Trailer mover
Submitted: Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 09:17
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Member - big bo (NSW)
Can anyone inform me of the best, easiest and cheapest way to move your camper trailer around when it is not connected to your truck.
Thanks.
Reply By: Member - Captain (WA) - Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 11:12
Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 11:12
Hi Big Bo,
I use a ratchet type jockey wheel on my 1.6T van. It works
well on hard surfaces and grass, but obviously it struggles (
well, becomes hopelessly bogged!) on soft sand. You need a bit of weight on the drawbar when going uphill (mild slopes only) but works a treat for general manovering.
Also makes it real easy to reconnect the van. I have a treg hitch and thats a bugger to reconnect unless on level bitumen.
Cheers
Captain
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Reply By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 15:47
Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 15:47
Probably too expensive but it got my attention at the time.......
At the
Adelaide camping show last year there was a bloke there flogging a remote-controlled gizmo. It worked on both main wheels (as opposed to a jockey wheel) of the camper or trailer. It utilised 2 electric motors which sat up behind the wheels at floor level and each one had an extended shaft with a small drive wheel, which he could activate indepandantly from one another. He could just about make the trailer do a dance!!! The drive wheel rested against the tyre's tread.
He had a ramp set-up which was only slightly wider than the track of the trailer and he was able to "drive" the trailer up and onto the ramp, even at at angle whereby one wheel would hit it before the other. Very ingenious I thought. Not sure how practical it would be to have it hanging there when not in use; however, I also thought it could possibly be of some use to give some small amount of traction to a trailer when traversing mud or sand dunes etc. (of course the speed was not great, but the fact they were being driven at all would have to be bonus).
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Follow Up By: Lone Wolf - Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 17:18
Monday, Nov 08, 2004 at 17:18
Yes, that was a treat to watch, and the best thing, you could steer the van / trailer only using the remote control. It would turn in it's own diameter, and it didn't matter how slippery the ground was, it was driving the main wheels, with the weight on them.
I can't remember who was handling this thing, but it was a gem. Won't work with tandem axles though.
Cheers
Wolfie
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