkward to apply this pressure, steer the rig AND crank the gear.
If you use a drill and the steering handle drops a millimeter, the brake instantly engages at considerable damage to the wrist holding the drill.

Other folks, with comparably heavy rigs find it works fine, even great.

I can report that the company took it back, but not because I didn't like it, but because I said it was defective. The fine print in their sales agreement is a pretty one-way, you bought it you keep it, contract.

I don't think I'm going to try it again, but I'm curious. You folks that love this thing, I have this question. I had to keep about a 10 lb upward force on the handle. If I backed off from that, the brake engaged, instantly. Are you having to push up that hard? Does the brake engage instantly or gradually?
Thanks,

[DaveP]

I am one of the ones that said it works "great" for me (with a 28 foot Classic). I bought mine 2 years ago (before they added the plate and then added the stabilizer bracket that attaches to the foot of the jack. See attached picture). I use an 18v Milwaukee drill to run it. I always run it on the low gear pulley.

The first time I used the TV, I had problems. The instructions were not clear about tightening the collar up against the coupler which I had not done adequately. It was very unstable and hard to maneuver. Once I figured that out (on their web site), it was much more stable. When I got the stabilizer bracket kit last year, the whole thing became almost tame. This unit works great on flat, cement surfaces. I do not think it would work on gravel. I have about a 3% grade I back the trailer up to put it in it's parking spot. The grade has a small bump about half way up which I use the hand crank to get over. The hand crank did wack my hand once and it hurt like **^@@$%#.

There is definitely a knack to operating the brake, but mine is not as sensitive as some of yours sound. I have to drop the handle quite a ways before it engages. I agree that when it engages, it is quite abrupt. It just took some practice for me (releasing the brake and stopping the drill in a smooth unison). I always have my wife standing ready with a brick to throw in front of the trailer wheels in case it got away from me.

The TV requires some physical exertion unless you are on a flat cement surface. I would not recommend the TV for heavy trailers going up any significant slope. On a slope, I would not recommend using one if you have a bad back, knees or hips (or if you have other physical aliments). Sorry to hear about those of you that were injured by the TV.

I think this product is best suited for smaller, lighter trailers on flat surfaces.

Sorry about the picture being turned. It was upright in my file... It will turn upright if you double click it.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by WherryWillie

It takes a lot of upward force on the steering handle to keep the brake from engaging.
It is very awkward to apply this pressure, steer the rig AND crank the gear.
If you use a drill and the steering handle drops a millimeter, the brake instantly engages at considerable damage to the wrist holding the drill.

Hrmm... my lever doesn't take much force, so much as it has to be in the upright position to disengage the brake. It's not that sensitive either. For steering, it definitely takes some pressure, as the trailer rather go straight than anything. I do use my TV to move the tailer most of the way up the driveway, and only use the trailer valet to move it the last 15% of the sloped driveway. Then all the way through the side gate and backyard.

I would recommend one use the crank until they're comfortable with the behaviour of the unit.

Even with the drill, I don't often put much speed/momentum in the trailer. Just a controlled walk (crawl really). Easing into starts and stops.

As I mentioned earlier, much better to have a drill with low speed gearing. Not sure if all models have this, but my basic Craftsman C3 19.2V drill has it.

For me, the Trailer Valet is the only unit on the market that has the balance of qualities I want. Small and easy to store. No integrated motor/batts to maintain and charge. No special bracketing to install. Though I agree this does trade off some ergonomics.

[askory]

To use the Trailer Valet XL in my case I'd need it to cover about 50-60 feet with one pretty sharp turn in the middle. It's level - if not perfectly smooth - pavement the whole way. For those who've had success with this dolly, would that distance still end up super tiresome?

[pteck]

^It'll be perfect for that. I myself back the trailer into my yard about 50ft past the side gates.

Use a power drill and it is practically effortless to go in a straight line.

If your concern is the sharp turn, that's similar to the turn I need to make.

Two ways to make a turn.
1) Put sideways pressure on the dolly lever to make it turn. It does take some firm constant pressure to do this, especially with a heavier trailer
2) Use tongue jack to lift dolly, swing it to the desired turn angle, lower and turn away.

Note that tandem trailer tires will load up when turning. Trailer XL handles this just fine.

[askory]

I ended up getting one and it works pretty well. There is definitely a bit of a learning curve. My maneuver involves blocking an alleyway and I did once make the mistake of not properly charging my drill battery. I ended up cranking the whole way by hand and that was brutal! Do not recommend. But, with a working drill it's easy enough.