Need to Fit Garage Height

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First, as a newbie, I love this site -java script:smilie(':wub');- I've spent many days of hours and hours here, browsing and researching and searching again. Everyone's contributions are wonderful.

Second, while still shopping for the perfect 13' egg, I need help on suggestions for accommodating height limits for our garage. I've compiled a spreadsheet of sorts for many of the diff. brands out there and have already recorded specs to include mftr-exterior-overall-heights for same.

I've read here (somewhere & I couldn't find it again) about using smaller wheels temporarily just for the garage-ability stay. And at one point, even saw a picture of same, but can no longer find it (after long hunt). java script:smilie(':u');

So. What size of wheels can I safely go down to (JUST for garage stay)? Say for a Scamp 13' (as a good example)... Which will shave off how much height? Of course, all and other suggestions welcome.

Thanks ahead-of-time.
- DLB

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i can just squeese mine in to 7 foot opening tires off and frame resting on a homemade creeper. oh i had to take the door lock off the door. big question is now its in here what to do with it? i cant do a thing so outside it now resides and siverado and canoes share the inside.

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Kinda depends on your garage door height.

Several people have posted solutions. Switching to smaller wheels, switching to small wheels WITHOUT tires on them, deflating tires slightly - one fellow just made his kids pile into the back of the trailer to compress the suspension enough.

My own feeling about these sorts of things is that if it takes more than 60 seconds chances are you won't be doing it very often. If you've got to swap wheels, better make sure you've got another spot to park the trailer during the summer or you'll have to do the swap twice for every single trip.

If going for an older trailer is more your speed though, you might try looking at the older Bolers (and clones), they sit quite a bit lower than the new eggs (especially if the suspension has sagged a bit! :) ). My garage door is 6'10" and my Boler was able to roll right in without any tricks. I liked that a lot.

mkw

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Hi Daphne!

Welcome aboard!

In the past, I've mentioned that Casita used to offer 'take off' steel wheels, which folks could put on their trailers after taking off the standard tires/rims, to lower the trailer several inches to put in the garage.

They offered them in 13 inch sizes to fit the smaller tires ... but I had them make me a set of steel rims to fit 14 inch tires.

The steel wheels are still sitting in my garage, unused, because like Mike W. says, it's way too much trouble to take off the tires, put on the rims, pull into the garage, pull out of the garage, take off the rims, put on the tires, go on the trip, then reverse the whole process again.

I paid something like $140 for the pair of steel rims and have never used them.

Way more fun to keep your trailer ready to roll down the road at all times!!

How high is your garage door?

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I can get my 16' Casita through my 7' garage door on 12" rims with the tires removed. I have the 7" brake drums, I'm not sure if these wheels would fit on the 10" drums used on the newer trailers. There has been a picture posted of a trailer sitting on 10" rims with no tires also. I use a floor jack and impact wrench to change wheels, less than 5 minutes for the pair. John

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Thank you all for the speedy replies. java script:smilie(':)'); Yes, I agree with you, taking off/putting on temp-wheels is going to be a pain. "Sigh..." Our county-law demands that camper trailers be out of streets and off of drive-ways, etc. So, outside of paying for storage (which is *really* expensive here) I have fewer (in this case "shorter") options.

Okay. Measurements. My garage door opening is exactly 7' (without door)
With current door, it's a good 6" fewer for clearance.

Buying older if just fine with me, as most are better to fit my budget.
I like the Boler suggestion, but just hadn't seen where they came shorter than 7' 6" (or the Scamps @ 7' 4")... Hence my earlier quest about lowering.

Those steel wheels sound really intriging; as does the 'no-wheels' platform rig option.

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Orginally posted by Daphne B
Our county-law demands that camper trailers be out of streets and off of drive-ways, etc. So, outside of paying for storage (which is *really* expensive here) I have fewer (in this case "shorter") options.

When I read that, I glanced over at your address. Redwood City!! I grew up in Redwood City-- 15 Jeter St., right off Whipple. Way too sunny there. I hated it.

That's kind of an amazing county law. I can see a neighborhood covenant like that, but it seems draconian for the county to get into something like that. Bet the storage companies put a lot of $$ into that campaign. :r

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Put up a temporary garage, made of tarp/s poles. they run about 300.00 up here.
if they can't see it it's not in your driveway right?

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Like John S., I use a separate set of rims (13": 78 Boler13') so that my Egg can fit into my garage...83" in height. I also had to drill out my roof vent (1/2" too $#@&% tall) which I replaced with a flush-mounted pop-up sun roof. (17"x17"... half of a his and hers). The expense was worth the aggravation relief. Good luck.
Doug

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There are a couple tricks some tall Jeep's have used to squeeze in if you are only short by a few inches.

1) let the about 20lbs of air out the tires if you have a compressor handy to re-fill them. <net gain of 1"- 2" depending on tire size>

2) Most overhead doors with electric openers have a disconnect feature that unlocks the door bracket from the chain drive (incase the opener stops working/power outage etc.) Disconnecting it and pushing the door further up the track will often gain another 2 " of clearence. Just be carefull that someone is holding the open door when you pull the cord, it may come crashing down.