- Runaway prevention features on Parkit360 electric trailer dollies
- How to see and navigate safely while using our dollies
- Intelligent Speed Control™ to prevent wear and tear
- How our unique Stablelock technology provides the most secure connection
If you’ve clicked on this blog, I bet I can guess what you’re thinking – maybe something along the lines of: “How is that little thing going to effectively and safely move my massive trailer?”
Good news: you’ve come to the right place!
Not only do we have all the information you need to answer your question, but you’ll find that our electric dollies offer some of the best safety features on the trailer-moving market.
We get that you have concerns. This is a big investment, and an even bigger risk if it doesn’t work well. (Seriously, who wants to pay thousands of dollars to repair trailer damages if something goes wrong?)
We want to do what we can to give you some peace of mind before you purchase our product.
In this blog, we’ll address some of the common questions and concerns we get from people just like you.
Let’s get into it!
1. “Will this thing just roll away with my trailer?”
Absolutely not!
When people come across our products, one of their first concerns is a runaway trailer. I’m happy to tell you that we have lots of safety measures in place to make sure that this doesn’t happen.
First of all, the wheels of our electric trailer dollies lock automatically. When the motor is in “engaged” mode, the dolly wheels stay locked, unless you press the forward or reverse controls. With the wheels locked, the unit can only rock an inch or two in each direction. This will easily keep small trailers from rolling over the unit, and prevent the mover itself from running out from underneath the trailer.
The added benefit of this is that the dolly will automatically stop as soon as you release the controls. So, if your hand ever slips off the controls for any reason, you can rest assured that the unit would come to a stop on its own – no braking required!
The second feature that keeps your trailer from rolling away is the automatic trailer brake control. All of our motorized units are equipped with a 7-pin plug to connect your trailer’s brakes to the dolly. As long as the dolly is powered on, the trailer brakes will automatically activate when the unit stops moving. The only time your electric brakes will release is when you press the forward and reverse controls. For boat trailers, the brake connector will lock out the surge brakes only when the controls are being pushed.
Additionally, our units use 12 volt deep cycle batteries because they will always hold some power in reserve. That means that your brake controller will never stop working, even if the battery doesn’t have enough charge for to operate the dolly.
Of course, our electric units still have limits. For trailers under 10,000 lbs, that limit is a 6% grade; for trailers over 10,000 lbs it’s a 4% grade. Operating on a grade higher than this can be dangerous and could result in that dreaded loss of traction.
2. “How can I see around my trailer to steer safely?”
It’s actually quite easy to see everything you need to see while operating a Parkit360 dolly.
For starters, you can get that bulky tow vehicle out of the way – no more mirrors necessary when you can stand right in front of your trailer.
Secondly, you can count on those handy braking features we discussed earlier to keep your trailer and dolly parked in place while you walk around to check your clearance.
But the best option for good visibility while steering is a feature exclusive to our Transformer 15K: the wireless controller. With the controller in your hand, you can move your trailer from any angle. Stand beside the trailer to check the back corner clearance, or position yourself just right to get a good view of that narrow garage opening. Basically, you’ll have a 360 degree view, so you shouldn’t ever have to worry about hitting anything again.
Plus, you won’t need a spotter anymore!
3. “Could the tugging motion cause damage to my trailer?”
We’ve specifically designed our trailer movers to reduce the amount of tugging force placed on the trailer during operation.
The trademark feature of every Parkit360 electric trailer dolly is our Intelligent Speed Control™ (ISC). What this does is offers you, the operator, an option to move the dolly at either fast speed (approx. 60 ft/min) or slow speed (30 ft/min). This, of course, gives you greater control over the steering, but can also be used to reduce strain on the trailer.
Built into the ISC is a gradual ramp-up and ramp-down component. We found in testing that a lot of trailer dolly motors started and stopped rather abruptly, resulting in strain on the coupler and damage to some of the goods inside the trailer. When you press a control on the Parkit360, the unit will gradually begin moving until it gets up to speed, and when you release the control the motor will steadily reduce speed while activating the trailer’s brakes.
4. “Could the dolly drop my trailer?”
No, not if you follow the proper connection process. When you adhere to all the instructions and safety warnings, your trailer will stay securely connected to the dolly.
Our standard Ball Mount Adapter is designed with Stablelock technology that secures the adapter to your trailer, preventing any tilting or spinning within the coupler, and keeping your trailer from coming disconnected while using the dolly.
Stablelock technology works by tightening the whole assembly to provide a completely flush, solid connection between the Ball Mount Adapter and the base of the coupler. The Hitch Ball itself also has two small weld spots that help secure it into place within the coupler.
In the case of a connection gap or a step-down coupler, we have also created a Thrust Washer that can be inserted to reinforce the proper connection.
We also have adapters for other connection types, including the Pintle Hitch Adapter, the Telescopic Frame Adapter, and Fifth Wheel and Gooseneck Adapters. These have all been designed to provide a fixed, stable connection point.
Essentially, when you connect one of our adapters, you’re creating a secondary jack post on your trailer, and then inserting that into the trailer mover. (Speaking of which, you could also connect to the dolly by dropping your jack post right into the receiver tube for a simple and secure hook-up).
The only time the dolly will pull out from under your trailer is if the connection is not properly flush. (Or – as one customer shared – if you forget to remove the chocks from your wheels.)
Be sure to insert your coupler’s latch pin when connecting to our Ball Mount Adapter to prevent the latch from opening while the dolly is in operation.
As long as you follow all of these steps, you can trust that the dolly will stay steady and secure.
Have more questions about Parkit360 safety features?
If you have a question that we didn’t cover, we’d love to hear from you.
We want our customers to have the utmost confidence in our product. If that means taking time to talk with you before you buy, we are happy to do so.
Plus, you may not be the only one with that specific concern. By bringing it to our attention, you allow us to address it for all of our customers.
Submit your questions here.