Thanks for the good info Tequila Sunrise and jimscia. That was one of my first thoughts, but didn't know if I could trust the reviews anywhere. Glad you guys are getting good service out of yours. Might order one up and see how it does for me.
Thanks for the good info Tequila Sunrise and jimscia. That was one of my first thoughts, but didn't know if I could trust the reviews anywhere. Glad you guys are getting good service out of yours. Might order one up and see how it does for me.
Originally Posted by Tailhooker
Me too
I have a trailer valet also. It works well with an 18' fiberglass bass boat, single axle trailer. No idea about dual axle. Many of the negative reviews I read about it were related to operating it on grass or gravel and it would just slip. I use it on my driveway which has the usual rough finish. Slippage doesn't seem to be a problem. I pull my boat into the basement bow first. It will slip somewhat on the slick basement floor when the tires come over the transition, but its not a real problem. This basement floor is one of the slickest I've ever seen.
Other negative reviews were due to corrosion if it was left out in the elements. I leave it in the basement so it doesn’t get exposed to the weather and take it off before going on the road with the boat.
I got the drill attachment but would not recommend it. $45, I think?With my Dewalt 18V drill, new battery, fully charged, it wont budge on the high speed shaft even in the basement.It will run it on the low speed shaft, but it makes maneuvering the boat more difficult, at least for me.As the boat moves across the driveway, the slope of the driveway changes and I need to be able to alternately push the boat and slow the boat as I stop it to move chocks and such.This is no problem doing it by hand, but the drill needing to be reversed complicates things.Could just be me.I usually move it by hand with the handle on the high speed setting and it’s not too hard to crank.My max driveway slope is about 2-3°.
It is from China… It’s just a roller chain drive in the housing with sprocket reduction.If the chain or sprockets were to break, you would lose control of holding the dolly tire and the brake would not work.The boat would then take off.
I had to modify mine right out of the box. My trailer is made with a 4” channel, but has an armor coating on it which makes it slightly over 4” on the channel height.There was one set of holes in the bracket that was exactly 4”.I had to elongate these holes to get it to fit my trailer. Also, the main pin that holds the trailer valet to its bracket would not go through the bracket/dolly mount holes. They weren’t drilled correctly so I had to file them out to get it to fit, quite a bit really.
It’s a really good idea. If properly executed with good components it should work and last forever but being from China I have my doubts about it lasting.
Last edited by russhunter; 07-23-2017 at 08:27 AM.
Yes- sorry for late response, been very pleased. Just used it 30 minuets ago to get boat in garage!
I was one of those review on Amazon. If your driveway is flat and straight then trailer valet will work for you. If you have any kind of slope or incline forget about it. You will lose money on the return shipping and restocking fees the thing is heavy.
A friend mounted a hitch ball on his walk behind snowblower to help him maneuver his boat. Works great. I'd think a hitch ball on your zero turn mower would work well - you may need to keep the trailer tongue jack in play to carry the tongue weight.
I have a slight incline in my driveway also. Bought the Trailer Valet. It pretty much works as advertised and what everyone else has said on here. Had to drill out the holes too, to fit the bolts over the trailer tongue. The one big thing I don't like is that you have to bend over to crank the thing. I'm 6'2" and it's very awkward trying to crank and move the trailer when you're constantly bent over. Plus my back starts to hurt after a couple of minutes in the same bent position.
I wound up using a heavy duty trailer dolly to move my RT188 around. Trailer Valet is now in the garage as a backup.
My problem was similar. I went to harbor freight, bought there 1500 pound 120vac winch, and made a wood mount for it in my basement. Use it to pull boat in and slowly let it roll out. Works fine and really helps since my doors are 9' wide and my boat is a 93" beam with the trailer a little wider. I have about 2" clearance on either side, which would really be too tight to try to back in at a 90 degree angle anyway. I back up to a mark we made on the driveway, chock the left wheel, push trailer tongue by hand to point it into garage, hook up winch and done. Winch is pretty slow, but very strong.. Cost me $150 for the winch, plus 10-15 bucks to make the mount that fits across the doorway in the back of the garage.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
2014 Mercury Pro XS 200
A trailer ball on the front of your zero turn mower would work I think. Even if you had to rehook it at a 90 degree angle when it is close to the wall / fence.
Little late to the party but I will echo the other valet owner's opinions. It works as advertised. It could be taller but oh well. It has saved me so much time and effort that I don't dare talk bad about it. I too take it off when towing and only put it on when I return home. I've had it almost 2 years. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if it got stolen or recommend it to others. I might add I have a slight incline and close quarters on a concrete drive. It makes tight turns a breeze and allows me to move the boat side to side in limited space.
Well after some careful measuring and two people watching me to make sure I didn't get into anything I'm able to use my tow vehicle to get the boat very close to straight in the garage. I now know how far and what angle to pull into the driveway on my own. I just crank the wheel sharp and nearly jack knife the trailer into my vehicle but it goes now. I just unhitch and push it straight back into the garage. Takes about 5 minutes total from pulling into driveway to plugging in battery charger. Thanks again for all the suggestions. If I get to the point where I can't push it anymore or my next vehicle won't allow the same procedure I'll have lots of good info to fall back on. I'm really glad to hear some more good things about the Trailer Valets as they were a leading candidate for me along with the mower hitch.
Anyone use a tiller with a ball mounted on the front? I have a 6 hp Troybuilt tiller and was wondering if it would work. I have about 25 inches on either side of my boat when backing into the garage.
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