Moving a travel trailer into awkward or tight spaces can be challenging. It’s not unusual to have to squeeze a trailer into a tight location, especially when storing it. An electric trailer dolly is the answer for many trailer owners.
We recently featured the ParkIt360 on this blog, and while it appears to be a good option, it’s also pretty pricey.
So in this post, we’ll offer a number of additional options to consider as alternatives to the frustration of trying to maneuver your trailer into place. Depending on the size and weight of your trailer, the type of hitch ball you have, and whether you expect to use it on uneven terrain, you’ve got options with various brands and styles.
Many trailer dollies include features that may make them better for your particular situation. Let’s take a look at what’s out there.
What Is an Electric Trailer Dolly?
An electric trailer dolly is a device that uses an electric motor to slowly move a trailer around without the need for a regular tow vehicle. Electric dollies are designed to assist the user in moving a trailer into a tight space easily.
They’re available in various sizes, types, and weight capacities, and have either one, two, or three wheels, depending on the size/weight capacity it’s designed to move.
Some models are designed to plug into a power source, while others are powered with an onboard battery, allowing use without being tethered to a power cord.
Types of Electric Trailer Dollies
In addition to being powered by either a cord or an onboard battery, electric trailer dollies have one, two, or three wheels.
Single-Wheel Design
Single-wheel dollies are limited to offering assistance with moving very lightweight trailers by hand. Many require being plugged into a power source.
Two-Wheel Design
A two-wheel electric trailer dolly typically has both wheels in the back of the unit with a hitch for certain ball sizes at the front. It’s a compact design that is generally easy to store, but these units aren’t designed to move extremely heavy loads such as large fifth wheels or toy haulers.
Two-wheel electric dollies will usually move up to 5,000 pounds.
Three-Wheel Design
The three-wheel dolly offers the most stability and can move the most weight. Three-wheel electric trailer dollies have two wheels at the back and one in the front, offering the greatest stability when moving heavy loads.
What to Consider When Choosing an Electric Trailer Dolly
When choosing an electric trailer dolly for use with your travel trailer (or any trailer), you’ll need to consider both overall weight capacity and tongue weight capacity. While those specs are critical, other features can also make your use of the dolly a better experience overall.
Let’s take a look at a variety of features to consider when buying an electric trailer dolly.
Weight Capacity
This is the maximum amount of weight that the dolly can safely move.
Tongue Capacity
This refers to the maximum amount of tongue weight the dolly can handle.
Battery Life
The battery capacity of an onboard battery (for non-corded models, of course) will determine how long it will run before having to be recharged.
Ease of Use
This includes how easy the dolly is to set up/assemble and use. Keep in mind that reports on user-friendliness tend to come from real-life users of a product, so we recommend reading user reviews to get a sense of how they perform in actual use.
Wide Wheels
Depending on the terrain you’ll be moving your trailer on, you may want to choose a dolly with wide wheels. This helps a lot when moving over gravel, grass, etc.
ICC (Intelligent Control Components)
The ParkIt360 dollies we looked at in a separate post use ICC to make them easier to operate. Again, these are expensive dollies, so you’re paying for additional features. Check user reviews for their actual usefulness in the real world.
Smart Braking Controller or Automatic Brakes
Some electric trailer dollies use technology like smart braking controllers, which connect to the trailer’s electric brakes. Others have an automatic brake function.
What Are Some of the Top Electric Trailer Dollies on the Market?
Let’s look at some of the electric trailer dollies on the market with various capacities, features, and costs. Remember to look for capacities that work with your trailer and what you tow (RV, boat, utility trailer, etc).
ParkIt360
ParkIt360 has everything from a hand-operated option for parking lightweight trailers up to 3,000 pounds, to electric dollies that’ll accommodate trailers up to 5,000, 10,000, and even 15,000 pounds.
Since we’ve specifically featured this brand in a separate article, we’ll refer you to that blog post on the ParkIt360 and to the ParkIt360 website for more information.
Meanwhile, here are links to the max 5,000 and max 10,000 ParkIt360 Force units:
- Made in Canada
- Maximum weight capacity: 5,000 pounds gross weight, 900 pounds tongue weight
- MASTER ANY TRAILER: Stabilize, pull, and secure trailers with this heavy-duty dolly
- MULTIPLE HITCH OPTIONS: Handle any load with a 20-inch ball mount adapter and tightening bar; 2 hitch balls included: 2-inch and 2.31 (5/16) inch
Trailer Butler
The Trailer Butler is a portable, heavy-duty trailer dolly designed for utility, boat, and travel trailers. Trailer Butler uses a 12V high-torque motor to power the dolly, even over rocks, dirt, and grass.
Trailer Butler electric trailer dollies will work on trailers with anti-sway bars and weight distribution hitches. They include a steering handle that offers you the leverage required to operate the unit with one hand to steer your rig into super-tight spaces.
Electric trailer dollies like the Travel Butler enable you to park your rig in really tight spaces like this one. Pulling it in nose-first makes the tongue inaccessible. That’s an additional theft deterrent since a tow vehicle can’t be connected without using the dolly to re-position the trailer first. (Original photo courtesy of Travel Butler)
You can see all of Trailer Butler’s electric dolly options on the Trailer Butler website.
TRAX Dolly
The TRAX collection of trailer dollies are Canadian-designed electric-powered trailer dollies. They’re powered by a 36V battery making it easy to move boats, RVs, or trailers.
These dollies offer variable speed control and a convenient thumb-controlled throttle so you can set the best pace for moving trailers, RVs, or boats.
The 36-volt DC electric motor features a “slow” (46 feet per minute) and “fast” (222 feet per minute) control switch. This allows you to cover long distances at faster speeds, while also allowing for the slower speeds necessary to navigate smaller, more precise movements to slip your rig into tight spaces.
TRAX electric trailer dollies use a 36V battery-powered motor and offer both variable speed control and automatic brake control. (Photo source: TRAX)
TRAX units offer automatic brake functions. Their TX6000 and X2 electric trailer dollies have double brake controllers. One uses ultra-compact disc brakes and is built within the motor drive system. The second controls the trailer’s electric brakes through the 7-way harness.
TRAX offers a 2-year warranty on its electric dollies. You can learn more about them and purchase one by visiting the TRAX website.
To see a TRAX dolly in action, here’s a brief video of a TX6000 Power Dolly moving a 7,300-pound Airstream Globetrotter up an 8% grade:
PowerPusher
PowerPushers, made by a company called Nu-Star, are compact walk-behind electric pushers and tugs made for a wide variety of applications. In business since 1959, Nu-Star operates US and UK facilities. They make PowerPushers that’ll move everything from a dumpster to a travel trailer to a tractor-trailer to a train!
The E-750 Trailer Mover and the Heavy-Duty Trailer Mover are the most appropriate for RV applications.
E-750 Trailer Mover
The E-750 is designed to move general-purpose trailers and more.
PowerPusher’s E-750 Trailer Mover has a 7,500-pound push/pull capacity and a 1,000-pound tongue weight. (Photo source: PowerPusher)
With a 7,500-pound push/pull capacity and a 1,000 lb tongue weight, the E-750 has a 1,200W 24V DC electric motor and a compact design, making it easy to move trailers in tight locations where it would be impossible to use the towing vehicle.
Heavy-Duty Trailer Mover
PowerPusher’s Heavy-Duty Trailer Mover is designed to easily move general-purpose trailers, large RVs, boat trailers, larger industrial and manufacturing trailers, heavy ground support equipment, and even train cars.
The Heavy-Duty Trailer Mover has a 35,000-pound push/pull capacity on tires & casters, and 70,000-pound capacity on rails. (Photo source: PowerPusher)
It has a 1,500W 36V DC motor allowing for a 35,000-pound push/pull capacity on tires or casters and 70,000-pound push/pull on rails. The Heavy-Duty Trailer Mover is configurable with a ball hitch, pintle hook, combo hitch & tongue, and pin receiver. It has a 3,000-pound tongue weight.
Power Caster
In business since 1967, Power Caster makes electric trailer dollies that allow you to move and park a single, tandem, or triple-axle trailer in minutes with little effort.
As we’ve noted more than once in this post, electric trailer dollies like the Power Caster allow you to make sharp turns, take tight corners, and slide your rig into narrow spaces that would be difficult or impossible to do using your towing vehicle.
With the flip of a switch, a Power Caster can turn a 23-foot tandem trailer completely around in a 28-foot wide space.
The Power Caster can handle all types of travel trailers, including fifth-wheels and large enclosed trailers like this one. (Photo source: Power Caster)
The Power Caster uses a standard hitch with a crank-up jack to handle all types of trailers, including fifth-wheels, boat, recreational, and utility trailers. They come with a money-back guarantee as well as a 2-year warranty.
Trailer Valet
Trailer Valet is an interesting company, launched by a guy who’d experienced frustration while helping get a friend’s boat trailer into just the right spot, in a narrow, curved driveway. Since then, Trailer Valet has released several award-winning products, plus various accessories to help people maneuver their trailers in and out of tight spots.
The JX Series
Trailer Valet’s JX Series is a line of patented drill-powered jacks that can be operated with a cordless power drill. While this is a bit of a different type of electric trailer dolly, we’re including it here because they offer a great budget option for smaller, lighter-weight trailers.
Remember, though – this is a series of drill-powered models. You’ll need to determine the appropriate jack in the series for your rig.
- Streamlined Lifting Power: Convert manual labor into effortless efficiency with the Trailer Valet JX2-C. Its drill-powered option offers rapid jack...
- Lasting Resistance to Elements: The JX2-C isn't just robust—it's also resilient. Encased in a signature wrinkle black powder coating, this jack...
The XL Series
With the Trailer Valet XL it’s easy to park or move a trailer of up to 10,000 lbs, even in tight spaces. The XL series is designed to take corners and make adjustments to your trailer position by steering as you move.
The XL hooks up to a standard trailer frame via the coupler (or an optional bracket) and can be operated manually by using the included hand crank as a trailer hand dolly, utilizing the low or high gear.
For additional power, instead of using the hand crank, you can use a standard 20-24V cordless drill to power the XL. Every unit in the XL series has solid rubber tires and an auto-brake function. Although they have the power to move even large trailers, the units in the XL series have a compact design and are easy to use and store.
Note: As of this writing, Trailer Valet has plans to release an XL Pro model soon. According to the company, it’ll be faster, more responsive, and capable of moving even larger, heavier trailers.
- Quick, Effortless Hook-Up: Streamline the way you move your RV or trailer with the Trailer Valet XLBK Dolly's motorized capability. Simply attach any...
- Unmatched Towing Capacity: Shift your travel and work trailers confidently with a dolly that offers a formidable 8,000 lbs flat surface towing...
The RVR Series
The RVR is a fully wireless remote-controlled trailer mover that includes a cool innovation in electric trailer movers — a fully remote-controlled trailer rover. The RVR is available in four models with towing capacities between 3,500 and now 12,000 lbs.
Each unit in the RVR series has a rechargeable battery that provides 30 minutes of continuous run time. They recharge in 4-6 hours. All units also have wide, heavy-duty treads for extra traction on various surfaces.
- Seamless Maneuverability: Seamlessly direct your trailer up to 40 feet away with the Trailer Valet TVRVR9's advanced remote control system. Boasting...
- Multi-Surface Friendly: Navigate your trailer over various ground conditions with ease. The TVRVR9's robust design is equipped to handle diverse...
These are a bit pricey, and early Amazon reviews are mixed, but it’s still a pretty cool idea. We’re including a short video here so you can see one in action:
Free RVing Tips, Tricks, Reviews, Giveaways & More
Subscribe to our daily newsletter! We’ve been full-time RVers for 20 years (!) and share everything we’ve learned about RVing in our daily blog posts. Join our online community to receive a wealth of great RVing knowledge delivered right to your inbox.
Whether this is your first time on the road or you’re a seasoned full-timer, you’ll love the wide range of RVing topics we cover. Don’t miss a single article or any of our famous RV gear Giveaways — Subscribe today!
G. Smith
Monday 31st of July 2023
I use a ParkIt360 to move my tandem axle 23' trailer. The very last part of positioning is always a right-angle into (& out of) its storage location which leaves the tires looking like they are out of alignment/twisted. Is this bad for the tires for storage upto 6 months at a time?? Should I use a jack to lift the trailer once in its resting place? Seems like it would fix the look of things.
TheRVgeeks
Monday 31st of July 2023
Good question, G. Most likely, the suspension on your trailer is allowing the axles to tilt/shift/adapt to the sideways forces being applied by that last 90-degree push into place. This is normal during maneuvering, but may indeed cause trouble/damage if left that way for long periods of time (6 months would definitely qualify as a "long period"). So, if you don't have the room to pull the trailer forward (or push it backward) once in place... which should allow the suspension components to return to a slack position... then, yes, jacking the chassis of the trailer up (and then lowering it back down) SHOULD also allow that to happen and would be better for the suspension and tires.
Denise
Monday 31st of July 2023
What is the cost of the e750?