Tight spot

[Greg Yother]

For any 13' Scamp owners: when I do finally make my purchase, I need to get this baby around a fairly tight corner in my alley/backyard driveway to park it. Assume fully loaded I'm at 1400 lbs ..is it possible to do a little manuvering with one of those trailer dollys with that kind of weight?

[Larry&Carrie]

For any 13' Scamp owners: when I do finally make my purchase, I need to get this baby around a fairly tight corner in my alley/backyard driveway to park it. Assume fully loaded I'm at 1400 lbs ..is it possible to do a little manuvering with one of those trailer dollys with that kind of weight?

SHUCKS!!- ---that's what the wife and kids are for......

[Gina D.]

Go to your room Larry!!!!

Tongue weight is more a factor than overall weight. If you are on pavement, it will be easier.

I actually picked up the tongue of my 13 once without the aid of tools. (Of course, this is NOT recommended. My surgeon had the proper tools and managed to repair the damage, along with drugs, but, I suggest you use a dolly instead )

Think Wheel Barrel.

[Doug Mager]

YES, "Boler Strollers" are pur-fict for this sort of manuver!

Get one with air filled tires and keep them properly inflated, you won't regret getting one.....

[Benny K]

You should have no problem with a dolly.....even with a caster wheel on a tongue jack shouldn`t be a problem.......I use a dolly for my 13' Boler and can move it easily with the jack itself....weight of my 13' usually is about 1400 lbs. .....I move my 17' Boler which is about 1,000 lbs more with a dolly, as long as it`s on level pavement of asphalt.....a slight uphill can be a chore.......there is also motor driven dollies available than run on a battery...even easier... ..Benny

[Frederick L. Simson]

Assume fully loaded I'm at 1400 lbs ..is it possible to do a little manuvering with [b]one of those trailer dollys with that kind of weight?

When we owned the Compact Jr. it also weighed 1400 pounds total. The tongue weight was about 160 pounds. We did not have a trailer dolly, we just used the wheel on the tongue jack. It took 2 of us to get it into the back yard, but it was relatively easy, and yes we had to make a 90 degree turn to get through the gate.

[Per Walthinsen]

Greg:

When we first got our trailer (2500-3000lbs, depending) I attempted to move it around the back yard with a manual dolly. It was possible to move it, but it was purely dependent on how level and hard the surface was. Any little dip or soft spot would cause it to stall and cause major problems.

Since it was already a given that I would have to move it up an incline to even get it in the back it became "it's either a power dolly or no trailer for us."

That has worked quite well for us, but the bottom line is: it depends almost completely on how level, hard, and smooth the surface is. If you have such a concrete surface, for example, you are likely to have very little trouble.

A dolly will give you all kinds of maneuvering capability, including being able to virtually turn on a dime, and quite controllably too. Aside: The power dollies have extremely low gearing, so they move slowly and also tend to stop quickly when you switch off the power. They are therefore very safe.

If I were in your shoes I would think hard about making sure you have a surface prepared for this. Who knows, you could very well avoid having to buy one of those (expensive) power versions.

[John Perry]

For any 13' Scamp owners: when I do finally make my purchase, I need to get this baby around a fairly tight corner in my alley/backyard driveway to park it. Assume fully loaded I'm at 1400 lbs ..is it possible to do a little manuvering with one of those trailer dollys with that kind of weight?

Hi Greg,

I just bought an overhead camper for my truck and my 13' Scamp was parked where I wanted to put the camper. I moved the Scamp about 50 feet up a slight incline to its new home with my boat dolly today.
Don't buy your dolly from a marine or RV supply as they are to expensive. Buy the identical dolly from Harbor Freight for less than 50 bucks. Mine is 6 years old and still doing the job.

John

[Joseph Domingos]

Hey Guys,
I move my Compact II around by hand all the time, though I agree it would be much easier on ME to use a dolly (which I don't have!) I find I do okay if I use the tongue jack's wheel. I don't know if I just have it well balanced as far as how it's packed/loaded, or just that Im a big guy, but I find it very doable. Heck, when I was camping at the beach a few weeks ago, a MUCH nicer campsite opened across from mine, so I just grabbed the tongue and dragged it over there before someone else took the spot! Hehehe
I also use to move it around in my garage by hand, to get it into the perfect storage position once I'd backed it in as far as I could with my CRV. Heck, the Compacts are so, er, compact, I could even pop my top up once it was in the garage, for easy loading and unloading...LOVE IT! hehe
Seriously, I do agree with what other folks have said, on a fairly level paved surface, it shouldn't be tough at all. It's another beauty of our tiny lightweight RVs! Happy Trails!

[Donna D.]

I'm a wimp, but capable of moving my 16' Scamp Deluxe (tongue down!) using a Harbor Freight manual trailer dolly. But I'm in complete agreement with Per, the surface needs to be be smooth and hard.

[Larry&Carrie]

I'm a wimp, but capable of moving my 16' Scamp Deluxe (tongue down!) using a Harbor Freight manual trailer dolly. But I'm in complete agreement with Per, the surface needs to be be smooth and hard.

The Wench and I spun our 13 Scamp in a dirt camping spot last year (loaded) to get the door towards the river (whoops the trailer loaded--not us!! ) and it was easy. So, with a dolly on level ground you should be ok... Larry

[Pete Dumbleton]

An alternative approach that may work is to put a second hitch receiver on the front of the tow vehicle -- I've had them on several vehicles, including my current truck, and it is amazing how maneuverable a trailer can be attached to the front -- With a boat trailer it allows one to keep the drive wheels on the dry part of the boat ramp -- Also, the receiver is good for other places besides at home and for other uses like bike racks, base for an overhead canoe rack, etc.

[Per Walthinsen]

Pete:

From a physical standpoint (geometry, vision ease, etc.) the front-mounted hitch receiver would be the answer to my driveway problems. I can't just pull the thing in because then I can't get the TV out again.

Alas, a receiver on the front of a Honda Odyssey is more than even I can stomach. The questions alone from curious and bemused onlookers would eventually drive me over the edge. I'll stick with the Powercaster.

[Tirah]

Pete:

From a physical standpoint (geometry, vision ease, etc.) the front-mounted hitch receiver would be the answer to my driveway problems. I can't just pull the thing in because then I can't get the TV out again.

Alas, a receiver on the front of a Honda Odyssey is more than even I can stomach. The questions alone from curious and bemused onlookers would eventually drive me over the edge. I'll stick with the Powercaster.

Thank you all for posting this topic! I had no idea there was such a device- manual or electronic. I would LOVE to have the Powercaster, but I'll settle for a manual device. I thought I was going to have to use my car to position the trailer when my husband can't camp with us (and I sucked when I tried to position our trailer into the campsite last time). I can't even lift the tongue 1 cm off the ground unassisted, and ours is only a 13-footer.

[Pete Dumbleton]

Per, it doesn't have to be a full-duty receiver or hitch, it just needs to be suitable for the purpose -- My very first front hitch was merely an earlier-era directly bolted on bumper hitch from a junkyard, attached to the front bumper of a large Dodge van with two bolts -- All it needed to do was hold the tongue off the ground and stand the mild towing forces of snaking my boat trailer into place and getting it out again.

Being lazy, I left the hitch and ball attached to the bumper, but I could just as easily drilled holes thru the bolts and put pins thru the holes in place of the nuts to easily install/remove it. How practical something like that may be for you would depend on your front bumper or framework...

I also have mounted a trailer ball on the front mowing deck of a Gravely mower so I could move a loaded utility trailer around.

Tirah, I have seen the manual movers being used in RV lots to move large travel trailers around, albeit on level pavement. A 2,000 lb travel trailer should have a minimum of 200lbs tongue weight (10%) and that's way more than my back can survive; that's why they make jacks and wheels and other mechanical goodies...

[Roger H]

Ulysses Everett McGill: tight spot.mp3



Roger

[Sandra Lair]

I'm 5' 4" and I love it when we get to a campground & the Scamp needs to be moved a little. I'll give it a little push or swing it around to get it in just the right spot in front of the onlookers with their big rigs. Bet they can't do that!

[Ed Harris]

I accidently drove myself into a dead end trail up on Ohio Creek Pass in Colorado while towing the Trillium 1300 with my Land Cruiser. Whoops!

Luckily I unhitched and dragged the Trill 180 degree's so it pointed back where I had come from. I had to do this by hand and thanks to the lightweight I was able to.

Then I just had to make a new trail with the Land Cruiser to get to the new front end location of the Trill.

Thank God for lightweight Egg's

I could not do that now with the Fiberstream so I might have to start reading maps or asking directions??


Fat Chance.