I finally decided to try one of the motorized trailer dollies so that I could move my trailer around my property with the car in it. While I had been leaning toward the Powermover, I ended up buying a ParkIt360 L model. This is their highest load dolly and can move up to 9800 lbs. The mover is powered by a typical marine 12V battery. I opted to have a battery charger built in to the unit so I can just leave it plugged in when not in use. I also opted for the larger motor. All together the unit was not cheap at $1300.

You lower the trailer on to the hitch ball of the dolly. The ball has little ‘barbs’ on it which allows you to tighten up the collar against the bottom of the trailer hitch socket. The wheels of the dolly are either disengaged from the motor so you can manually push the unit or they are locked such that the unit will not tip over when under weight of the trailer.

I’m happy to report that the thing actually works! It is fairly slow but I knew this from watching their promo videos on line. The first thing I did was to move my empty trailer (2340 lbs). Looking at the pic below, I took my trailer and did a 3-point turn with it turning it around in my front yard. This is really the task I wanted the trailer mover for. I loaded a Boxster into the trailer and had no problem moving the trailer. It was perhaps slightly slower but not much.

These dollies are not meant to work on hilly terrain or loose terrain. My driveway is fairly flat although there is a small area with about 5% grade (total guess) and I had no problem moving the loaded trailer over this 10 foot area.

Overall I would definitely recommend this trailer mover for anyone who needs to move their trailer around in somewhat tight spaces. I like being able to park my trailer now ‘nose in’ which I would not be able to do with any type of tow vehicle. It also makes precision parking a breeze!

 

Glad to see that you have a privacy fence; otherwise the neighbors would report you for all of the strange goings on (I am picturing you in the driveway moving the funky trailer around with the power mover; quite an image).

 

How about a video?

Also, could you explain more about the "barbs" on the ball. A picture would help.

Thanks.

 

This is Cambridge. There is no shortage of strange things going on!
I don't have a video but this is one of their promos which shows how to attach the dolly and shows it moving. The barbs on the ball are there so that when you tighten up the collar (see video) the ball doesn't move. I'll try to upload a pic later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paVHhdkpJyA

 

Larry,
Here is a shot of the barbs. They look like weld blobs.
The description from the manufacture is:

"The Parkit360 ball has 3- 0.082 inch raised bumps on the surface of the ball to keep it from turning inside the hitch so you can tighten the collar."

 

Thanks Dave. That makes more sense now. I wouldn't thank that they had actual "barbs" that could dig into the hitch socket.

 

Is it quiet??

Imagine the havoc one could create late at night in the paddock with one of these ...

 

looks cool, something that would help me. When you saw slow, can you tell me how long it takes you to do the three point turn.

Thanks

 

It's not loud but it ain't quiet! It's not something that I would use in the middle of the night since I like my neighbors.
I wish I had timed or filmed the whole thing but I would guess about 10-15 minutes. They recommend stopping every 5 minutes to keep the motor from getting too hot (damn air-cooled machines) and I stopped frequently to see where the back of the trailer was!

 

Resurrecting an old thread to see if anyone has experience with the newer ParkIt360 models?

In order to turn around my 27 foot trailer I have to drive on my lawn a little bit. If it has been raining recently it can turn into a real big problem. At my last house, I used to have to drive my truck completely onto the lawn and once buried my truck tires up to the axles. Looking to avoid that.

I'm looking to move my trailer with a 2950 pound car inside so might go with this bad boy - https://parkit360.ca/collections/tra...over-5th-wheel

 

Todd, we've got an AirTug which has served us well for the last few years. Runs on two marine batteries. I will say, the motor is having some issues this season so I'll caveat my review with that. If it turns out the motor is dead, apparently it is about $900 to replace. But, beyond that significant caveat, it has been very good.

https://airtug.com

 

That must have been quite the sight. My HOA would have a cow.

 

Trust me, my wife's reaction was worse than any HOA!

 

Todd
Take a tractor trailer school course and learn how to back up the trailer into your driveway. It is not rocket science.