Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks: Moving an RPOD with a trailer dolly

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Moving an RPOD with a trailer dolly

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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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Topic: Moving an RPOD with a trailer dolly

Posted By: duck42
Subject: Moving an RPOD with a trailer dolly
Date 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.

Thanks,
Wayne

Replies:

Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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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Livin' the Dream ...'Slogger

Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date 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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TIDALWAVE

Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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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Livin' the Dream ...'Slogger

Posted By: duck42
Date 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!

Posted By: Footslogger03
Date 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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Livin' the Dream ...'Slogger

Posted By: duck42
Date 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.

Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date 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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TIDALWAVE

Posted By: TIDALWAVE
Date 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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TIDALWAVE

Posted By: Podsible Dream
Date 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.

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Chris and Walt
'10 RP-171 'Free Spirit'
'13 Dodge Durango Crew 5.7 L Hemi V8

Posted By: this_is_nascar
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 7:33pm

Originally posted by duck42

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.

Thanks,
Wayne

Shouldn't be a problem. I move my RP-151 around a dirt/grass yard with one of these. If you have a cement slab, it should be a piece of cake. I got mine at Harbor Freight.

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"Ray & Connie"

- 2017 R-Pod RP-180
- 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road

Posted By: this_is_nascar
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 7:34pm

Originally posted by duck42

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!

Yep, that's the one I have. It works well.

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"Ray & Connie"

- 2017 R-Pod RP-180
- 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road

Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 8:23pm

We honestly just pick ours up by the tongue and move it around.

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Posted By: Footslogger03
Date Posted: 15 Aug 2011 at 8:25pm

With a heart condition and bad back that's kind of out ofmthe question for us ...

MJ

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Livin' the Dream ...'Slogger

Posted By: duck42
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2011 at 5:52pm

Just an update. We purchased the Harbor Freight "600" lb dolly and I can move our RPOD 171 around on its concrete pad easily by myself to reposition it for location and hookup. Wouldn't want to try it on a slope or very uneven ground, however.

Posted By: this_is_nascar
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2011 at 11:35am

Originally posted by duck42

Just an update. We purchased the Harbor Freight "600" lb dolly and I can move our RPOD 171 around on its concrete pad easily by myself to reposition it for location and hookup. Wouldn't want to try it on a slope or very uneven ground, however.

I hear ya. I us my HF dolly to move my RP-151 a couple times a month to mow the grass under and around it. It's not on a slab, so it's somewhat difficult, but still much easier than hooking up the hitch to the truck and attaching the trailer.

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"Ray & Connie"

- 2017 R-Pod RP-180
- 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road

Posted By: Tidalwave4455
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2011 at 3:16pm

There is a large variation in the quality of Dollys rated at 600 lb. The first one I bought was really flexible...I ended up buying a different one with much sturdier steel. Also there also dollys which come with dual wheels on each side...helps if you are moving the Pod on gravel, etc.