So I needed to get my camper in my RV bay but with only a 10 foot door obviously it wasn't going to happen with the camper on the truck. Had a welder modify an old tent trailer frame so the camper could sit on it, my height and width tolerances were very tight. Wasn't sure I could push the thing back into my garage and keep good control of it by myself so he installed a 3000lb electric winch on the trailer so now with the push of a button the thing winches itself in there. All I gotta do is steer it, worked so darn slick it was a thing of beauty. Gotta share.
Why did you need a winch? Couldn't you use the truck to back it in or do you not have a hitch on the truck?
Frank
2011 Palomino Maverick 1000SLLB on a 2004 Dodge Quadcab CTD Ram3500 SRW long bed equipped with Timbren springs, Stable Load bump stops, Rickson 19.5" wheels/"G" range tires and a Helwig "Big Wig" rear anti sway bar.
Tha trailer looks really nice--clean. You have answered some of my questions. I also have a 10 ft door and need a way to store a TC in the garage. Where did you get the trailer? just get lucky and find one?
What type of tires are you using on the trailer? Also--did you try and push it by hand, just to see if it was possible?
Nice job.
I might be able to push it in by hand, that was the original idea. Then we saw this remote operated electric winch and thought bingo! All I gotta do is steer and make sure the sides dont touch. Backing it up with the truck was an option too but my driveway is on a curve and I have maybe two inches of clearance all around. I'm not afraid of backing up a trailer but with a crewcab, on a curve, with that little clearance I was a little concerned. The tent trailer frame was literally just that, the welder just cut everything off wider than the camper footprint, extended the axle and slapped some new tires on. That along with the paint job, carpet and winch and I'm all set. I may put some different tires on with a little more capacity, these are rated at 1100lbs (or so) but it only has to go 25ft straight back (and back out in the spring). I'm going to need to put some sort of roller or fairlead on the camper bumper because the cable will rub if I don't. I used just a block of wood to keep the cable off the bumper getting the thing in there but I don't think that's a good long term solution.
For a cheap fairlead, you can use a piece of pipe. Though moving the cable up to the height of the trailer so you are just pulling straight. Just use a 8' 4x4 to catch several studs on each side of the anchor point and you will be set.
I wouldn't worry about the tires much, but I would worry about all the weight on the front roller. It is carrying at least 1/2 of the camper weight. You may want to consider moving the trailer axle forward to near the middle of the base to reduce the front roller wieght. Have you to considered using some jackstands or blocks to remove the weight off the rubber tires so they don't flatten over time?
Lastly, have you figured out how to use the winch to pull it out? Maybe a large pulley mounted on the back so the cable can be run back to the front. I totally agree moving it by the winch and not the truck because of the clearance. To easy to hit something before you realize it.
Again, great idea!
Just finished a 12-day trip gathering photos for next report.Photo Albums
2004.5 Ram 3500 4x4 Quad-Cab SRW CTD 6-spd
2004 Lance 815 (an upgrade from my prev 2005 35' fiver )
DW (homemaker), 1 DD @ Clemson in Civil Eng, 1 DD @ Tech in Acct, 2 DFs (meow)
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