Wheel Dollies

Do these things work? I have limited space and often find myself trying to push my cars around the garage. Pushing a 3000+ lb car with a spool and slicks can be a PITA. Jegs and Summit sell them (probably Chinese imports). Can anyone recommend a particular brand or style of wheel dollie? TIA

 

These are really good ones. Problem is he says shipping will kill ya...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=145884

 

dont get the cheapies with steel wheels. Hard to push around... expecially over uneven concrete. It takes a good shove to get it going... sometimes that good shove is hard to stop when precious sheetmetal is near walls... or posts... or other cars

Actually... don't get cheap ones period. Spend the money and get good ones with rubber wheels and bearings!

 

I have some that I got at Harbor Freigth. They seem to work fine. But that was on a 63 Volvo which is ALOT lighter than what you have. But they are cheap and get the job done.

 

I had some of the HF wheel dollies.
They worked just fine and rolling them around with the car on them was easy.

At first, the dolly wheels look a little small, but when you figure out the actual weight on them, it ain't bad at all.

Taking Dr J's Volvo as an example:
1500# per axle - an estimate.
8 wheels to support the weight of one axle, 187.5# each wheel.
A lot of wheels, castered and otherwise in about the size the HF dollies have are rated over 600# most times.

Since the HF dollies are heavy their own self and a pain in the ass to store, why not give some thought toward welding up your own set from 1" square tubing?
A set of 350# - 600# wheels from Home Despair and the like wouldn't cost too much.

A clever person could make them so they nest together and consume minimal storage space.

One thing to keep in mind, if you live in earthquake country better set up something to keep them from rolling around.

 

Go-jacks are f*cking awesome. Cost about $550 for a set of four, plus another $50 if you want the storage cart. But worth every single penny and more if you're moving cars around a lot. Other than my Syncrowave 250, this was definitely my best tool buy in a long time, and I buy a lot of tools.

http://www.thetoolwarehouse.net/shop/GJ-5000.html

 

We made our own. came up with the design and pattern, then had my dads shop bend and weld them up out of 3/16th plate.
bought some casters from Tractor Supplie Store.

we were doing the math, and one of the dollies could support my dads Hyundai Accent.

Theyre great to dump a leaky trans in to, as theyre totally fluid tight.

 

I have what are called tire skates. They were $185 delivered. BB axles in the wheels and they roll with ease. It was a worth the extra $$ for the better quality. I believe the company also advertises on E-bay.

Todd

 

My hf dollies ain't worth a crapola.

 

The ones I have are Roll-Masters by NMW. They work great, the ones I have are 6 wheeled and will trake a tire 16 inches wide. I have had a #4000 car on them and could move it by myself no problem. With my #2000 roadster all I have to do is lean on the car and the it moves. I have had them for over 10 years so I dont remember what i paid for them but I will say it was worth every penny. 10 years of abuse with no problems.

 

Tim bought some HF dollies... and found that the problem is the wheels... they rub on their cage.

Just fix that problem with a bigger bolt, or sift through the pile of them for ones that do not rub.

Sam.

 

I have 5 sets of the HF kind and no problems with them, andddddd think aobut it, how often do you actually move the thing... they will last a lifetime i think... just 2 cnts i have the straight axle 55 in the shop on some right now.. as well as my 65 biscayne...

 

Praised be! I bought a cheap set from Harbor Freight, I find that I am more likely to bend spoons with my mind than effectively move my vehicle with these junk tire skates.

Buckle

 

Bought a set from some gypsy fly by night outfit that passed thru town like a circus. Paid $ 70 for a set of 4 and they work fine on my 48 pontiac

 

I have a set of HF dollies, they don't work very well outside (in the dirt), but seem okay on the concrete floor.

 

Harbor freight dollies suck very large and long tubular items.

 

Guess I'll put in a positive vote for the cheapo HF dollies. Metal wheels work fine on concrete. Buddy bought the even cheaper version with plastic wheels and had to put metal bushings in them to get them to roll under load.

 

we use them at our shop.oil the HF wheels and they work ok..

 

I have 3 of sets of the harbor freight cheapies. out of 12 dollies 3 or 4 suck. I need to figure out which ones they are and give them away. it's the shitty wheels, they do not want to turn to go in the other direction.

 

...maybe I'll oil the wheels...

 

I got an awesome set at the local Schucks. They have worked well for the past year. They roll up on either side of the tire and you pump the hydraulic cylinder with your foot. It raises the tires off the ground about 2".

 

i use the hf kind, but i replaced the bolts that are the axle of each wheel with hardend bolts, and wiped them with some grease when i was assembeling them new. they are very inexspensive so $5.00 for the bolts was no big deal.

 

I have a set of Tire Skates too, the 8" X 16" ones, they work great. Bought the ones with the ball bearings, not an expensive upgrade but well-worth it. Made in the good ol' US of A.

http://www.tireskate.com/

 

I've got a set of the go-jacks and I'm glad I spent the money for them. One nice thing is that you don't need to use a jack to get the car up in the air. The go jacks will lift the car itself.

 

I've got 8 of the Harbor Freight cheapies, I bought 4 and a friend gave me 4 when he moved . I can't get 4 together at one time to put under a car. Seems they are in constant use holding up engines and transmissions and do a great job of making these items moveable. Probably the best application from some of the posts here.

Frank

 

what fab32 said. i'm always using them(hf cheapies)for other stuff. i started with oak frames and grocery cart wheels which worked for most of the silverado project. but when one broke i got the hf set and suffered until i greased the axles and the directional bearings and they work pretty good even though i have a very pitted floor but will be u coating it this winter.

 

I built my own from angle iron and four casters. I will try to attach a pic. Nope, my pic file is too big to attach.

 

I've got a set of the HF's - very mediocre - crappy casters. Bought some from Tools Plus in Ohio - made from angle iron - good casters. The best set I have are the aluminum ones that were introduced 3 or 4 years ago. They are great and are the ones I use to move cars around. The others are used to hold up engines and trannies and heavy boxes of parts.

Charlie

 

Try to attach again.

 

I bought these from LMC Truck. Work great and I have no complaints. They each have one locking caster so you can lock the car in place.

http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fa/t40.html

Good quality stuff at a reasonable price. I can move my 48 F1 around with ease. I can even get them over the control joints in the concrete with a little momentum.