Need options for making the ground flat enough to roll the trailer. Drive way pad.

[JIMTMCDANIELS]

Hi
Any suggestions?:

Hooking up my boat trailer and moving it out of my fenced/gated yard is a problem because we can't push it by hand when it's on the dirt yard and the exit into the alley is too narrow for my van to make the turn into the alley while connected to the trailer.
SO we always have to disconnect and reconnect the trailer to the van once we pull it out some with the first connect.

We can hand push the trailer when it's on concrete or asphalt.
So I'd like to make the yard ground smooth and level enough to be able hand push the trailer so we no longer have to connect the trailer twice to get it in or our of the yard.
What options might I be missing?
My boat and its single axle trailer weigh just over 3,000 lbs.

I don't want to have a whole large concrete pad in my small yard just for the trailer.
So it seemed to me that I should pour concrete into forms to make 3 narrow pads that are just a bit wider than the wheels to travel on.
I've read that since it would be narrow that I'd have to place in the concrete, rebar and perhaps make the concrete 5 inches thick instead of 4 inches.

I was going to hand mix the bags in a wheel barrel or perhaps have a concrete truck deliver it.

BUT this plan doesn't feel quite right. It's perhaps too permanent especially if I don't plan well. I wish there was a more movable option to meet future needs or changes.
I sense that I need to ask around for suggestions/other options/experiences.

PAVERS:
I've thought about buying simple pavers from Home Depot and just placing them to create tire tracks. Yet we do get freezing winters that can cause ground upheaval and I'm not sure they will be smooth enough to roll the trailer.

GRAVEL DRIVE WAY PERMEABLE GRIDS:
I have also seen these gravel grids that are made of some plastics that you fill with gravel (or perhaps dirt) which greatly help keep the ground stable for parking things on.
I like the idea yet I don't now if this would be adequate to allow the trailer to be hand pushed over...

Any experience or advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank-you

 

[Bondo]

I don't want to have a whole large concrete pad in my small yard just for the trailer.
So it seemed to me that I should pour concrete into forms to make 3 narrow pads that are just a bit wider than the wheels to travel on.
I've read that since it would be narrow that I'd have to place in the concrete, rebar and perhaps make the concrete 5 inches thick instead of 4 inches.

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... What are ya gonna do when ya drop a wheel, or the jack off the edge of the concrete,..??

I'd pour a slab 8' wide, by 3" thick, 'n go with that,..... It'll hold up for probably 10 years or more, without rebar, though a few sheets of mesh wouldn't hurt,.....

With anything else but concrete, the wheels, 'n jack will sink in, 'n be worse,....
Even with asphalt, there'll be divots,....

 

[76SeaRay]

A little bit spendy for the nice ones but what about using a Trailer Tow Motor? There is also a powered trailer jack on EBay...

Electric Wheel Mover Dolly 5000LBS Motorized Trailer Jack Jockey Boat Camper - $299.00

 

[JASinIL2006]

My boat is 19' and weighs about the same - maybe a bit more - than yours. We have an uneven gravel driveway into our garage off an alley behind our house. The boat's parking space in the garage is essentially parallel to the alley.

For several years after we first bought the boat, I was unable to back the boat into the garage. We have a telephone pole alongside the alley and a garden on the other side of the alley, leaving little room to make the turn to back the boat into its spot. Before my trailer backing skills improved to the point were I could back the boat in all the way, I used to drop the trailer in the drive and use some old 2x12s as a ramp for the jack wheel on the front of the trailer. Since the ground was uneven, it took two people to push the trailer and sometimes the wheel on the jack would fall off the 2x12. It was a pain in the neck. I made a simple trailer dolly, but the it didn't work well on the uneven surface either.

Eventually we changed the perimeter of the garden enough to allow me to back the trailer in (although sometimes it still takes multiple attempts).

I'd suggest - as a temp solution - laying boards on the ground for the trailer's jack wheel. (Some models of jack wheel allow for swapping out the standard small wheel with a double wheel or a larger wheel; that might be worth investigating.) Another option might be to have a hitch installed on the front of your vehicle. I don't know your parking situation, but sometimes having the hitch on the front will allow you to maneuver in ways that aren't possible with the rear hitch.

Hope that helps...

 

[Silvertip]

Buy an old riding lawn mower. Put a ball hitch on it. They will move a substantial load. Had an old 11HP MTD that routinely pulled a heavy tandem trailer full of firewood up a steep driveway. At my last home my rider was used to move around my 17 footer and 20 foot toon.

 

[Drcoffee]

I park my boat off the driveway in the backyard which is slightly inclined. This spring I bought two large pavers and placed them where the tires sit and made sure they sat level. These allow grass to grow thru them so less obvious in the backyard. I still block the tires, but its less likely to roll back. Its also better for tire life To sit on concrete vs soil. Use paver base gravel beneath them.

 

[Scott Danforth]

neighbor has the grid in his yard for his RV. that is one option, however you are still trying to push a boat on land

I used to use my lawn mower like mentioned. a 17hp john deer that I added a mount for my draw bar. it would move the trailer, around the yard, however the brakes were iffy if you had to stop quick.

if you could, I would put a concrete pad like Bondo mentioned. go 4" with mesh

 

[dwco5051]

This is the first thing I thought of as I have a couple if these I got used many years ago. Then I saw what they cost today!!! May be cheaper to pour concrete. I have seen people pave with concrete blocks on edge, fill with dirt and plant grass. Labor intensive to excavate and lay a good firm and level base first. Like the idea of a garden tractor. I have a couple of old late 60's early '70s that I used to use to jockey trailers around on my property. Now I mostly use the skidsteer with a ball on one of the fork attachment. I assume you don't have enough room to store those important toys my wife refers to as "all that old junk."

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[flashback]

How about a bit bigger neumatic tire on t jack?