Storing the Aframe

D-mo · 09-25-2011, 08:42 PM

I have always stored our campers in our garage, however with the width of new A122 that we purchased this year, its going to be a bit of a challenge. Basically the handles of the roof, the outdoor speaker and the door assist hand add an extra 2 inches in width to the specifications of the trailer. After doing initial measurments before purchasing the trailer it was just going to fit in our garage- width wise, but now, due to some very tight tolerances, I have had to develop a system that will allow me to get it in the garage in the fall, and possible be able to remove the trailer and put it back mid winter in Ontario Canada for trips down south.
My idea is to install an electrical winch to the floor of the garage, tight to the back wall, attaching the winch hook to either the back bumper via tow belts, or undernieth the trailer just behind the rear wheels, where there is a 3 hole port system in the framing of the trailer. A dolly will be used to steer the trailer into the garage. This will most likely be a two person job, the little woman - incharge of the forward/reverse action of the winch via the remote and me the dolly guy. The parts are purchased and the project is ready to be started ...
My garage floor is paved .. not concrete, so I will have to cut a hole in the floor, sink in supporting structure to attach the winch to the floor and then pour in concrete to seal the deal.
My question to you guys would be ...how big a hole and how deep should i go to pull in the 2800lb trailer.

d-mo

rawlus · 09-26-2011, 09:44 AM

this may be helpful.

you tube link

sonotubes for making some concrete footings - probably 3-4' deep should be plenty...

there's no way to attach the winch to the back wall with reinforcement? seems like it would be much easier than going through the asphalt...

hardsider · 10-04-2011, 04:38 PM

I have a single garage that only allows a couple inches to spare to get my A122 in. Backing in was just not going to work since a trun is required and I need to be able to do it myself. I use a Trailer dolly.

details: Trailer Dolly

I got it on sale at Harbor Freight for about $ 50. Since my driveway is level I find I am able to easily move my trailer in and out of the garage. I have to pull it in so when I get close and I no longer have room for the dolly between the tongue and the wall, I just put a wheeled floor jack under the tongue and pull the trailer the rest of the way by hand.

If you can back it in it would be easier.

The dolly requires some slight downward force to get the tongue off the tongue jack so you can stop quickly any time by releasing the pressure.

Just my two cents worth.

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-mo

I have always stored our campers in our garage, however with the width of new A122 that we purchased this year, its going to be a bit of a challenge. Basically the handles of the roof, the outdoor speaker and the door assist hand add an extra 2 inches in width to the specifications of the trailer. After doing initial measurments before purchasing the trailer it was just going to fit in our garage- width wise, but now, due to some very tight tolerances, I have had to develop a system that will allow me to get it in the garage in the fall, and possible be able to remove the trailer and put it back mid winter in Ontario Canada for trips down south.
My idea is to install an electrical winch to the floor of the garage, tight to the back wall, attaching the winch hook to either the back bumper via tow belts, or undernieth the trailer just behind the rear wheels, where there is a 3 hole port system in the framing of the trailer. A dolly will be used to steer the trailer into the garage. This will most likely be a two person job, the little woman - incharge of the forward/reverse action of the winch via the remote and me the dolly guy. The parts are purchased and the project is ready to be started ...
My garage floor is paved .. not concrete, so I will have to cut a hole in the floor, sink in supporting structure to attach the winch to the floor and then pour in concrete to seal the deal.
My question to you guys would be ...how big a hole and how deep should i go to pull in the 2800lb trailer.

d-mo

D-mo · 10-07-2011, 10:26 AM

yea ... i will have to back it in ...or pull it in, in my case. My drive has about a 5 degree slope to it ...so just using a trailer dolly is out for me. I have all the parts that i need now ... and am waiting until next week for my nieghbour to cut into my garage floor .. and then i will be cementing the archoring system for the winch. I'll post pics once its done ...

d-mo

hardsider · 10-07-2011, 11:53 AM

Actully to answer your original question, how "how big a hole and how deep should i go to pull in the 2800lb trailer" I refer back to my days as an engineering student. Even a 5 degree slope the component of gravity trying to resist the pull is pretty small. Besides inertia and the tire resistance on a level grade, you would only add another 245 lbs...and I doubt your trailer weighs 2800 lbs. Mine is about 2000 lbs as stored.

I think you might be "over engineering" a bit. I move my trailer by hand so I know I can't generate even a 100 lb pull horizontally. I doubt you will exert over a 300-500 lb force unless you accelerate it fast as you start rolling it.

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Perhaps you could attach a frame to a wall and brace it with supports to the floor. They make strong bolts you can attach to your floor by drilling a hole and then the bolts expand in the concrete as you tighten them. Most of the load would be transmitted into the floor so the stress on the wall would be minimal. Angle iron or even sturdy wood should handle the loads we are talking about. See diagram below

Why dig up your garage floor if it isn't necessary. You may sell the trailer in a couple years, who knows?

ps. I am providing my opinion which is worth what you paid for it. I offer no warranty or assume no liability for my suggestions. Consult a professional engineer if you have any doubts about a project like this.

My $ 0.02

D-mo · 10-07-2011, 04:00 PM

Thanks for that reply.
My issue here is that the garage floor is paved ...so my concern is that the pavement would not hold a bolted down winch. Also the floor even going into the garage is on a slope ... so once the pavement hits the back wall, I have about 2 inches of concrete to tie into then i hit wall studs.
However .. you have given me some good food for thought. Those drawings and your explaination are most helpfull and will probably guild me in a different direction.

Thanks much

d-mo

hardsider · 10-07-2011, 10:59 PM

I didn't mean to dissuade you from your plan...just that the amount of force you are dealing with isn't massive...but manageable.

Post some pics when you're done.

daveinpickerington · 10-08-2011, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hardsider

I didn't mean to dissuade you from your plan...just that the amount of force you are dealing with isn't massive...but manageable.

Post some pics when you're done.

I don't think you dissuaded him. I think you helped by giving him more and perhaps simpler choices.

Very nice, easy to understand description. Well done!

daveinpickerington · 10-08-2011, 08:15 AM

I have to post a meaningless post now. I don't want my post count stuck on 13.

D-mo · 11-17-2011, 08:14 PM

Well, after a number of measurements, and all sorts of decisions ... this is what I came up with ...

The hole in the floor of the driveway/garage is 3ft x 1ft.. The depth of the excavation was 12 inches, followed by the first 4 inches of concrete, then a rebar grid, ( 3ft x 1ft) and a 2 foot length of pressure treated 4x4 with anchoring wings on the bottom. The rest of the 8 inches was covered in concrete, with lock brackets that surrounded the 4x4 which hold the a half inch bolting screw system.

The winch is powered by an 800 watt powerbox, or a Zantax unit, as these units are made in the US, but made available to Canadians via Motormaster (Canadian Tire branding). The trailer is able to be pushed out to pulled in with or without electicity to the house, as the unit has a stand alone 12 volt power supply.

Overall this project cost me 125. for the winch, 85 for the dolly and about 80 or so for the extra stuff involved. The powerbox is used as a backup supply for us during the summer when camping, which contains an inverter which we use to power and recharge various things when camping. The price of this unit if bought separately would be around 200.

anywhoo ... hope this helps someone ... and enjoy.

d-mo

This will now allow me to pull my trailer up into the garage and push it out into the snow covered driveway when doing projects during warm times of the winter, or to head down south .. and retrieve the trailer during snowstorms.

backpacker3 · 11-18-2011, 06:21 AM

Sounds like a good plan. Lots of good advice. I have the same problem with a sloping driveway so now I have some things to ponder to see what I can come up with. Have you tried to get the camper in the garage yet?

D-mo · 11-18-2011, 01:17 PM

no ... not yet .. as the camper is still at the dealer finishing up my warrenty requests. We seem to be waiting for a new stereo system .. as the origional one had issues turning off when adjusting volumne.
Snow is drawing closer .. so i am watching the weather ... and may have to pick it up before the stereo installation, as all other work has been taken care of.

d-mo

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