Motorized Tow Dolly

[SeaDawg]

Our Oliver has a nifty little parking pad that we built beside the garage, paved in turf blocks. We have a little manual tow dolly that we use (with considerable effort) to maneuver it into place, uphill off the smooth driveway onto the rougher turf blocks (about six to eight inches higher than the drive), around a sharp corner, all the while, trying to miss the tree branches and garage overhang while pushing on the trailer....

 

We've been looking for something to provide some extra mechanical or 12 volt power advantage to our tow dolly and "biochemical" engines. The European remote controlled "Truma" is very cool, very expensive, and not easily available. An American product is a motorized tow dolly, the Powercaster, but it works in conjunction with the tongue jack, and doesn't seem to be a smart solution with a power tongue jack. The EZ tug (also made in USA) mounts to the tongue with a retractable wheel, and 12 volt battery power moves the trailer into place.... Plus, like the Truma mover, it's always on the trailer, so it could, in theory, be used to maneuver into tight campground sites as well....

If it works, sounds like a dream come true. Plus, it's on sale for Father's Day at Garage-toys.om for $100 off, plus a "mystery per centage" off when you place your order...

Anybody have any experience with the EZ Tug, or any of the other motorized trailer movers?

 

Thanks.

Sherry

[tumbleweed]

Sherry,

One of the "other" fiberglass forums had one that someone built or had plans for, might check them in archives section.

Withlacochee soon??

Chuck

[SeaDawg]

Hi, Chuck! So good to hear from you! How's California? We're still trying to figure out schedule for June... Hoping to catch up with you and Geri either in Withlacoochee or NC for after-4 paws... (We have other commitments the weekend of 4 paws...)

 

Paul emailed the guy with the plans to make the motorized tow dolly. (I think that guy also has an ebay outlet for the plans and prewelded frame..., at significant cost plus shipping, but don't make me swear to it... we've looked at a bunch of websites this weekend for motorized systems....) Though the plans -only, build it yourself motorized dolly looks great, according to the designer it involves 14-16 hours of welding time alone, minimum(if you're in practice.... more, if not). We do have access to a welding machine, and Paul knows how, if necessary. Though it's a good looking plan, parts and materials alone are more than the EZ Tug, ready to install, without the major personal time investment, as well. If you're still out camping in the big parks out west, could you ask around about the EZ tug? We've never seen one around here....

 

Looking forward to catching up with you and Geri sometime in June....

Teryiaki steak, here we go!!!!

Sherry

[beeser]

I maneuver my trailer around tight spots on the property with a small tractor. I don't know how much land you have but a tractor can be very handy for a lot of uses.

[SeaDawg]

After researching the available options, we ordered the EZ Tug. Paul installed it on Friday. Setup is pretty straightforward, and it attaches to the tongue with four bolts, so it's fairly easy to remove if we want to minimize tongue weight. Here's how it looks:

Paul borrowed a little battery from our neighbor's waverunner, and tested the EZ Tug's performance, twice going down the little incline from the parking pad to the driveway and back. He found the device easy to use, and he was able to accomplish much tighter turns than with the manual tow dolly we previously used. Jim and I were spotters on each side, helping Paul avoid the garage overhang, shrubs, and the fig tree branches.

Here's a photo of the EZ Tug with the wheel folded up along the tongue for transport. The steering rod/power control detaches for transport when the trailer is hitched up.

Finally, here's a photo of Paul and Jim after two test runs:

We have no comparison photos of us from the old days of the three of us pushing the trailer back with the manual tow dolly, because no one wants their picture taken after that kind of workout in the Florida heat! Although I doubt the EZ Tug would take us up much of a hill, it works adequately for our situation. With a maximum tongue weight of 352 lbs for the EZ Tug, and a maximum rating of 3500 lbs for the trailer to push, we're already at or approaching the limits.

However, I like my new spotter job much better than my old job as human motor. All three of us agree that we'll keep the EZ Tug. Now, we're trying to decide if we should keep the extra weight installed on the tongue permanently, or remove it each time we go camping. And, if the guys should adapt the wiring to running off Oliver's battery power instead of carrying an additional small 12-volt battery just to run the tug.

Sherry