Tongue first, trailer moving, w/o dolly

[Roly Nelson]

I've not read anything about this topic, so here goes. I had to park my little 13 ft vintage trailer beside my garage with the door facing the garage, to make the interior renovation easier. If I pulled it in, I wouldn't be able to get the tow car out. So I had to push it in, (alone) tongue first, about 100 feet. I got it lined up in the side yard, heading in the right direction, staked down a 2x3 "monorail" from tongue hitch to final location. Upon this 2x3 I placed a sliding boat with a hole on top, to recieve the hitch-jack, without the wheel.

Then using my 4 foot removable hitch from my teardrop, I backed the car up with hitch in place, placing the pipe end of the hitch into a special reciever bracket, bolted to the center of the bumper of the trailer. Backing up slowly, I pushed it back as the boat slid along the mono-rail, guiding the trailer to it's final location.

(Now the interior is finished and the trailer is ready for removal, but the tongue is still at the wrong end.) I have recently bought a hitch dolly which I will use to steer it out to the street while being pulled with a rope, backwards. Hopes this works and I can finally take the Kenskill Standy on it's maiden voyage with it's brand new interior.
Roly, 5 year teardropper, 1 year cross-over vintage trailer nut

[Miriam C.]

uh, where da pics? Great job Roly. Something to keep in the dusty attic of the mind for future use.

[angib]

Roly, I've got your idea - very neat, if not exactly simple.....

There was a Brit called Heath Robinson who drew cartoons (worth Googling) that looked just like your explanation sounds - I'm guessing that his name isn't known in the US, so have you invented the 'Rube Goldberg Backer-Upper'?

The latest thing here for caravans (travel trailers) is to integrate electric motors under the chassis so that it can be moved by remote control - an American product?



Andrew

[bobhenry]

Why not a removable tongue for both ends ? Seems like a lot less work.

[brian_bp]

The latest thing here for caravans (travel trailers) is to integrate electric motors under the chassis so that it can be moved by remote control - an American product?



Andrew

After hearing about these from the Europeans in the FiberglassRV forum, I have now starting seeing ads for them in U.S. magazines, just in the last couple of months.

[bobhenry]

Yep it an old thread but moving a trailer without the car is occasionally needed here is a new take on an old problem.





trailer moves almost effortlessly and was easy to steer !

While not the answer in the wild it would make a great shop dolly.

[pchast]

I've been thinking of a removable ball to add to my lawn tractor...

I figure I can build some kind of angle iron thing with a pin into
the normal hitch and a couple of bolts to the back of the tractor
that gives me a mount for a hitch ball.