Does a trailer dolly help much?

Fish On Fabrications
Fiberglass Supply Depot
TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
1

1lhorn

Active member
Joined
Oct 18, 2014
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Location
Pleasanton, Ca
I find moving my boat around a bit cumbersome. Does a trailer dolly help much.

I have a 15 foot Klamath. I think the model is Stryker. Basically an aluminum v hull with a side console, built in floor, casting deck, storage, live well. Not a beast but heavier than the more basic model tin boats. It's parked on the side of the house on a slightly uneven packed dirt area. I can pull it around but it's not what you would call easy. Would a dolly help much?

Thanks
 
Probably would but be careful where you get one, Read the reviews.
 
If you are trying to roll it around on the front trailer jack with that little wheel it would most likely be easier to have a good quality trailer dolly with larger wheels to roll it around. The trailer dolly also places the pull point higher which is more comfortable to pull than trying to pull it around with the hitch. A lawn tractor with a ball hitch will work wonders.
 
3x the lawn tractor. Thats the first thing i did to my new mower was fix a 2 inch ball on the back. 8) I seen a dolly used once. It looked easy enough.
 
No lawn tractor. I'm not trying to wheel it around on the little front wheel until I get it to the driveway concrete. I just grab the tongue and pull. I guess the dolly wouldn't lessen the amount of work it takes to pull it, but you wouldn't have to expend energy holding up the tongue. Not sure it that would make it worth it or not.
 
Easier than the trailer jack little wheel because the trailer dolly has pneumatic larger wheels and 2 of them. No big deal on cement or pavement, helps on dirt and grass some. Guy I bought my boat from gave me one, I hardly ever use it.
Tim
 
They make a world of a difference. I used one for many years. Get the one with the larger wheels which makes it easier on rough terrain.
 
I put a 10" pneumatic wheel from Harbor Freight on my trailer jack. It's used for getting my boat in and out of my sub-divisions "boat ramp" which is a steep, muddy mess. But it helps moving the boat and trailer around my driveway when needed.

Here is the part in my build thread referencing it.
BigTerp said:
Wanted to show you guys my setup for getting my boat in and out of my river access that my subdivision has. It is a steep muddy/rocky ramp that the river frequently rises over and mucks it up, so backing all the way down is asking for trouble. We use a winch that attaches to my hitch, and then the ball mount attaches to the winch. We rarely use the winch itself, unless it is real muddy or snowy. We basically get the winch cable taught with enough slack so I can back to the top of the boat ramp and my trailer rolls down to the water. Just do the opposite to get her back out. Whoever is with me can guide the trailer down and up super easy. If I'm by myself I'll pull to the top of the ramp, power up the winch and lower her down and back that way. Obviously don't need this setup at regular concrete ramps, but in conjuction with the pneumatic wheel I put on my trailer jack it works perfect for what I need it for. We did the same thing all last fall/winter during duck season and eventually broke the pin on my trailer jack. That's why it now has a 10" pneumatic wheel :LOL2:

IMAG0982_zps28ad6227.jpg


IMAG0983_zps0188b2b2.jpg


I think I alreay posted this, but this is the old trailer jack with a new 10" pneumatic wheel. The wheel has ball bearings at the connection point so it spins and turns freely preventing it from binding up when going up or down the ramp. HUGE improvement from the standard trailer jack wheel that we struggled with all last year.
IMAG0937_zpsf2a41f8b.jpg
Click to expand...
 
This may be too late to be useful info - but, I have the HF dolly. Works great for moving my rig (maybe 1100-1200 lbs. overall) around on hard surface, including a bit of a slope. Great for working the boat into a tight spot - since at 74 I can't turn my head all that great for backing up. Just get it close, uncouple, hook up the dolly and wheel it into position.
 
My HF freight makes getting the boat in and out of the garage much Make certain that the ball is directly over the axle when placing the weight of the boat on the ball. If the ball is offset, the weight can flip the handle back into your face. It is agood idea to keep a hand on the handle when connecting the hitch to the ball.
 

Similar threads

B
New Owner of an Alumacraft 1954 Model E
Replies
1
Views
118
LDUBS
LDUBS
P
Filling Gaps in deck/flooring - over-sanded, prepping for glass. (Help!)
Replies
4
Views
253
perki307
P
W
Western W-17 Rebuild advice needed and build thread
2
Replies
28
Views
1K
Whidbeyboater
W
H
Going after two free boats and motors?
2 3 4
Replies
71
Views
4K
thill
thill
eyetech
Do you need a trailer dolly?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Snowshoe
S

Latest posts

Top