Trailer needs to be more mobile.

buckybadger wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
With a heavy boat it really doesn’t matter what trailer jack you have, I have a Skeeter MX1825 with a Fulton F2 with the single wide wheel (I think most would agree this is one of the best trailer jacks you can get) and it won’t spin a lick even on smooth concrete floor (I have to tap the wheel with a rubber mallet to get it to adjust left or right at all) it’s all due to the heavy tongue weight the bigger boat has. It you don’t have a heavy boat and it’s still tough, then i’m guessing there’s a problem somewhere else on the trailer. I’ve seen the Fulton F2’sfor around $170 online…

I too have looked into the electric dolly solution, but the price point and need to then find a spot to store it hold me back from making a purchase. The Trailer Valet looks interesting, but some of the reviews i’ve read haven’t been good, and it’s pretty huge for a bolt on solution.

I watched my neighbor do this exact thing (gently tapping with the small mallet), and the hard plastic wheel instantly snapped under the load and kicked to the side, right on top of his toe. My wife is an ER nurse and drove him in. They saved the toe, but he actually ended up having surgery to do so. His was an 18′ aluminum Lund I believe with an upgraded jack that had an extremely wide plastic wheel. If there’s such force that it won’t spin I’d highly advise against tapping the wheel with any kind of mallet, hammer, or kicking it.

I should have been more specific, I back the boat & trailer most of the way into the garage and then drop the jackstand wheel pointed in the right direction. I’m then just doing small taps to adjust it ever so slightly as my winter garage storage is like a perfect game of Tetris.

travelNFish wrote:

These worked slick at the boat dealership, plus it a tongue for pinning to a mower or 4-wheeler.

Those work great for whipping the wheelhouse around in the shed but on a tandem trailer not so much.

fishingchallenged wrote:

Hate to say it, but if you can move it in by hand, you should be able to get it with the truck. Just takes practice and you have to be able to back in with mirror.

Have someone spot for you until you get your recipe figured out.

This is the safest way. In a short time you will be able to back around the block, parallel park, and launch a boat while others are getting their’s ready at the landing.

I need to get a simple dolly to move my boat around in my drive way. Any other suggestions on what Brand to buy ?
I don’t need a electric one, just a hand dolly would work for my 16′ Alumacraft Magnum. I have a dual wheel jack but like others, the wheels don’t pivot very well and its a pain to get rolling.
I’m looking for a good hand dolly.

I think if the wheel was offset more like this, they would be easier to pivot. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183597647239

I saw a BBQ trailer where a guy had welded a small tube on the jack above the wheel so he could use a 6′ bar to push/pull the trailer around. I want to try that. It both turned the wheel and gave you something decent to pull on.

I have a fairly steep incline to my driveway, I have to angle my boat PERFECTLY to get to fit in the garage, motor down, swung to the side, tongue swung, etc.

This leaves 1/2 inch of clearance at the back of the garage and a full inch (maybe) of space as the garage door comes down. Any tighter and I’d need KY Jelly to get the door shut.

Did this for 2 seasons and almost broke me a couple times. Would take 20-30 minutes just to get the boat properly positioned in the garage at the end of a long day of fishing. Add in wrist surgery, tennis elbow, etc. and Houston I had a problem to solve.

Solved it with a Trailer Valet. Save your body and spend the $400. If I didn’t I wouldn’t be fishing anymore… at least with this boat.

I’ll have to check it out. I was impressed that lowering the Jack a bunch helped a fair amount.

I have an incline into the garage where I keep my boat. The apron is also grass There have been a few occasions when I want ed put the boat in the garage but did not want to rip up the grass with the truck. When that happens I will get the boat “lined up” as well as I can. Then I use a cheap 12V winch from Harbor Freight to pull the boat in. It is surprising how little drag there is pulling the boat once it gets started. I put an 8′ 2×12 across multiple studs about 18″ off the garage floor and a heavy duty J-hook on the 2×12 and attach the winch to the J-hook. This spreads the pulling tension across multiple studs. Pull the winch cable to the trailer, hook it up and it pulls in easily.

The other thing I like about the Trailer Valet is the brake. How many times have we all brought a trailer out of a garage or down a little incline. You try to stop it over the ball, but it skids/lurches forward denting the bumper. You drop the handle on the Trailer Valet and it stops on a dime preventing any damage.

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FryDog, was it tough to get the old jack off the trailer? Mine is a beast to get at. Or, did you leave it. It looks like it’s one of the few times being 4ft tall would help after watching the videos.

ssaamm wrote:

FryDog, was it tough to get the old jack off the trailer? Mine is a beast to get at. Or, did you leave it. It looks like it’s one of the few times being 4ft tall would help after watching the videos.

I left the old jack on it. They also never really say this, but you shouldn’t drive more than a short distance with the Trailer Valet in stow position. Best to remove it when traveling and either leave at home or somewhere safely in the truck. She rattles a bit when you drive with it, also stones/debris can chip it up and then it’s prone to rust. And if you leave it on at the ramp, someone only needs to remove the pin and it’s gone…

Also worth considering is the drill attachment so you don’t have to bend down and crank by hand. Don’t have that myself but am contemplating…

ssaamm wrote:

I’ll have to check it out. I was impressed that lowering the Jack a bunch helped a fair amount.

Sam, just saw this sale for Trailer Valet:

“In honor and celebration of Memorial Day,
we want to continue to help you
#MoveForward as much as possible.
Save 20% and get FREE SHIPPING*
from May 22nd through May 26th.”

Use code: WEREMEMBER20

I know 2 people that put a trailer ball on the front of their truck. Works great. One has a 2″ receiver hitch in the front (works great for a winch too). The other is a permanent one.