Room in the garage……but can't get through the door?

bentab

LARK said:

Kathyinca
  I had the same problem. I measured the drums and frame clearance on the tab an came up with 11". I went to Northern tool and purchased trailer rims that were 12" and had the same bolt pattern. I use a floor jack/power driver (to remove lugs) and wood supports to change out the tires to the smaller rims. My tab went from 89" in height to 82". I also have to remove the A/C vent from the top to clear the opening. It is a hassle that takes me about 45 minutes to do the change over but I know it is safe/warm/and dry. I plug it into the house current and keep the battery topped off. Also saves me money not to store it elsewhere. Hope this helps.

Lark,

Is it difficult to remove the AC vent on a regular basis?  Is it just removing a couple of screws? I am thinking of doing this instead of cutting down the rims like sgtjohn.

Planning on getting a T@B S Max in a month and it is imperative that I get it in my garage. My garage opening is just under 82" 

Sgtjohn

A/C vent?  I believe you are referring to the plumbing vent.  I believe it sort of "snaps" off since my old one had clips but I dunno how many cm you'd obtain-but it may be enough.

LARK

Well, it is the vent located above the A/C. When you take it off you can see the a/c, there are no plumbing vent pipes attached to it. I hope they didn't vent the plumbing into an open space like that, it wouldn't be good. It isn't difficult to remove. One quad bolt head screw removes the cover. Then 5 or 6 quad heads remove the base. It has caulking around it to keep out water so that may be an issue for you. Be careful of the direction that you put it back on though. The single screw holding on the cover should be facing the front of the camper so the wind will not tear it off. Under 82" !!! You may have some trouble getting it that low. Will probably be a real tight squeeze. Good luck! P.S. Sorry it took me awhile to respond...been out of touch.

Krista

Hi Everyone, This is my first time posting.  I joined the group a couple of days ago after reading the forum posts for several months.  My husband and I are picking up our new 2015 T@B Maxx this Saturday, and will have the same problem with it fitting in the garage.  However, we are determined to make it work.  Lark, my husband read your posts with interest and was wondering if you happened to know what rims purchased? I know you said 12" but he was wondering about the bolt pattern.  We are picking it up in Austin and then driving back to North Dallas and may stop at Northern Tools on the way home.  Thanks for any advice you can give.  Your posts are very helpful and detailed!

Krista and Jonathan

Normfun

Bolt pattern is 5 on 4.5. So 5 bolts 4.5 inch center 

Normfun

Oh and congrats on the new trailer. 

Krista

normfun said:

Oh and congrats on the new trailer. 

Normfun, Thank you so much for your quick reply!  I am looking forward to getting the T@B in the garage and having it close by.  It may even be a fun place to visit for my morning coffee!

krista

Normfun

You're welcome. We originally thought we would do the wheel and garage thing. However we use the tab every weekend and swapping wheels wasn't on my fun list. We found a great deal on a large storage garage 11 x 25 close to home only adds 8 minutes to our prep time. Works for us. Enjoy!

LARK

Yeah...what Norm said! He's right.

Norbert1223

I have my new T@B on order, hopefully it will be coming into the dealer in about 4 weeks.  I also want to keep it in my garage.  Storage ranges from $65 on a farm field to $100 in an RV lot uncovered here.  If you used the car dollies, (they are 4 inches at max height) took the tires off and set it down on the hubs on the dollies do you think that would work?  If you used something like the Trailer Valet do you think it would be easier to roll? 

If I opt for putting rims on do they tear up your garage floor?

I need to get under the 84" (actually 83.5" because of some trim). 

LARK

  If I opt for putting rims on do they tear up your garage floor?

Norbert, I haven't noticed the concrete being destroyed, just scratched. I have been toying with wrapping rope inside the rims to prevent the "scratching" effect on the garage floor. As I had stated previously, I tried the dolly use under the hubs....I won't do that again!! It is MORE secure to use the rims bolted to the hubs for me. The rims cost less than the dollies did...as I recall. My measurement using the rims brings the overall height to 82.5. On my garage, I have to remove the pins from the garage door drive arm(attached to the door on the overhead center of the door) and remove it. The door is now in manual mode until the trailer is in, then I replace the arm and the door works as designed.

Some people say this is too much trouble. I say that I don't mind doing the extra work to ensure the safety and longevity of the trailer.

Norbert1223

Thank you!  My only concern is taking off the top a/c vent.   I'm in Seattle and contrary what others say it does rain here...

LARK

Norbert, you only take it off to get the trailer into the garage. You must put it back on when you remove your T@b from the garage.

Norbert1223

Yes I understand that.  My concern is getting it caulked and resealed if its raining.  

Dalehelman

Is it possible to roll trailer on just the brake drums? Then use 2x4s as rails like a train track. Looks to me that it would work.

Kevin@7

To me riding on the brake drums would be concerning since they're not designed to handle that kind of load.   I haven't looked closely at mine but I assume it's a bit like an auto brake drum which I am familiar with.  Also, the step would hit the floor first.  Would hate to have to remove the step each time I wanted to store. 

I would really like to make this garage storage thing work.  Wish I could just raise my door height but the way it's bricked it would both be a lot of work and look bad.  In the meanwhile I'll pay to store until I figure out the best solution.  My sub doesn't allow trailers to sit outside for long term storage  

Dalehelman

How about using 12" or 13" wheels with the proper bolt pattern. If you can not find them that small have a larger wheel cut down.

jctangney

Our T@B S is supposed to arrive next month. While we have the option of using the 8' garage at my daughter's townhouse a couple of miles away, I am also considering the 12" wheel option to get it into my own 7' high garage (wife would really like to have it here). The comments I have see so far sound like you manually push the T@B into the garage after switching to the 12" wheels. Can the wheel swap be done while the T@B is still connected to the tow vehicle and then use that to back it in? I am a bit concerned about the slope on our driveway making the T@B hard to push in by hand. A photo of the "stand" you made would still be useful. I am also thinking of using some 1/8" paneling to roll the wheels on into the garage to avoid scratching. Comments?

Loran

My wife and I did it! We got our 2015 T@B into our 7' garage opening!

This was not a task for the faint of heart: it involved each of a bottle jack, jack stands, torque wrench, sawzall and tire iron - but it fits.

We swapped out the wheels for Northern Tool Part 121671, 5-Hole High Speed Modular Rim Design Trailer Tire Assembly - 20.5 x 4.80 x 12.

We 1) loosened the lug nuts on the existing wheels, 2) removed the trim piece surrounding the wheels, 3) jacked the trailer up and set her on stands to remove the stock wheels, 4) installed the new wheels, 5) lowered the trailer down, 6) cut the tires off the Northern Tool assembly with the sawzall and removed the excess tread with a tire iron (probably could have done this before installing them), 7) removed the A/C vent cap and Fantastic Fan plastic cover, then 8) rolled her on in!

When we leave, we'll roll her out on rims, reinstall the A/C and Fantastic Fan covers, then jack her up and put her on her big girl tires. Should take about 30-45 minutes.

For what it is worth, we did not change the front end (no dollies, no smaller wheels, no pipe cuts) - though I see how that might have helped us avoid taking off the A/C vent or fan cover. 

We had measured our opening at 6'11" at the lowest point, thanks to a 1x6 piece of trim that we left on there. So, we probably could have cleared a true 7' without removing the fan cover. 

Loran

bob

thank you for the post

   bob

Slip7

Sooo, I'll be that guy.  Why wouldn't you go with an 8" Rim like http://m.northerntool.com/products/shop~tools~product_200303909_200303909?hotline=false


What is the threshold where things start dragging like the steps?  Or how low until I can't use a low profile jack? I have that 2" rain lip in my garage. 

I just can't justify spending $100/mo here for open storage. It's insane. 

KBaggins1

I think the problem with an 8" rim might be that the brake drum may not fit inside of it. 

Dalehelman

Could you put down some wood or hard rubber runners, and roll it in on the brake drums. May sound crazy but it could work.

FandN_SC

We are looking at buying an Outback S, I know the Outback sits a bit higher then a regular T@B model. I think the lift is 2" higher? Has anyone tried using this rim method on an Outback to get it into their garage? I like the idea of saving $1200 or more a year on storage in our area. 

ericnliz

Gonna need a bigger boat!

Dalehelman

I think the Outback is closer 6" higher.

dsatwork

We are all doing what we have to do to make it work. I had to buy a trailer dolly to get my Tab next to my house and I literally have 3/4" clearance while moving it under the eaves of the house. I contemplated cutting my eaves to give me more clearance but it works.

RedDoorGals

Loran said:

My wife and I did it! We got our 2015 T@B into our 7' garage opening!

This was not a task for the faint of heart: it involved each of a bottle jack, jack stands, torque wrench, sawzall and tire iron - but it fits.

We swapped out the wheels for Northern Tool Part 121671, 5-Hole High Speed Modular Rim Design Trailer Tire Assembly - 20.5 x 4.80 x 12.

We 1) loosened the lug nuts on the existing wheels, 2) removed the trim piece surrounding the wheels, 3) jacked the trailer up and set her on stands to remove the stock wheels, 4) installed the new wheels, 5) lowered the trailer down, 6) cut the tires off the Northern Tool assembly with the sawzall and removed the excess tread with a tire iron (probably could have done this before installing them), 7) removed the A/C vent cap and Fantastic Fan plastic cover, then 8) rolled her on in!

When we leave, we'll roll her out on rims, reinstall the A/C and Fantastic Fan covers, then jack her up and put her on her big girl tires. Should take about 30-45 minutes.

For what it is worth, we did not change the front end (no dollies, no smaller wheels, no pipe cuts) - though I see how that might have helped us avoid taking off the A/C vent or fan cover. 

We had measured our opening at 6'11" at the lowest point, thanks to a 1x6 piece of trim that we left on there. So, we probably could have cleared a true 7' without removing the fan cover. 

Loran: I'm unclear with your description..."what" did you cut off the "Northern Tool Assembly"? The link seems to go to tires on 12" rims.....are you saying you paid for the tires and rims and then cut the tires off? Sorry if I'm being dense.  I was wondering if we could find some 12 or 14 inch rims (used) and just use those, without tires....

huanvanho

I have the same Nucamp. I have a question for the team. Can I just install the 12" RIM without the black tires then push the trailer INTO garage just on the RIM? Or can I deflate the tire then push the Trailer in the garage. I would like not to remove the top vent.