Camper Dolly

[cabezon23]

Lazy mans dolly

I got to admit that sometimes I tend to be lazy.

My dolly was built in about 20 min out of a used / old pallet, some scrap 2 x 4s and 4 caster wheels.

I won't win any beauty competition, but it works

 

[buzzman]

Cabezon23,

Well, you probably don't have time to spend making a camper dolly because you are spending so much time tearing into the cabinets of your brand spanking new Bobcat. Actually, your mods looked pretty darn useful to me.

Ben is probably laying awake nights thinking that now every new customer is going to be asking for cabinet mods like that.

Buzzman

 

[erod]

buzzman, looks great!

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Here are a couple more camper dolly pictures I have saved.

I think I like the ones I see in the posting on this thread better.

You guys have made some nice ones !



.

 

[flinchlock]

I asked Jeff at ATC (THE welder) about where/how to support the camper off the truck and he said, "All corners and the middle."

I used three "Heavy Duty Mover's Dollys" 18" x 30" x 6 1/2" rated at 1000 lbs. I already had two (I paid $14 each) and bought another one not on sale ($28).

I also had some 24" x 36" x 3/4" plywood I used to provide a little more clearance for the jack legs to be above the floor.

Mike

 

[benburnett]

Mike,

Great fix for a dolly. Very simple and it will work for you.

 

[brett13]

Mike,

Great fix for a dolly. Very simple and it will work for you.

What? No one wants to recreate my 'tank'? A whole forest was cut down just to support my camper! I could have built a housing development in some 3rd world country with that wood (if only I had seen these ideas before building). Sheesh...no respect for anything built 'solid' anymore. I'm going back into my stone castle with moat now.



(please accept my apologies for a lame attempt at self depricating humor)

 

[chnlisle]

Brett News Flash....World is round.

 

[benburnett]

Brett's Dolly

Brett,

I was going to make a comment on the simplicty of Mikes dolly vs. yours but didn't want to hurt your feelings. While Mikes dolly will work for what he needs, yours is so much more functional though.

If anyone needs to move a small house, car, large piano, steer, small or large elephant, you will have them covered while that puny dolly that Mike made is just for the camper and maybe a keg.

 

[brett13]

Brett News Flash....World is round.

NOOooooooooo!

 

[flinchlock]

Here are a couple more camper dolly pictures I have saved.
Stan, what are your thoughts if the camper should or must be supported in the middle of this dolly? Does the size of the camper maybe make a difference... a 8' camper should or must?

Mike

 

[mtn-high]

Thanks for ressurecting this thread.

I'll walk out on front for awhile and scout rocks for my inability to search for the info so readily available!

 

[flinchlock]

... inability to search for the info so readily available!
See this thread => A better forum search!

Sometimes (maybe lots of times) I use Google to search the WTW forums instead of the Forum Search button.

Mike

 

[chnlisle]

The small trailer at Harbor Freight is on sale for $189. And it doubles as a trailer too.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

If you want to be able to get in & out of the camper, load & unload gear while the camper is on the dolly, then you would probably want to have 1 or 2 cross supports to give the floor of the camper some extra support.

If you are just storing the camper on the dolly or using it to move the camper, really no need for cross supports.


======================================================

Stan, what are your thoughts if the camper should or must be supported in the middle of this dolly? Does the size of the camper maybe make a difference... a 8' camper should or must?

Mike

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

I have seen a few people do this over the years (attach a caster wheel) to the bottom of each camper jack.

Just wanted to throw out another reminder that this is NOT the best idea. A wooden dolly would be your best way to go.

Attaching a caster wheel to the bottom of each camper jack looks good, and you would think it would be the fast & easy way to move the camper around, but like Ben said, there is a good chance you are going to tweak the camper frame where the jack brackets bolt to the camper frame.

It doesn't take much of a bump, crack in the driveway, or a small rock to put alot of twisting force on corners. Most every camper I have seen with caster wheels mounted directly to the jacks has some frame damage !

Just a word to the wise ... go for the dolly instead.



====================================================


I spoke with a couple that attached the wheels to the foot of the camper legs. No wood frame, dolly, or anything.

 

[flinchlock]

If you want to be able to get in & out of the camper, load & unload gear while the camper is on the dolly, then you would probably want to have 1 or 2 cross supports to give the floor of the camper some extra support.

If you are just storing the camper on the dolly or using it to move the camper, really no need for cross supports.
Thank you so much!

Mike

 

[Ron Horton]

another dolly idea

I wanted to get a couple of photos loaded up of a dolly that my brother in law and I welded up. It has worked very well and when loaded with the camper, is easy to move single handed. Total cost was probably around $350 for materials. I think the key is to use quality, hard compound rubber casters, two fixed on one end and two swivel on the other. I've recently added a plywood shelf below as a spot for the tailgate when the camper is mounted.

 

[chnlisle]

Nice Job!!

 

[ScottBailey]

In a pinch...

This dolly was used in a pinch. It's two 900# mover's dollys w/ friction mount (har!) 2x4s. Once in the garage, I lowered the corner jacks so they supported the corners and the 2x4s supported the camper's floor. This was not optimal, but funds were--and remain--tight so I used what I had.

A somewhat obvious hindsight issue: the wheels on the mover's dolly are too small and get caught in the concrete seams. So when I get around to building a platform dolly I will use much larger caster wheels.