Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-30-2011, 04:25 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

We have rented a covered storage unit with a friend and had hoped to store both Escape trailers in it. The problem we are having is that it is about impossible to push the trailer across the gravel even with the dolly. Since we need to put one at the back left side of the unit and the other one toward the front right side we need the ability to maneuver the trailers. Do you think plywood would work, does anyone have any ideas? The surface is flat, but the gravel is fairly course.
balldt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2011, 05:30 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 195
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Quote:
Originally Posted by balldt
We ... had hoped to store both Escape trailers in it. ... Do you think plywood would work, does anyone have any ideas? The surface is flat, but the gravel is fairly course.
Cement works great but plywood is cheaper. I have used 3/4 plywood under the hitch wheel of various trailers to get the tounge jack wheel onto the cement slab of my workshop/garage.

Which Escape trailers do you have?

Single axle trailers are easier to manuever with the hitch wheel on a hard surface. Coarse gravel is pretty difficult.

G
__________________
Gord & Shannon
2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost 4x4
2011 17B   'Ping
shanngord is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-30-2011, 05:55 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Thanks, we have a 17 and our friends have a 15. We pick ours up on the 3rd, our friends have had theirs for about a month. The storage unit has pretty course gravel. We are going to see if they will add some gravel and pack it down.
balldt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2011, 12:31 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 259
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Buy a ATV 12volt winch, mount it in the front of your storage unit, and pull the trailers in with it while you steer the trailer.

Used to use this system to get the airplane in to a hanger, when I had one, should work with a trailer.

Doug
Yukon Escape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2011, 08:25 AM   #5
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 14
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Thanks, I hate to be dense, but how do we get them out since they will have to go out the other direction. We can't even push the trailers on this gravel. I'm thinking we will have to go with the plywood. The storage unit owner is going to add gravel and pack it down which should help if we wind up using plywood.

Teri
balldt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2011, 09:54 AM   #6
Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 31
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

A little bit pricy but this idea also works great. We store our trailer under the sundeck and use one of these to manoeuvre it into place. Check out their demo videos.

http://www.parkit360.com/

Don
donwesen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2011, 11:17 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
JeffZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 893
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

You can pick up a cheap trailer dolly that should work.. it just needs to support the tongue weight.. Probably pick it up for $50..
http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-d...lly-37510.html



__________________
Former 17ft Plan "B" Escape
Toyota Highlander w/tow pkg


favorite quote: "Put the candle back"
JeffZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-02-2011, 04:17 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 259
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

You reverse the whole process, using your tow vehicle as an anchor.

Doug
Yukon Escape is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2011, 04:51 PM   #9
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 41
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

We are the other couple in this covered storage area with a gravel floor who own the 15B. The solution we are coming up with is to lay 3/4 inch OSB subflooring on top of the gravel. Once challenge has been pushing the trailer with the dolly slightly uphill. However, this is a good example of how, as you get older, you forget those lessons you learned in college physics. In this case, force vectors. It turns out that it is really hard, using just the dolly, to push the trailer up a very slight incline into the storage area. However, by getting another person to lean against the upper part of the trailer, the trailer moves smoothly. We think the problem is solved but tomorrow, we attach the sheets of OSB and stick both units in. We shall see.
rajenkins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-22-2011, 05:28 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 195
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Quote:
Originally Posted by rajenkins
We think the problem is solved but tomorrow, we attach the sheets of OSB and stick both units in. We shall see.
Post pics

Better yet, youtube it.

G
__________________
Gord & Shannon
2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost 4x4
2011 17B   'Ping
shanngord is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-23-2011, 03:00 PM   #11
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 41
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Ok, with a request to YouTube it, how could I resist:



This is a video we took last week, before we joined the sheets of OSB together. Dave forgot to put a memory card in his camera today, but all that would show is a gravel floor covered with joined sheets of OSB. The joining, thanks to Dave's building custom aluminum joining pieces, went VERY smoothly.

We now have both a 15B and a 17B in covered, locked storage that is about 33'8 inches long. By simply canting the rear trailer slightly, we have plenty of room. And of course, no longer ignoring the laws of physics helps at pushing these wonderful lightweight trailers around.
rajenkins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-23-2011, 08:22 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
escape artist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Thomas not BVI., Ontario
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0TA / 2016 Ram Eco Diesel 4X4
Posts: 8,035
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Hi: rajenkins& balldt...Of course you made it look so easy. Just like they do on TV. We store our 5.0 on a gravel bed in a coverall building. We put down two planks for the wheels to run on as it can be soft after the spring melt. The ends of the building are now closed in with sliding doors on one end and bi-folds on the other. It doesn't hurt that I can push in with my tug...either. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Attached Thumbnails
this is a trailer cover.jpg  
__________________
Quote Bugs Bunny..."Don't take life too seriously, none of us get out of it ALIVE"!!!
'16 Ram Eco D. 4X4 Laramie Longhorn CC & '14 Escape 5.0TA
St.Thomas (Not the Virgin Islands) Ontario
escape artist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-23-2011, 08:55 PM   #13
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 41
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Escape Artist - we have read dozens of your posts. You have an interesting storage area. I am not sure either of our homeowner's associations would approve of such archtecture for our storage needs......

Actually, we did not make it LOOK easy: it truly IS easy. We were amazed at how easy it rolled when someone was leaning on the top half of the trailer. The next time we are at our storage area, we will have to take some better movies.

However, I would hate to move one of those 17 foot Jaycos the same way.
rajenkins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-24-2011, 12:10 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
JeffZ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 893
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

That looked pretty easy.. now that physics is conquered, I just need help with fractions.
__________________
Former 17ft Plan "B" Escape
Toyota Highlander w/tow pkg


favorite quote: "Put the candle back"
JeffZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-24-2011, 12:54 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
escape artist's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: St. Thomas not BVI., Ontario
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0TA / 2016 Ram Eco Diesel 4X4
Posts: 8,035
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Hi: rajenkins... AAh yes... the dreaded HOA's I guess the cover-all is unsightly for some backyards!!! Escapes are all about balance too!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
__________________
Quote Bugs Bunny..."Don't take life too seriously, none of us get out of it ALIVE"!!!
'16 Ram Eco D. 4X4 Laramie Longhorn CC & '14 Escape 5.0TA
St.Thomas (Not the Virgin Islands) Ontario
escape artist is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-24-2011, 07:04 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Not sure what I am missing here, but why not use the tow vehicle to back the trailer into the storage shed? Looks like lots of room to do it. I store mine in a narrow spot off a narrow back alley, which is either dirt and gravel.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-30-2011, 02:16 PM   #17
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Bozeman, Montana
Trailer: 2019 Escape 19
Posts: 41
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Jim, Sorry I did not reply sooner, but other things to do. As to what the problem is, well, as I think the first post says, we are putting TWO Escapes (a 15B and a 17B) owned by two different couples with two different tow vehicles in the same covered storage area. So, assuming both of us are skilled sufficiently to back up a trailer into the storage area (which would be a LARGE assumption), just suppose the couple who own the 15B, which is, today, parked at a slight angle in the rear of the storage (so that both trailers will fit into the 33.5' long space) want to take it out, they would have to hitch up the 17B to their TV, pull it out, unhitch it, hitch up and pull out the 15B, tow it off to the side, rehitch the 17B and carefully back it into the rear of the storage area. Then, they have to go over and rehitch the 15B and tow it home for the next trip.

That amount of activity was simply unacceptable, so we really wanted to use a trailer dolly to do the tight manuvering. So that is why we wanted to be able to use move the trailers by hand. We realize that not everyone wants to pay for covered storage, but the hail storm we had last summer here in town, which did millions of $$ worth of damage, made folks like us stop and think about the advantage of covered storage. Also, the winters that we have in Bozeman are great for skiing but are long and hard on things stored outside.
rajenkins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2011, 02:48 PM   #18
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

No worries on the delay in responding, you are supposed to be busy at this time of the year.

I missed that their are two trailers in the storage. I got all confused just reading what all you had to do to maneuver them about.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2011, 12:42 PM   #19
Senior Member
 
Roger C H's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Kent, Washington
Trailer: 2009 Trillium 1300
Posts: 131
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

One of these work well albeit slowly, but works great for one person.

http://www.americanpowerpull.com/
__________________
"How is that working for you?" - Dr Phil
Roger C H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-08-2011, 10:39 PM   #20
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Silverdale, Washington
Trailer: No more Escape 21
Posts: 412
Re: Maneuvering trailer on gravel with dolly

Check out this electric trailer mover, it will do the job (checkout the specs!!)

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ter-47202.html
__________________
2008 Toyota Highlander
RickM is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:03 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.