Getting CT into garage

Get a jockey wheel with a ratchet? I saw them at S/C for about $130 last time I looked....

G'day Sky Pilot,

Some time ago I saw an advertisement for a 12V power dolly that has a tow ball on top and drives the trailer. From memory it is UK inspired but the add was local and seemed to have a caravan/boat application so should do the job. Thought the add was from North Qld somewhere.

Sorry don't have any further details.

Kind regards

Have you considered mounting a towbar on the front of your vehicle's bullbar? This makes it so much easier to actuately move a trailer/van up a driveway. However, with only 90mm either side, I think that whatever you decide to do, you are gunna have to have 3 people involved (one on either side watching wall/fence etc) and you (the driver).
Other than that, it could be done using the same idea on a ride-on mower etc, as long as the driveway is reasonably flat.

G'day

I use a jockey wheel with a ratchet lever mechanism(see your Super Cheap Store)

I have a fully concreted driveway and enough room to turn my CT around.

I drive my vehicle into the shed with the trailer attached. Disconnect the trailer and (using the ratchet wheel and a little muscle) park the CT hitch in along side the vehicle ( in the shed).

When hitching up I reverse the vehicle up my driveway and turn my CT around ( I can do this in my shed if I have to with a little hand/lever powered manual backing and shoving)

In your case I suspect a little backing and shoving using your vehicle may be need as well.

If you have a part time 4wd with auto hubs fit a set of manual hubs and then you can use low range in 2 wheel drive , on hard surfaces, without dramas.

If the area is relatively flat the ratchet jockey wheels will work quite well, even if the ground is a little uneven. Mine has a pump up tyre.

My thoughts

Regards

Paul

Another idea the father in law did was to get one of those 12v supercheap boat winches (the black ones that are a copy of an actual superwinch, about $90 from memory), connected it to a battery in the garage (which was charged occasionally) and dragged his caravan backwards up hill into the garage, was very tight like your situation.
Then he would tow it out when going away.
Eventually he knocked the back out of the garage and stored the van in a carport behind the garage.

I purchased a trailer jockey from one of those accesory places. Forgot the name of the place but can check when I get home tomorrow.

It cost about $120 or so and is really useful for moving trailers around.

Why not just reverse it down on the vehicle.
Heck it's only a 50 metre driveway, and you've got 90mm either side.

I'm assuming you have a trailer with the small solid tyre on the Jockey wheel, I got sick of trying to move the trailer on soft ground after camping for an extended period and changed the wheel to one of the large pump up tyre type from a caravan shop.

We found when trying to move the camper because of it's weight it was getting it moving that was hard, once the momentum was there it was fine. The larger wheel made getting the momentum up and manouvering the trailer much easier.

Not sure if that helps but worked for us.

Sandy

Sky Pilot

If you saying that:

- you must leave the landcsaping, grass, fence, gates etc as is; and

- you cannot reverse it even with assistance.

Then that rules out the towing vehicle unless you want to put a tongue and ball on the front of the vehicle. But you may not want to do that.

And it also rules out mechanised/levered/powered jockey wheels and manual pushing. Because as you said the ere is an undulating surface and soft ground in the middle (which you don't want to concrete or put in landscaping 50/50 grass and blocks.

If you could get it in off the street you could bridle the rear of the CT and tow with and electric winch from the end of the driveway while one person helps steer the CT from the front (after unhitching from vehicle of course). People use such arrangements to drag boats from the water. You can buy cheap electric winches of suitable capacity (power and cable length).

But maybe your gate is too narrow for easy reversing from the street and you don't want to widen it. Then you could put a towing tongue on the front of the car and do it that way (as mentioned earlier). But maybe that is not on either.

Another way is an expensive turn table in the front (needs $ and flat ground) or equally expensive two level parking alongside house towards front (as seen at the caravan shows). But even if you had the $, you still need to get the CT into the front yard.

My final idea could be rails - but that would be ruled out if you didn't want to change the landscaping and anyhow the surface could be undulating (or uphill where a winch would also be required).

I'd possibly put a cover and entrance on the other side of the yard but I accept this is probably ruled out. Either that or put in a double carport at the front.

I regret that I can't think of a solution off the top of my head unless you can change some of the parameters to help.

EV700

Sky

If you have a winch on the bull bar why not use that?

Simply put a block in the garage and run the wire under the trailer, up to the block in the garage and back to the rear of the camper.

Simple, no cost and easily controlled from your hand piece.

John G

Cripes if this is someone trying to get ideas for a money-making invention we should all get a cut.

Another idea is to bolt or weld an el cheapo (but hopefully robust) winch to the rear of the CT. Then it is always there for recovering the CT as well. Operatie off the CT's batteries.

Hope there is a Minty for that.

EV700

Hi Sky Pilot
The simplest solution assuming your drive is fairly flat is to make a dual jocky wheel from two wheel barrow wheels with a ball mounted in the middle to go into your hitch then add a long handle between the wheels have seen this used in caravan yards if you want i can email you drawings pretty simple and works well
much easier as you have a handle to steer with
Regards Kev

Hey sky pilot, if you have pushed a Cessna or Piper around the tarmac you will have used a T bar attached to the nose wheel huband steered with one hand, easy as... Well, just do the same to the jockey wheel on the trailer.

Boy, talk about quick response. I am blown away by the number and quaility of responses. Just adding a little to the parameters.

90mm either side of both CT and vehicle to house and fence.
CT must be backed in so I can tow it out.
No room in single garage to manoeuvre.
No room in back yard to manoeuvre - the garage is only about 20 feet from the back of the house.
driveway flat but rough in the centre - I might have to concrete the centre or the jockey wheel would be running on dirt and grass and the odd low plant my wife loves to grow in it.
No winch on bull bar.
I like the winching options though. The one with the permanent electric winch mounted on the back of the CT is interesting - as long as it didn't pull the back wall out of the shed ;-)
Also, the ratchet handle for the jockey wheel looks like it has potential,
We're not leasing, but SWMBO would kill me if I scratched the house ;->

Sky Pilot,

I'm with Roachie on this one. Once you have a towbar mounted to the front of your car, you'll find it ever so helpful. Don't mount it off centre, put it right in the middle. I push my 23foot boat around this way and you can see everything you need to. You get very, very accurate control.

I've made brackets that fit inside the bullbar plus others which mount to the winch plate. My preference is to use square RHS the same size as your Hayman Reese towbar so you can simply unhitch your whole towbar tongue (leaving your CT attached to the TREGG hitch), turn your car around and slide the tongue into the front mount. You then have your front towbar with you wherever you go simply by swapping the tongue from back to front.

Food for thought and not expensive.

Andrew

Sky pilot
You can get a dual wheel jockey wheel and also electric ones too
Call at your nearest caravan accessories place , I think they will have most of the options available.
Also maybe a caravan/CT forum site may also have ideas

Cheers Pesty

I can't back a CT very far without challenge but seriously my mate can back a CT or anyhting much else down a driveway and into a shed with 90mm or thereabouttts each side with hardly a missed beat.

Or more precisely the bit i ahve watched him back down is literally just wider than the mirrors on a 100 series or Patrol. I had difficulty driving the CT out of his driveway forwards let alone backing down it without the CT on the back.

Admitedly he has a lot of practice towing trailers almost 3 times a week on average etc.

But if your car fits down the driveway then it can be done, not by me but it can be done.

Mark

Hi Sky Pilot

I have the same problem at times and have considred getting one ofthese.

http://www.eztug.com/

Whilst expensive they will solve your problems and maybe save damage on both your new CT and the house.

You might surprise yourself especially with some practise. Pay carefull attention to your mirrors and use low range . dont be afraid to drive forwards a couple of metres if things start going north and straighten things up. I am not the worlds best reverser and do it infrequently but by taking it easy I usually make do when the need arises. the more you do it the easier it wil get. when at caravan parks you will be able to earn cartons doing complicated reversing manoeveres for grey nomads as they seem to struggle with even basic reversing

What is your budget restraints?

At the last Caravan & Camping show I saw the ultimate solution to your problem.

The Caravan or Camper trailer is permanently fitted with an electric motor to each main wheel and you "drive" the thing with a remote control joystick, whilst you are in any position around the trailer that you desire. Probably more suited for the "bushtracker" type van but would certainly solve your problem.

You just need to determine the pros & cons.

Cheapest solution is no doubt the ratchet type jockey wheel and because it sounds like you need a driveway repair anyway, why not brick pave it and fill in the centre bit.

Sky Pilot

Can you competently reverse the trailer off the road and through the front gate?

This is the start of the problem for most people, especially if there is a narrow busy street/narrow gate.

If not, what prevents you from widening the gate, improving the condition of the driveway etc. Especially if as you say, the mirrors of the vehicle have to be folded back because they are too wide for the gap.

With respect, could you list out all limitations and suggestions dispensed with?

It all becomes a bit academic and full of "Yes, buts" if there are limitations we are unaware of.

It is highly probable that parking the CT in storage is the best option.

EV700

10cm per side clearance?

With or without a guide you should easily be able to reverse that down the driveway if you have good mirrors.

Thats more room than you think... used to have to park the boat down the backyard with similar clearance down the side of house, adn fence on other side.

Practice.. and for the 2-4 times a yr it comes out it shouldnt be an issue.

YMMV

Hi Sky pilot

Looked at your photos - me tip, back it in. Backing a KK is not too hard as it has a fairly long drawbar. A bit of practice and you'll have it sorted.

How much room is there between the house and the shed? From your photos it looks like there is enough room to manually swing the trailer 180 degrees. You could perhaps convince 'swmbo' to let you make a nice turning circle there!
( I can turn my Tvan around inside my 18' x 18' garage) Good Luck. Steve P

Sky Pilot,

I have to agree with others regarding backing it in. The challenge would be too great not to have a go. The practice itself will improve your skills here no end. You should be able to see quite well either side as long as you can get it straight to start with. You could always unhitch at the front gate, straighten it up and hitch up again until you really get the hang of it. The hardest bit I find is once you get to the shed you can't see inside it from the vehicle because the shed is dark, that's where the missus help comes in.

Had a similarish situation to yours (say 30 cm either side and 10m lane) and had to park it right angles at the end of the lane. Got it first attempt and was quite smug. About 3000 more attempts got it only once again. All that practice did improve my reversing significantly, from terrible to OK.

Good luck.

Sky Pilot.

looking at your pictures if your not confident I would start with painting a green line (which isnt too ugly) down the ride hand side of the driveway. This would take a little time to set up but once you can see the right hand trailer wheel touching the line you can reverse it no problem, as i said, it will take a bit to mark out.

Another option I can see is this one and probably the option I would choose if I wasnt comfortable reversing : actually, might get especially for caravan parks etc.

A great alternative

[ View Image]

No Im not affiliated with this company, but I was impressed with how powerful this machine was.

I saw these at the Rosehill show. Must be a great advantage for all types of trailers. A lot safer I would guess in public places to.