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Topic ClosedMoving an RPOD with a trailer dolly

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duck42 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Moving an RPOD with a trailer dolly
    Posted: 12 Aug 2011 at 6:13pm
Has anyone had experience moving an RPOD 171 around by hand on a concrete trailer pad with a two wheeled dolly that has a ball that connects to the hitch of the RPOD?
I would like to position my RPOD by hand into a rather tight pad space once I get it close with the vehicle but don't know if it requires gargantuan strength or not!. I had heard once in another forum that it might be possible.

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Wayne
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2011 at 9:56am
No   ...but we do have experience moving a T@B around on a front wheel which is attatched to the bottom of the front leveling post. I have to imagine it would be about the same process, given the similarities in weight between the two trailers. Plus, you don't have to cart around the dolly with you. Frankly, I am a little surprised that FR hasn't incorporated that feature/option yet. It makes "fine tuning" the position of themrv a breeze - - but it does take 2 people to shove/guide the rv side-2-side and front-2-back. When you have the trailer where you want it you just place a jackstand below the hitch and adjust it to the desired height using the existing crank handle. Then you raise the "jockey/dolly wheel" off the ground a tad and your ready to drop your 4 corner stabilizing legs.

MJ
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2011 at 2:36pm
I use a trailer dolly to move my R-Pod.  Because of the tongue weight make sure that which ever dolly you buy has the capacity to handle the weight. 
I originally added a 'jack wheel' to the factory jack. I found that it was hard to move the Pod by pulling and pushing on the jack, even tho' the pod was on a smooth concrete floor. 
I replaced the factory jack with an electric jack which did not have a wheel. I bought a 'heavy duty' trailer dolly, and recommend it.  The dolly has dual wheels on a broad axle along with a strong handle arm. I set the tongue jack to slightly lower than the dolly height. I can then tip the dolly ball under the tongue coupling...pull back on the dolly handle and the Pod tongue lifts the jack off the ground.  The dolly handle gives me a real advantage in pulling and turning the pod (versus pulling and pushing on the old jack/wheel). Plus the broad axle gives me more confidence than the old jack post tending to bend over (at least in my imagination's worst nightmare)
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2011 at 3:14pm
How large/heavy is the Trailer dolly you have and where do you store it during transit.

Thanks   ...

MJ
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2011 at 3:18pm
Would the Harbor Freight "heavy duty" dolly be strong enough?
http://www.harborfreight.com/heavy-duty-trailer-dolly-37510.html
They say it is for light trailers 600 lbs. I have to think they mean tongue weight  600 lbs not the weight of the entire trailer. If the 600 lbs refers to tongue weight then the 200 lbd RPOD tongue weight should not be too much for this dolly. Has anyone had experience with this dolly?
Thanks!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2011 at 3:25pm
My only question about this dolly, since it definitely looks like it would do the job, is   ...where would you store it during transit ? Otherwise   ...it sure looks like a good way to go.

MJ
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Aug 2011 at 3:40pm
I had not planned to use it during camping, just to maneuver the pod on its pad at home.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2011 at 2:19pm
I only use my dolly at home to move the Pod around on a concrete pad.  I looked at a dolly rated for '600 lbs' and found it very flimsy...the structure and arm flexed considerably.  The retail price was listed at about $60.  I bought a more heavy duty unit for about $25 more.  I am glad I bought the better unit.  No sense spending $60 on a cheaper dolly and have it bend out of shape!
I suggest personally looking at the unit before buying...some dollys are really poorly made.  Just because the advertisement says that it can handle 600lbs doesn't necessarily mean that it will last very long!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Aug 2011 at 2:26pm
After reading the above threads...I am not sure that I would attempt to haul my dolly with, while camping.  If you are thinking about camping and want to move the Pod around by hand...remember it is not only the tongue weight you need to worry about.  If your Pod were on an uneven site and you put the dolly on the Pod...how would you keep the Pod from rolling out of control? 
I was at a State Park recently and a fairly large camping trailer was unhooked from its tow vehicle with its jack down (which had a dual jack wheel).  The owners forgot to put wheel chocks under the wheels and even tho' the site wasn't too uneven...the trailer began to roll into the adjacent site.  The other campers started to yell and scatter.  It took six campers to stop the slowly moving trailer before the wheels could be chocked!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 4:51pm
I bought a 'heavy duty' dolly that works great on our gravel drive with lumps and bumps to turn it around from having to pull straight in 100 ft + with no turning room. It is rated for at least 700 lbs - which I assumed was the tongue weight - and has 10" pneumatic tires for easy rolling. I use it only at home and I am trying to not take it camping although it will fit in the back of my TV easily.
Chris and Walt
'10 RP-171 'Free Spirit'
'13 Dodge Durango Crew 5.7 L Hemi V8
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