I put a new axle in my 13' Scamp . (April 2008) Now the scamp won't fit in my garage. My solution is, to make some wheel dollies, so I can get the scamp in the garage, when winter comes back in the fall. I will use the lug bolts from the wheel hub to secure the wheel dolly. The trailer hub will be only about 1/8" off the ground. I will take off the rims,mount the dolly and push the Scamp into the garage.
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This setup would be 3/8 ' to high Click to view attachment
Web page --> http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...0_212131_212131
I need all the room I can get to clear the top of the garage door.

That's clever! I use a tireless, smaller rim, but it's higher than your rig.

WOW Kevin THAT'S a sweet set-up have you got any dimensions ...like how thick the metal is and what size castore you plan to use?? I could REALLY get into this for when we sell and relocate!!!

Kevin, that a clever solution. I am facing the same issue with our new Trillium. I'd love to be able to get it into the garage, but it's a tad tall.

You've given me food for thought - I've even got some heavy-duty caster wheels from an old job that might even do the trick. Hmmm...

No dimensions yet, this will be a project for this summer.
Maybe use tubing 2"x 3" x 3/16" about 14" long. Wheels would be rated at 300 lbs each.( 4x300=1200 lbs total)
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Maybe something like this, less welding involved.
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Kevin

Find your caster wheels first. This will be the place you don't want to go cheap. Once you find the best casters you can, then build your rig around them. Looks like a good plan for a solution to dilema for many people. Mine was to build my garage with 10' doors, but I think your solution will be cheaper.

Added: After a re-read it looks like you may have allready found those casters.

May I take these photo's to my local trailer guy? This may solve my storage issue.

Here's my cheapo solution if your garage floor is fairly even and parking is fairly straight: Get yourself a few appliance roller sets and secure them onto a simple wooden frame made to the appropriate height. The plastic wheels are small but each single set is usually rated at over 1000 lbs! And at that price you can easily double or triple them up if you feel like it, or make additional frames.

Then back up trailer as far as possible, remove trailer wheels, lower the trailer frame onto the parallel caster sets, and push.

Daniel, the problem with those is that they will only go forward n back, the swivel casters make for a much more mobile unit. I have used similar furniture movers (but in plastic) under my fridge and stove and found that they 'rolled over' VERY easy. It seemed even the smallest sideways movement made them buckle under. I guess these metal ones would be sturdier???

Bonnie
Take any photos you want. If you get one built before I do --POST A PICTURE

My solution is what it is, a cheapo solution, but it does the job if you don't intend to roll around the garage and just need straightforward parking though a low garage door. The key is to bolt them onto some sort of wooden structure so they stay put and remain parallel to each other.

Wow, Kevin - this is a terrific idea! When we had our home, we were blessed to have a 10-ft high door so getting our Scamp 13 (no A/C) into winter shelter was easy. If we ever build again, we will be sure to include the extra-high door(s), but this gadget will no doubt be helpful for lots of "Eggers".
Thanx, L 'n D

subscribed to this thread...

some excellent ideas going on in here...

Don't think I'll beat you to the project. Local trailer guy says $60 hr and materials. Wasn't too enthused with the idea. Suggested 8" or 10" rim/tires. That might work too. But wouldn't give me the ability to move the egg sideways.

I haven't given up. I know a couple of iron workers who might take the project on. Hmmmm.

How about cutting a rim in 1/2, then welding a plate on the flat part on either side where the tire goes to mount the dolly wheels to? If you are feeling rich, you could use 2 rims cutting off less so you could mount it with all the mounting bolts.

I'm not to good with making pictures but if you can imagine the box like strucure as a rim cut flat on the bottom you get the idea.
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Don't think you would need to build it, there are all kinds of automotive dollies out there.
Here is one example that has the ability to go in any direction. Could probably work with the tires off around the hub.
gojack

On second thought one could get a larger rim that has been damaged from a wreckers or ???
Cut it in half and drill holes to match the bolt pattern. The larger rim, would allow the castors to be placed further from the hub. You don't need the rim to be true since it won't be rotating and it does not need to hold air.

Roy in TO
Something like this?
Wheel is white in photo. cut bottom part off.
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Hmm... for argument's sake, what would be the implications if one was to just wrap some padding around the hubs (rubber, leather, or something) and use them as wheels on that (very) short distance? Or simpler yet, lay out something on the floor such as plywood or cardboard. Then you might be able to move the trailer back and forth and steer it into place if you need sideways movement to reach your final storage spot. (Just thinking out loud... I don't mean to interrupt.)

Greg A
GoJak® Model 4500
GREAT product, but at $229.00 to high priced for me.
http://74.52.136.194/~roctools/catalog/pro...;products_id=13

Yes Kevin,

Something like that
I'm imagining that in your second picture the side walls of the steel box are the inner and outer halves of the rim with the castor wheels are welded between them. That is ... the mounting plate is inset into the rim.
Can you draw that?
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Daniel V.
"Wrap some padding around the hubs."

GREAT IDEA.

I might have to try this.
No welding required.
VERY cheap also.
Could use a 6" Inner tube , cut apart around the hub.

Roy in TO
Like this ?
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Sort of, remember the rim is a single thickness where it bolts onto the hub but it has two flanges where the tire mounts. If you can make the inner wall of the box the inner wall of the rim you would have it. Depending on the offset 1/2 the profile of the rim looks like an
h or a Y when viewed from the cut portion.

Can you make your white rim a little wider and set the castor between the inner and outer portions?

Now for those people where an 1/8 of an inch is making a difference, the castor could be bolted to the underside of the welded plate and raised or lowered with washers to adjust to the required height.

Or just put a layer or two of old carpet on the ground, perhaps.

Or red carpet, if you think your egg deserves it. I hear it's pretty expensive though.

Forget the rim and trying to modify the flange. Just cut the semi circle from 1/4" plate and add the casters, drill the matching holes to your wheel spacing and hub and bolt into place.

I can see a plate welded between the two bead seats in the picture below that would approximate the shape and location of the outline between the arrows designating "rim width" and the inner part of the rim.
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Or cut a wheel, of 1/4" plate, just slightly larger than your hub and roll on it. You're not going down the road. Just 20' into the shop or garage. No extra parts to work with.

Simpler yet would be to use angle iron with 2 holes drilled into one side of the angle to match the bolt pattern and attach the castors to the other side of the angle.

Which is pretty much what this thread started with (shown below), but the flat of the angle would face outwards without a notch and the angle iron would be mounted to the bolts/lugs below the hub/spindle.

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Why not just replace the caster wheels with much smaller diameter skateboard or roller skate wheels & bearings? Seems the only "tough" part would just be adding a bushing/sleeve to fit the thru bolt and maybe a washer or two on each side to make up the width?

Cut some 3/4" plywood the same size as he hub, then put some rubber around the outside or some thin metal to protect the plywood bottom..
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Many good ideas listed here.

Interesting. Your "plywood tire" does have the advantage of being easily removable, as opposed to a rubber + duct tape, or carpet-that-gets-in-the-way solution. Plus it attaches to the proper "load points" on the hubs and that's most likely the way they were intended to work. We're discarding the sideways moveability, but I suspect that's not something you had as a requirement to begin with.

Wish I'd thought of plywood wheels before I spent money on some small trailer wheels that scratch the concrete (inside the garage, I don't care, but the outside apron is part of the condo, so I have to put down carpet to protect it.

With a wheel on the tongue jack, my 13' is easier to move back and forth to get some sideways movement, but it's not like it was on caster wheels.

The closer the frame and axle get to the ground the more difficult it is to get a jack under it....

Hi: What about using a pair of doughnut spares from the wreckers that are the appropriate bolt pattern. Would that lower the trailer enough to clear the door height??? Just " thinking outside of the Box"
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

I had to use 12" tireless wheels to get enough drop. I haven't checked, but I doubt there are many 12" or less automotive wheels out there in the wrecking yards.

For a low clearance jack, you can't beat a scissors jack

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1MZK5

I think there would be a problem clearing the brake drums unless you used the size wheel that your trailer came with.

Our Trillium has 13" wheels. The tires are 24" dia, mounted. So 24-13 = 11 and 11÷2 = 5.5. This would be the amount of lowering I would get.

A plywood disk would seem to be the best way to go because you could make the O.D. a minimum amount larger than anything that would need clearing like the brake drums. We have 7" brakes, so the drum is maybe 8" dia. If I made a 9" dia plywood wheel, now I would have 24 - 9 = 15 and 15 ÷ 2 = 7.5. Another 2 inches of lowering compared to the wheel. Plus the plywood would be cheaper. The only thing I would worry about is if it would hold the weight.

This is a good solution, however, I wouldn't weld all those braces but just use 1/4" thick 3 x 4 angle iron about 12-18" long. Then all you would need do is drill holes to match the wheel pattern and the casters. Bolt the casters on and fasten the angle iron to the wheel plate or brake drum using the wheel lug nuts. One would control the height of the trailer component with the height of the casters and location of the holes for the wheel studs. You could also place the angle iron vertical flange up or down as needed. You could also use 4 revolving casters, 4 rigid casters or 2 of each.

"Make it stout and get it out"

A little off topic, but what program did you use to make your drawings? I have Turbo Cad but find it difficult to use.

Egads! There are TWO threads dealing with this topic and I am posting to both!

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/index.ph...mp;#entry290756

Roger C H
Google sketchup--FREE program---> http://sketchup.google.com/ Very easy to learn.

Roger C H
Something like this

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Use a 2x4 (1 1/2 x 3 1/2)
with these wheels
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The 12" rims cleared the brake drums just fine, although I'll have to look again to see how much. Stock rims on my 91S13 are 13".

I like the plywood idea, however, being less expensive than two 12" wheels.

Pete, enquireing mind(??) wants ta know, your 12"ers, ......tired or tireless???

I think it's worth a patent request... or some way to prove it's yours before it gets stolen.

Bare, naked rims...

Aren't doughnut spares the same diameter as the wheel/tire they are replacing? They are only narrower.

But looking at your drawings, I would try to avoid notching the board. Maybe use a 2x6 or 2x8 etc. so that the clearance for the hub would be contained IN the board as close to the center as possible because of stress considerations.

BTW, I am dealing with the learning curve of the graphics program. It appears to be simpler than TurboCAD, but still not real easy.