Moving The Trailer By Hand

I will be picking up my 550 at the end of July and towing it back to Baltimore. Unfortunately I don't have a garage or off street parking and so will need to rent a garage. There are lots of garages around for rent that are in fairly narrow rows that wouldn't allow one to back the trailer in (ie the width of the alley is less than the length of the vehicle and trailer combined). I'm wondering how hard to would be to unhitch perpendicular to the garage and move the teardrop in by hand. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? Thanks.

 

If it is fairly level it shouldn't be a problem. If not, then you will likely need some help. Be careful, as even a relatively shallow slope can create enough momentum for the camper to get away from you (which is why some folks get the parking brake option). Also, don't push on the front pass-thru box if at all possible. It is sheathed in thin plywood, and it might be possible to do some damage there.

 

you might consider obtaining a trailer dolly. I had one I used for a boat trailer and found that it's pretty handy for controlling the 550 on unlevel surfaces. Gives great control while handling the trailer.

 

I strongly urge you to invest in a hand cart such as listed above. The last thing you want is to have the new teardrop go on an adventure while trying to push it into place.

Also, if there is a lip into the storage space, even though seems small, it is frustrating to push a trailer over the lip.

 

Can anyone suggest a trailer dolly that is sturdy enough to maneuver a 560 and that's not too expensive? Our garage has a small lip and slight slope. I'd love to be able to put the trailer away by myself. A dolly might also be useful to move the trailer when camping if it would work on an unpaved surface.

 

As an aside, the garage I originally rented ended up being extremely tight - both getting the teardrop in as well as getting it out. Happily, a good friend is renting me her garage which is quite large and easy to back in to.

 

This is the trailer dolly I currently have: Amazon.com: Tow Tuff Adjustable Trailer Dolly with Caster: TRI Global: Patio, Lawn & Garden And yes, I do usually take it with me in the Tow Vehicle--because I'm just not that good at backing up yet. (I'm working on it). It's pricey, but I did have a cheaper one first--and it ended up not being able to handle the 550. (it buckled one day.. trying a turn on gravel and up a slope--the cheap one just didn't like that)

I use it every time I put the trailer away in my garage--I too have a very slight slope, and a short lip.

Sorry, I don't have a recommendation for a 'not too expensive' one; but I do agree with your assessment that a trailer dolly is very useful!

 

Hi everyone. I have what I think is an ignorant question. I obviously think a dolly would be helpful, based upon comments and reviews I looked at online. But I don't understand why a dolly is helpful, over and above the existing trailer jack that comes with the trailer. I think the handle would give slightly more leverage, but wouldn't it be virtually the same?

 

In the driveway, for me, it's because my upper body strength isn't that awesome. If you're fit as a fiddle and can lift and move the trailer around, then a trailer dolly isn't very interesting to you. Otherwise, having the dolly--basically a lever with the different fulcrum point-- just makes it easier to move the trailer around and my lack of upper body strength is not as much of an issue.

I also use the dolly at campsites simply because I'm not awesome at backing up (yet). I can unhitch, put it on the dolly, and easily move the trailer into position.

So it's really one of those "it depends". If you're great at backing up, you wouldn't need the dolly for any reason at all. You could likely backup with pinpoint accuracy the trailer right into your garage. I suspect it's those of us with the bad combination of "needs a lot of practice backing up with a trailer" AND "yikes, trying to roll this thing uphill by myself I can't do it".

 

Thanks so much skissinger. This is very helpful. The differing fulcrum point makes sense. I have one reason I think it could be helpful.

Like Handben, I have a narrow space in which to back the trailer into the garage. We have a very narrow alley, and I have to back the trailer in on a tight curve. I make it work but it is a bit stressful. I could unhitch it in the alley and back it in by hand, but there is a slight uphill and *maybe 1 1/4 inch* lip at the start of the garage floor that would make it difficult.

It is hard for me to know if the dolly could make that slight uphill and lip easier to deal with, in a way that would allow me simply to unhitch in the alley. What do you think?

 

The trick with a lip is to avoid hitting it square. Angle the trailer just enough so that each tire hits the lip separately. (I realize with a *really* tight opening that could be difficult, but usually it works.)

 

A trick you might try is to place a board that is half the height of the lip in front of it to make the lip into a step. Maybe a piece of plywood or some such thin board. I did this when delivering 350lb hand-truck loads of meat and the curb or lip was too high when I was delivering.

 

Handben and Dean, these are really great ideas. I appreciate it. I will get on it before our next trip. I very much appreciate our community.

 

We do the same thing as Dean suggested. We keep our 550 in a storage unit and it has a lip at the entrance. We put a 1" board in front of the lip and it's much easier to push inside the storage unit.