Trailer Dolly

[jamoore]

Anybody made a powered device, either gas or electric, for moving their trailer around? It is all I can do to manually pull mine from the back garage to the front of the house to hook it up. I know some use riding lawnmowers but I was thinking more along a stand alone unit. I know they make commercial electric units. Interested in making my own and wanted ideas on what to utilize for drive train etc. I am sure somebody out there has made one of these. Thanks, Joey

[Riverman]

I used to have a boat winch for my marine railway made out of an old snowblower. It would have pulled a trailer easily. An old rototiller would work well too.

[79Tron]

I have a little electric one at the shop it makes 500 ftlbs of torque ! Ill try to remember to take pictures. Only problem is if it gets in wet grass or not enough toung weight it spins the tire.

[time warp]

www.powermoverinc.net

www.powercaster.com

[LakeRacer99]

I would be curious how well a lightweight version would work tugging a trailer with less than 100# of toungue weight and 1000# of gross weight. Seems to me that it would slip too much unless you were moving it around a flat garage area.

[Reese]

Jamoore....mechanical trialer dolly???? Are you talking about that boat in your Avitar?????

Don't know your situation so I won't make a joke....how about a manual trailer dolly?

Like this one...http://www.greatoutdoors.com/trailer...ilerdolly.html

[captcarb]

A golf cart works great if you have room for it.


Jim

[Tom Foley]

I see a lot of people laughing but this a true marketable product with the proper planning and outsourcing you could make this fly . I personnally have three trailers that are heavy and with a small powered device could be easily manuevered from their out of the way location . What comes to mind right awaY is a small industrial engine with tremendous reduction to keep power up and movement slow . Also has to be reversible easily and have a kill system . You have ignited a spark !!! Tom .

[time warp]

I think for the amount of use that they would get, and the little amount of time they would run versus time sitting that the electric ones I linked to would be better than a gas powered one, there would be very little maintenance with the electric ones. I have seen larger versions that are electric and rechargeable, the batteries add weight so they work much better with light tongue weights and slippery surfaces.

Caleb

[mr fun]

Time Warps suggestions look like the ones i've seen, so somebody is already doin it, not to say a master fabricator and brilliant engineering mind like professor Foley couldn't do one better, thats why they call it a Boing 747 instead of a Wright 747, or a Lightening 21 instead of a Skater,,, no wait what was i thinkin fun out

[jamoore]

Thanks for the discussion. Sorry I didn't see the responses sooner. I didn't get the notices that I had a reply and been busy.

Reese, yes it is for the boat pictured, no offense taken. I do have a manual dolly. I know the boat doesn't weigh much but it is all I can do to move it by myself and I am no slouch! It has to come across grass and it has just enough incline to make it a real task. I can't back through the gate due to tight quarters so I have to pull it out to hook it up.

I like the looks of the electric ones, just not the price. They don't look all that difficult to build. I was hoping someone had built their own and had some thoughts on what to use for the engine/motor and drive components. Any thoughts on where one would get an electric motor that had the torque/gearing for this?

Joey

[Tom Foley]

Check out Mc Master -Carr an industrial supplier , I will get their number for you . I can easily see several hundred for bits and pieces without labor to put one of these little puppies together , but sure would save our backs a lot of grief ! Tom .