how to get a 7'6" trailer thru a 7' garage door

[bcomnes]

Any ideas on how to get my 7'6" high Scamp 13 footer (no AC on top) into and thru a 7' garage door? there's plenty of space past the door but it's a problem I have to solve -

one idea is to let air out of the tires and reinflate once in the garage -

another is to get smaller rims (8 inch??) and tires just for garage storage in and out and then swap out back to standard 13 inch rims for the trip

does anyone have other ideas? thanks

[Kevin K]

I have the same problem. I have to take off the tires and hubs to get mine into the garage.

[Gina D.]

Lower the ground...

OK, in my room now

[bcomnes]

Originally Posted by Kevin K

I have the same problem. I have to take off the tires and hubs to get mine into the garage.

OK that lowers it- but how do you roll it in ? you can't just drag it

[Joe Z]

smaller rims is probably the easiest but i have also seen others use disc brake rotors appropriately sized to fit the lugs or circles cut out of wood 2"x10"'s w/holes drilled for lugs
Joe

[Tom U]

Originally Posted by bcomnes

OK that lowers it- but how do you roll it in ? you can't just drag it

How about a couple of appliance dollies?

[jimtesla]

you can have the garage raised they cut out the top end and add a panel to the role up door and re do the tracks a guy i worked with had this done to his house so he could get his raised Hummer inside....never saw the garage though....

[David A. L.]

One possible solution is to get a pair of these:
2 Piece 1000 Lb. Capacity Vehicle Dollies

and build a wooden insert to hold the hub on the dolly. I use two pair of these modified wherein I cut down a piece of 2 by 4 to sit on the bottom of the "U"; on top of that sits a piece of plywood that covers the entire top such that a load is carried pretty evenly across the top surface. I use these for moving printing presses that weigh in excess of 2500 lbs. around my shop.

It would be a simple matter to make a wooden support to hold the hub. So one would jack up the trailer, remove the tire and lower onto the dolly. Repeat on the other side. An advantage is they are casters so moving the trailer side to side once in the garage could easily be done.

Hope this helps,
David A. L.

[Curtis F.]

Here is a lengthy discussion from a couple years ago http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f55/how-to-fit-a-7-4-high-egg-into-6-11-garage-35085.html

Here is a link to how not to do it, also previously posted on this forum

YouTube - idiot with a caravan

.

It's a problem that may require an expensive solution.

[Phil Underwood]

funny video

[Len Cater]

The best solution is to go to an 8' articulated door. I have a 7' cantilevered door and it's a problem. I tried the dollies but the wheels are so small it is difficult to move. I put on 8" rims only and they worked and moved, however will cut into asphalt driveways. I also used 2 vehicle floor jacks to hold up the back of the trailer, and lowered the front dolly wheel to it's lowest point and that can work as well.
Or, remove your garage door, put in the trailer, and reinstall the door!

[Dave O]

I have same problem. I think 1st use a board to hold / prop door in full open. I also thought of a dolly or smaller wheels, 8" ? and or let some air out if needed. Stock is 13". J C Whitney sells boat trailer tires of different sizes. nee right bolt pattern. Might have to remove vent cover.

I think a homemade dolly might be the best. It would lower it alot.

Dave

[Kevin K]

Going to build this setup.Take the wheel and hub off the trailer and get 2 U bolts for each axle, plus 2 caster wheels with a weight limit of 400 lbs each.
I need to have the Scamp axle 1/2" off the ground so I can get it into the garage.

[Roger C H]

Here is how I did it:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...oor-35986.html

That was our first year of owning our Trillium.

If you go to post #10, there are pictures. (excuse the messy garage)

Last year we left it out and took it south after the holidays!

Of course, around here sometimes most of the cold weather is in December, but not always.

[Scott S.]

I'd take the wheels off and use snowmobile dollys to set the trailer onto. they're a 4 wheeled thing that will allow you to move the trailer in any direction too. like really close to a wall of sideways at the back of the garage.
Northern Industrial Snowmobile Dolly — 1,500-Lb. Capacity | Snowmobile Accessories | Northern Tool + Equipment

[Alf S.]

Hi: bcomnes... How about "Honey I shrunk the Scamp"!!!
Alf. S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Kevin Poll]

This idea came up in a thread from a few years ago, I tried it out this winter and it worked well for me.

The flintstone wheels are cut out of 3/4" plywood. I made a template using an illustration app and then glued the printed template right onto the plywood and cut everything out with a jigsaw and drill.

I was able to get my trillium through our 7' garage door with a couple of inches to spare. The wheels are 9" diameter. no marks on the floor, wood stood up fine. They are not even perfectly round but at taxi-ing speeds this wasn't a problem.

Kevin

[Roger C H]

Reading my post, I notice I never detailed what I did:

1. Removed the MaxxAir Fan and placed small tarp over opening.
2. Removed wheels with tires and replaced with 16" Ø steel wheels.
3. Pulled the Trillium into the garage using a 'come-along'. About $22 at my neighborhood hardware store.
Lacking a place to anchor the come-along, I placed three 4×4's in a pi shape. That is, I laid two perpendicular to the garage door opening butting them up against the cement part of the walls, then laying the third one across the top and looped the come along cable around that. I found that once I got onto the smooth cement of the garage floor, the trailer rolled easily.
4. I pulled it in tongue first because I could place mowers etc on either side of the tongue and didn't have to have the garage cleared for the full width of the trailer to full length. Actually, I had a small cabinet I didn't want to move and the tongue fit in front of that.
5. I picked the first of the month to go to the garage and plug in the electric power for one day to keep the battery topped up.
6. I did put in pink antifreeze because I figured it was cheap insurance.
POINTS:
Because of the construction of the garage, I couldn't raise the door opening. Never thought of that when I bought the house. Actually, a 20' sailboat fit in the same place, but it was not as tall, nor as bulky. If I need only one inch, I could remove the trim above the door. Beyond that, I am hitting the gutter and any modification gets nasty fast.

[Bryan L.]

Kevin,

What you did was my next move after I tried using some dollies ont eh rear after taking the wheels off. That was just too much work. I made some wheels like that but the wood I used was too soft and just ended up getting crushed. The problem that I am having is that when I take off the wheel and lower it down on to the wood wheel, it's an awful lot of stress on the wood wheel since all of the weight goes in that direction. Have you had any problems with that or do they hold up fine?

Here's what I had done to get mine through my 7 foot door.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ies-42315.html

[Kevin Poll]

Originally Posted by Bryan L.

Kevin,

The problem that I am having is that when I take off the wheel and lower it down on to the wood wheel, it's an awful lot of stress on the wood wheel since all of the weight goes in that direction. Have you had any problems with that or do they hold up fine?

If I understand correctly as you drop one wheel to the ground the weight of the trailer puts a sideways force on the wood that causes it to crack?

Because my wheels were only slightly larger than the metal hubs they were somewhat laterally supported by the hub behind them(enough to keep things together). I also tried to lower both sides to the ground together after I put the wooden wheels on.

I didn't use the typical construction grade softwood plywood, I picked the hardest plywood I could find at Home Depot (russian birch 3/4", I think).

Kevin