Trailer motor mover

[thehomeengineer]

Hi All
I have finally finished the trailer motor mover and it can move both the trailer loaded with my digger on board. The design is my own however I did research a lot of commercially made movers and incorporated what I considered to be the best parts from each and put my own spin on a few things as well. The Trailer weight 570kgs Digger weight 1660kg Total weight 2230kgs. The photos show's the trailer being moved up a slight gradient and manoeuvred through double gates with ease.

The photos below show part of the build and the mover in action.

Rough mock up

Under side of mover chassis

Plates to secure bearing blocks at correct height and winch motor plate.

Operating handle removable for storage.


Heavy duty castor wheels

Motor direction switch mounted into handle.

50mm tow ball will be fitted with a locking mechanism to prevent the unit from tipping. The large pneumatic tyres are both driven.

Front of mover

Toggle locking mechanism. There are several commercially made movers that use locking systems to prevent the unit from tipping, this is similar to the Trax motor mover which are available in Canada and USA. I like this design so incorporated it into my unit.

Mover mounted to trailer

Moving both trailer and digger through gates.

Very happy with the unit, however there is one issue the winch switch lead plug to winch is faulty and has to be wiggled to make the unit run. So will either repair with a better quality plug and socket or see if a replacement cable can be supplied by the manufacturer under warranty.

Thanks for viewing
The Home Engineer

[hemmjo]

Nice build.

Big thanks for not making me watch a video!!

[Frank S]

An actual build for once and not someone trying to compete with hollywierd

Looks to be a really good build, as I haven't had a lot of time to look at all of the pictures and read about them

[Saltfever]

Nice build and thanks for sharing. Great pic quality too!

Since its a solid axle do you feel resistance to tight turning? Or, are your turns limited? Since the load is located between front and back wheels, I assume no tipping force at rest. Do you feel it tipping when applying drive torque? Do you feel you need a lock to control it? What is your overall gear ratio and diameter of the drive tires?

Sorry for all the questions. I need one of these too.

PS: That is an interesting winch. Did you modify it to locate the sprocket in the middle? What application is it used for?

[DIYer]

Thanks thehomeengineer! We've added your Trailer Motor Mover to our Trailers and Towing category,
as well as to your builder page: thehomeengineer's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Trailer Motor Mover by thehomeengineer

tags: trailer, towing

[thehomeengineer]

Nice build and thanks for sharing. Great pic quality too!

Since its a solid axle do you feel resistance to tight turning? Or, are your turns limited? Since the load is located between front and back wheels, I assume no tipping force at rest. Do you feel it tipping when applying drive torque? Do you feel you need a lock to control it? What is your overall gear ratio and diameter of the drive tires?

Sorry for all the questions. I need one of these too.

PS: That is an interesting winch. Did you modify it to locate the sprocket in the middle? What application is it used for?

Hi Saltfever thank you for your interest.

The trailer I am moving is a twin axle so is very difficult to move even without a load hence the build. I purchased a manual pull along unit but was very unstable pulling or pushing my small trailer and it was impossible to move the twin axle plant trailer even with two of us trying to move it.

Here we go to answer your questions.

As the mover travels at slow speed I decided to opt for both wheels to be driven. So if on soft loose surfaces will still be possible to move the trailer. Steering so far hasn’t been an issue. However one modification I might make is too widening the drive wheels a couple of inches to create more clearance on the A frame for tighter turning. As the wheels are 16” diameter they are very close. The axle is 1” diameter so an extra couple of inches shouldn’t be too much of a concern.

At rest the unit is very stable. When pulling the trailer there is no tipping but pushing the trailer the mover does try to tip. The ball locking mechanism once set certainly helps with this issue.

The winch lock seems strong enough to brake the unit and trailer but not tried it yet on a steep gradient. There is of course the trailer handbrake but would potentially be better with two operators.

The gear ratio is Driver 19T Driven 57T so a 3:1 ratio the chain is 3/8” pitch which I was a little bit concerned about but seems fine at the moment.

The modified winch can be found on HMT with the following link
Winch conversion from wire to chain sprocket

The drive wheel hubs can be found on HMT with the following link
Keyed Wheel hubs for trailer mover.

I will add some more parts of the build on HMT which people might find useful not necessarily to build a trailer mover but other projects they might be building or considering building.

hope this has answered your questions and if you need further assistance please feel free to contact me
The Home Engineer

[Saltfever]

Thank you for the other links. Somehow I missed them or didn't realize where the project was going. Very creative . . . but cutting a new winch in half! That's a commitment!

So the sprocket ratio is 3:1 but what is the winch reduction? In a roundabout way I was trying to figure your "walking speed". But duh!, why not just ask the question! What is your walking speed? And is your torque multiplication about right or...?

Also, could you post a closeup pic of the hitch locking mechanism?

Thanks for all the great pics and the problem solving ideas.

[ductape]

A third caster wheel on the drive end of the mover and just short of the trailer jack may help with with the tipping issue while pushing the trailer.
After thinking about it, mounting that wheel a few units of measurement higher than the existing wheels would still let the mover tip a little but allow for uneven terrain without lifting the drive wheels, up to a certain point.

[thehomeengineer]

What an idiot I am!

The reason it tips the mover when pushing, the trailer mover not only has the weight of the trailer but has to also overcome the brakes. Once it has pushed back the hitch which applies the brakes under normal driving, it then has to push the trailer to operate the cam disengagement mechanism at the drums to allow the trailer to reverse. This extra effort I believe is why it only tips when the trailer is being reversed. Once moving in reverse the tipping action stops and the mover again is very stable

[Saltfever]

Your hitch-ball-standpipe is a simple lever (or moment arm). Its pivot point is where it is attached. The trailer weight (load, brakes, incline, etc.) is a force. When the ball moves, the trailer force reacts against it and wants to rotate it around its attach point. The wheels on the ground resist this movement until the force is great enough to start lifting the other end. The ball is not located in the center of the chassis so the tipping force will vary depending on the direction. I believe your "lock" restricts rotation of the ball, greatly minimizing the tipping effect. This is why I am interested in your locking mechanism.