I need some advice. We just got our 07' malibu vlx, and it is a tight fit in our garage, and we dont have a garage that you can just back the boat into with a car, due to the angle. I was wondering what type of things you guys out there are using to make it easier to move your trailer around in tight spots. We are possibly looking at an electric or gas trailer mover, but those are upwards of $700, so if I could get your guys suggestions on what other options I have I would appreciate it.

Do you have a riding lawnmower? I've seen hitch attachments for mowers. I never looked into it much because I'm single axle and can manhandle it if needed but I know they do exist.

Unfortunatly we do now, that would be a great substitute. But I have a feeling those cost even more.

Use a floor jack to lift up the front axle.Then it can be moved(pushed) much easier. This is how I have to get my trailer into the garage so I can still fit 2 cars too.

brad, what do you mean by lift the front axle? Do you mean have it slide along the floor as you push the boat around?

You can also put one set of tires on some of those tire saddles with swivel wheels

heck,, put all four on the saddles and move it whatever direction u want ..

Erik, yes lift the axle with the jack then put the jack wheels in line with the way you want to go and push

We bought 4 of those tire saddles and as soon as it hit the crack on the garage floor the trailer tries rolled off the saddles and the saddle sprang up and nailed the fender, not a good way to go at all, those things sucked! And im not to excited about rolling it around with the jack on the front axle. There has to be a better way with these things.

<a href="http://www.mobilegrills.com/Trailer%20mover.htm" target="_blank">http://www.mobilegrills.com/Trailer%20mover.htm</a> <BR> <BR>something like this and about 4 people is the cheapest solution. If you have to move the wheels sideways, you can do it for a short distance with the wheel casters. <BR> <BR>The next option is the power dolly

That manual dolly would work if you had a couple of helpers. Is your floor level? I can tell you from real world experience a riding lawn mower is a scary thing to be moving a boat with. I have a 14 horse riding lawn mower that i have moved my trailer/boat around and if there was any difference in grade % i would not even think about it. As it is right now It will pull wheelies when you start to move it forward and it will spin one of the tires if there is ANYTHING blocking the path. There is a 1 inch transition i have to go over and i need to get momentum up to go over that. Most riding mowers have too short of a wheelbase for moving and object that heavy and big. A full size tractor is a differnt story. <BR> <BR>Can you put a hitch on the front of your truck. I have seen this done and you can place a trailer pretty close to perfect in a tight spot. You have a lot more control and you can see what you doing a lot easier.

I back my trailer in about 1/4 of the way in my garage and then cut the front wheels on my burb as far as they will go. I push my trailer in, with the Burb, about another 1/2 of the way in. Then I drop the trailer off the hitch and aim my landing gear the way I want my trailer to roll and push it the rest of the way in. It takes me and my 13 year old son to muscle it into place. It is a tandem axle trailer. The first time I did it I put marks on my garage floor after the trailer was parked so I know exactly where to park it. Now I stick a orange cone out and aim for it and I can back almost all the way in. I also remove my swim step and fold my tounge. It then sits diagonal in my garage and gives me about 4" to my garage door. My garage is 21'wide X 19'8" deep <BR>Board More/Work Less <BR>J$ <BR>One more thing. Make sure the first time you do it, if you do it, to make sure the rear spotter is paying attention or you may end up with a small hole in your sheetrock.

That manual dolly really does work. They have one in the shop that i go to and it works perfectly its awesome!!

Matt, <BR> <BR>I got a 90 degree turn into my garage as well with barley enough room for the truck and trailer to make the turn. To put it in without disconnecting I have to be on my game. I was thinking about using our lawn tractor, 20 HP, with an added hitch to due the job but I'm concerned about the strain I'll put on the transmission with the direct weight on the tractor. I was also thinking that maybe modifying one of those hand dollies so that I could hook it to the tractor instead of pushing it around by hand. We have about a half inch lip between the asphalt and the garage concrete I have to go over. Anyone know what the tongue weight would be on a tandem trailer (03 SSV)? It certainly is allot more than most single axel trailers. Thanks, <BR> <BR>JHG

I have the same problem and tried a quad runner, copper sheeting with dish soap, lots of friends, and finally bought the electric trailer mover. It cost about $1200 but it is now a one person job and I can call the wife to go boating in the afternoon and she can pull the boat out of the garage and hook it up and be ready by the time I get home. It is about the same cost as a years worth of boat storage and I do not worry about damaging the boat trying to put it away.

I use these and they work great. I can move the boat by myself, although I typically have one of my sons help me position it between cabinets, etc. No problems with floor seams, provided you get the upgraded casters. <BR><a href="http://www.tireskate.com/" target="_blank">http://www.tireskate.com/</a>

Tireskate looks like the bomb to me. For less than $200 your problems are solved.

Maybe a little high in price. But they work great. I have 4 and can spin a Tige 22I by myself. <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.gojaks.com/" target="_blank">http://www.gojaks.com/</a>

I have something similar to the tireskate, and they work great. I don't always have to use them, but sometimes if I'm having a bad day putting it away, or if I'm by myself, they come in handy.

Check out "The Powrtouch" Remote controlled mover that powers each side to allow hands free parking of a trailer. Just don't know if it can be submerged. The other movers would be nice also. <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.powerwheel-usa.com/" target="_blank">http://www.powerwheel-usa.com/</a>

I do the same as Brad, I put a floor jack under the rear axle until all 4 wheels lift (it will kind of balance between the right and left wheels), at that point the boat and trailer are then only on the floor jack and the front jack wheel. Then I (on my own) can push it to the edge of the garage out of the way. Just make sure that the front wheel and the jack are facing the way you want the boat to roll.