Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

[Sea Ray]

Does anyone have any experience moving their boat with a trailer dolly? The trailer dolly looks kind of like a heavy duty 2 wheeled dolly that attaches to the coupler.

I have a 21' Sea Ray with a 8'6" beam and I want to park it in my 9' wide (actually about 8' 10 1/2") garage door opening. I don't want to chance hitting the door jamb while backing it up with the truck.

I am thinking about just parking it in this opening for the winter but if the dolly worked really well (or by some odd chance I get REALLY good with the truck) I might park it here in between outings during the boating season too.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Backing with a dolly is the Devils nightmare. I used to pull doubles over the road and found one trick that will ease the heartache.

If your dolly does not have them (and I am willing to bet that a non-comercial dolly does not) then weld a chain hook on each outer end of the dolly as near the wheels as you can. Attach similar chain hooks to your tow vehicle. Put chains from the tow vehicle to the dolly using binders to takle up the slack. What this does is make the dolly a part of your tow vehicle and essentially reduces the backing problem to the same difficulty as a simple truck-trailer combination.

There is no panacia though! Turning will be harder as you must skid the dolly tires sideways some. It will work though. Been there, done that, sometimes still do.

Watch your mirrors, get a swamper (unlucky fellow to watch for you!) when you can, and practice in a parking lot before committing valuable iron and wood to your skills.

Good luck!

 

[QC]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

I back into a really tight spot and my recommendation is to get as close as you can with the truck and then use the jack wheel and a couple of friends. My boys and I can manhandle a 23 footer pretty easily without a power dolly. Good luck, I've also watched mine head down the driveway all by itself . . . Don't ask, I am not telling that story yet

 

[Sea Ray]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Thanks for the replies.

I don't follow what the chains do and how they are used??

The dolly I was looking at is not a powered one, hence the hesitation if it will really work. I would be going up the slight incline of the driveway and think it would still take quite a bit of brut force to get in the garage.

I thought along the same lines as QC - back it as close as I can then push it in the rest. The trailer is a tandem trailer so it would be hard to turn but I would (hopefully) be going straight back.

I am sure if it was a once a year thing (winter storage only) I can get by backing it in. But if the dolly worked well it would be nice to have it there all year It was about a $100 and if it worked it would be nice.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

the best advice i can give you is the have a hitch, installed on the front bumper of the truck, you can then with a spotter put that boat anywhere you want it. you can see what you are doing. i had a 100 ft crooked driveway, then had to go around a corner to park mine, years ago. ever since i've had a front hitch also. any welding shop can make you one that bolts to thru the tag mount on the front of the truck, or they make the reciever type also. you just stop at the end of the driveway, and turn the truck around, and push the boat where you want it.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Does anyone have any experience moving their boat with a trailer dolly? .

Junk, unless a 100 pound combo boat/trailer, flat surface, smooth as a babies butt..
Try this first..pick up the tounge..push anyway ya want..what will be different with a dolly?

 

[F_R]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Chains?? Truck?? Somebody around here is missing the whole point. I think Sea Ray is talking about a hand operated trailer dolly. They use them around boat places all the time. They work very well. Now of course if you are pushing a heavy boat up an incline you are going to need some help.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Chains?? Truck?? Somebody around here is missing the whole point. I think Sea Ray is talking about a hand operated trailer dolly. They use them around boat places all the time. They work very well. Now of course if you are pushing a heavy boat up an incline you are going to need some help.

I'm sure that is the one F R. I have used one for years. They are great for concrete or asphalt when the grade is near flat. I have a slight incline up to my side gate. I need one person to help pushing the boat up to the gate, but once there, I can handle it by myself. My boat is a 20 footer.

Harbor Freight has them.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=37510

 

[penst8grad]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

I'm looking at the same situation myself. I followed the Harbor Freight link. Northern has them for $29 in the latest catalog.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

i also have a hitch on the riding lawn mower. thought about making a power drive out of an old tiller.

 

[penst8grad]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

i also have a hitch on the riding lawn mower. thought about making a power drive out of an old tiller.

That's exactly what I was thinking to do with the $29 dolly! Attach the dolly to the riding mower.

 

[F_R]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

I made a "mule" for moving customer's boats around the lot out of an old riding mower. Turn the seat and steering around so you can see what you are doing with the trailer hitch over the drive wheels for traction. Then gear it way down and it'll push/pull anything where you can get enough wheel traction.

 

[QC]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

You'd be surprised how much you can turn them even with a tandem trailer. My 23 footer is probably around 4500 lbs. and I turn it by pulling hard laterally on the tongue with the boys pushing it back simultaneously. It is slightly uphill. I do it 10 times a year, solely with the jack wheel. That dolly type shown above would work well too . . . I can get her rolling by myself to get her out, that's how I let her get away from me as I had not set the wheel chock that I always do before I touch her . . .

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Sorry fellas.:redface: I did not read the post correctly. I thought the dolly was used full time with the trailer and not just a hand dolly used for positioning.

Sea Ray: Both the front hitch and the riding lawnmower are good ideas, the lawnmower slightly better as it will give you as shorter turning radius.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Just make sure you have a flat surface. The riding mower is the trick. Use your brain though, and not your back. I was pulling one by hand a ways back, my feet slipped, landed flat on my back and couldn't walk for 2 weeks...I gave the thing away after that.
(And I also have a story of a runaway boat in the drive with it..same time as me watching it while on my back in pain!)
There IS a powered dolly out there..let me see if I can find a link...
http://www.powermoverinc.net/

 

[BF]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

+1 on putting a hitch on the front of your truck. Once you try it, you'll be amazed. You can move a boat to within an inch... put boards on the floor to act as chops so you don't hit the back wall. You can even put the ball on the front offset a bit (towards the passenger side) so that you can actually get a good look down the boat and see the starboard side trailer tire and fender from the driver's seat. You can paint a line on the floor that the trailer tire should follow and then avoid having to have a spotter every time.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

Yep, had a front hitch on my old van..world of diff..
heres another link
http://www.powerwheel-usa.com/

 

[Sea Ray]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

FR has the dolly pictured I was refering to.

I used to use my compact utility tractor to move around my enclosed trailer but I recently sold it and bought a Zero Turn Radius mower.

I was thinking of adding a plate to the front of it and installing a hitch ball right at my feet. But, I think it might be hard to see down the sides of the boat because I will be so close to the tongue. It would probably still work, it would just take some practice.

If I went with the dolly I would be on concrete that is at a very slight incline. I can back the boat up most of the way, even slightly inside. But wouldn't trust myself when the widest part of the beam is right in the doorway. I bet 9 out of 10 times I could do it flawlessy but that 10th time would suck!!

The front hitch sounds like a good idea too. I already thought of that as well but haven't done any research. Do they work at the boat ramp too?? I have a suburban and my wife and I are doing fine getting the boat in and out the conventional way. But maybe this would work better there too.

Right now I am leaning toward the plate on the ZTR but maybe the front hitch is a better plan??

Thanks

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

I used to use my compact utility tractor to move around my enclosed trailer but I recently sold it and bought a Zero Turn Radius mower.

I was thinking of adding a plate to the front of it and installing a hitch ball right at my feet. But, I think it might be hard to see down the sides of the boat because I will be so close to the tongue.

The front hitch sounds like a good idea too. I already thought of that as well but haven't done any research. Do they work at the boat ramp too?? I have a suburban and my wife and I are doing fine getting the boat in and out the conventional way. But maybe this would work better there too.

Right now I am leaning toward the plate on the ZTR but maybe the front hitch is a better plan??

Thanks

If you can't see the outside edges of the boat and trailer with a front hitch on the zero turn, make yourself a couple of warning poles. kinda like a fishing pole in a weighted base (or hole drilled in floor) with a flag up high. Place them at the outer boundries. If you touch one while backing up, you will see the flag wave.

The front hitch on the Suburban at the boat ramp might not be so good if it is only 2-wheel drive. Your rear axle would be "unloaded" and not give you much in traction. Not os bad launching but pulling up the ramp might not go so good.

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: Moving boat with Trailer Dolly

I move my boat around all the time with my dolly(20' wellcraft cutty) it is exactly like the one in the picture. Yes if there is a grade it can be difficult but still do able. Put a 4 x 4 down when coming out to eliminate a runaway down the incline. My wife and I use a dolly to move our sandrail on a HEAVY trailer up the side yard into the backyard. The side yard is on an incline and is grass and we can muscle up 22' then through the gate. I would bet the rail is 1200# and the trailer close to the same and I can move it easily myself when it is on the street. Also my neighbor borrows it all the time and he and I can push his 24' travel trailer from the street to an rv pad on the side of his garage wich is up the drive and around a pretty sharp corner. They are nice because you can turn them so sharp. If you get one make sure the tires are well inflated before you go to move any thing it helps a lot with ease of rolling. good luck