The Park: Camping Tips & Product News — parkit360
Let’s Get Acquainted, Shall We?
Our Small Beginnings
Hard Work Fosters Growth
Parkit360 began as an out-of-garage business in little ol’ Carleton Place, ON, Canada. It was a one man show for a while until business started booming! This may be a generous term, but it seemed like these trailer dollies - with their robust set of features and wide range of use cases - were fulfilling a big need in the industry! As sales started pouring in for these portable parking assistants, they quickly skyrocketed (again, a generous term). What was once a humble garage setup just wasn’t cutting it anymore and it was way too much work for one guy to keep his business afloat (How a Boat Crash Turned My Hobby into a Successful Startup). To make space for inventory and the hard-working humans breathing life into the company, Parkit360 moved into a large building in an industrial area. What began as a small Canadian start-up, blossomed into a top-rated trailer dolly company providing simple parking solutions for thousands of people across the globe!
Our Team
The Most Valuable Assets
As a company, we place a major emphasis on uniting and truly caring for our employees, ensuring they feel that they and their work are valued and appreciated.
Our tight-knit community is made up of product development teams, manufacturers, administrators, media and marketing teams, and sales representatives. Each and every person plays a vital role in providing you with high-quality Parkit360 trailer dollies, accessories and services.
Our Process
From Online Cart to Your Door
The process all begins with an idea! Each Parkit360 product is expertly designed in-house and tirelessly tested by our R&D team to give you a product that has been meticulously perfected. Once our design is complete, we reach out to suppliers in North America and abroad to bring our product to life with quality parts and materials. Next, it's your turn! You may have seen the work of our wonderful media team on social media or across the internet, which nudged you to explore our website. Our media team has designed our website, taken photos/videos, and written all the descriptions to make sure that you know what you’ll be getting when you order from us. If you encounter any questions or concerns along the way, our lovely sales and service staff are here to help!
Once you’ve filled your cart and completed checkout, your order is immediately sent to our sales and admin staff for processing. It’s then passed on to the manufacturing/assembling team who expertly build and assemble all of our dollies and accessories. They package your order with lots of foam and a sturdy box to keep it safe during shipping, then slap on a shipping label. For our folks in and around the United States, we stock these prepared packages in multiple warehouses across the country for guaranteed speedy shipping. Your order is loaded into a delivery truck and, long story short, it arrives on your doorstep within 3-5 business days!
Fredric says, “My order arrived quickly and safely packaged. The dolly is well-designed and easy to use. What a great product!” Force 5K
Our Mission – Simple Parking for Every Trailer
Whatever your application, whether it be moving a boat, commercial trailer or utility trailer, we strive to provide you with a simple, stress-free parking experience. We understand the struggles of parking with a tow vehicle, especially in tight spaces! The stress alone can be a major deterrent for a camping trip. Our trailer dollies aim to solve all these pesky trailer parking woes by providing a quick all-in-one solution that’s jam-packed with convenient features.
Limited vision? No problem!
With Parkit360, there is no need for someone to shout directions as you try your best to maneuver with limited vision. You’ll be able to see your trailer from every angle, preventing damage to your trailer and things around your parking spot.
Safe and Intuitive controls
Plug your trailer’s 7-pin cable into the Smart Brake system to control your trailer’s electric or surge brakes! The dolly will gradually bring your trailer to a secure stop whenever your fingers are off the controls, making it easy and safe to walk around your trailer to check clearance. Our Transformer 15K and Carrier 13K models take this to a whole other level, as they are controlled by a wireless remote so that you can position yourself anywhere around your trailer while it's moving.
Parkit360’s goal is to allow you to park your trailer precisely and safely wherever you want, all while cutting down your parking time. In other words, as our old slogan said, “Put your trailer in its place!”.
Our Values – Best of the Best
Parkit360 strives to give you the best possible experience by upholding excellent and thoughtful service, design, materials, and production.
Super Service
Parkit360 greatly appreciates all feedback and questions. As hard as it is to hear negative experiences, we are committed to making our product effective for nearly every application.
Marti says, “Shopping was as easy as could be. Talked directly to a sales rep and he was very helpful and answered all my questions. The main reason for purchasing the Dolly was to park my camper. I have to jackknife it when parking with my pickup. Moving other trailers around home is much easier”. Force 5K
The service team is available to tackle your inquiries and problems alongside you over the phone or by email. All-in-all, our service team strives to listen carefully to customer experiences in order to improve our product and celebrate our successes!
Dedicated Design
Parkit360’s design efforts are focused on function and fashion. In regards to function, we want to make moving your trailer with a trailer dolly as easy as possible, reducing stress on your mind and body. With a Parkit360 trailer dolly, you can rest assured that your trailer is in good hands. Electric models, including the Force, Transformer, and Carrier models, largely or even completely remove the need to exert physical force to move your trailer. On the models that can be pushed/pulled, handles are at a comfortable height and have grips that allow you to firmly hold the dolly. Although our primary design focus is on function, we refuse to overlook the power of fashion. Our trailer dollies will not only move trailers with ease, but also look good while doing it!
Mindful Materials
Parkit360 prioritizes using high-quality materials to bring our designs to life. Each of our materials are sourced from suppliers in North America and abroad. Every single part that forms our products, down to the nuts and bolts, is carefully chosen to ensure that we bring you the best products possible. We want our products to last as long as possible as your faithful trailer moving companions!
Punctilious Production
Parkit360 trailer dollies are ethically built in-house by humans who care. Our manufacturer/assembler team is expertly trained to safely build and package our products with optimal efficiency. Each of our amazing manufacturers focus on producing trailer dollies that are built consistently with attention to detail and an aspiration for perfection.
Michael says, “The dolly is great quality and built well! It makes moving my cargo trailer around an easy task”. Scout 3K
Now That We’re Acquainted…
We are glad you’re here! Parkit360 would be nothing without its loyal and supportive customers. You heard it in Our Mission – we are committed to solving your parking problems with our selection of high quality dollies and accessories! Join the family and get yourself one of our faithful trailer moving companions.
How a Boat Crash Turned My Hobby into a Successful Startup
There are many reasons to start a business; it can be the desire to be your own boss, pursuing your true passion, having more hands-on opportunities, or simply making more money.
For me, it was a combination of two things. First, I noticed a niche on the market that I could fill with my product. Backing a trailer into a tight spot can be the most frustrating experience in the world — I know firsthand. I found this gap in the market and I aimed to do my best to fill it.
But more importantly, I’ve always enjoyed building solutions to problems I saw around me. Being able to turn this hobby of mine into a career has been hands down the greatest experience of my life.
My name is Steve Houle and this is the story of how I founded Parkit360.
My life-long passion
Growing up, my dad worked as a millwright and owned a machine shop, so since my teenage years, I've been building drivelines for sawmill and planing mill systems. These were my formative years, and my dad instilled in me a deep work ethic and business sense that persists to this day. I credit my success in creating this product – which I believe to be the best and most advanced trailer dolly on the market today – to him.
Still, this didn’t happen overnight; nothing worthwhile does. It all started when my wife and I purchased a new 27-foot cabin cruiser boat. We couldn’t wait for the maiden voyage on a windy day in Kingston, Ontario — but disaster soon struck. When leaving the dock, the wind blew my boat onto another boat beside mine, resulting in major damage to our young vessel.
That same week, out of pure necessity, I developed my own bow thruster, spending countless days in testing, developing, and finally bringing this product to the market. We received great feedback from the release: the product was such a great help to people with larger cruisers.
I’d always enjoyed handy work and building my own solutions to problems around me, but this sparked a greater idea — what if I could make a proper business out of it? My experience building the bow thruster made me realize that I could build a similar product for trailers that could aid people in fitting their trailers into tight places that would otherwise be difficult.
A solution to a niche problem
Soon afterward, I started a precision machining and welding shop in my double garage at home — all the while diving into building prototypes of what later became Parkit360.
Almost everyone I knew had trailers back then — from boat or RV trailers to the big work trailers my friends in the landscaping business had. So I identified early that there would be a pretty good market out there for my future product: the trailer dolly. And I was right.
An early Trade Show display for Parkit360 showing 3 models
My number one priority was to help individuals trying to fit their boats or RVs into a small spot in their garage or yard. Many times, the trailer is so wide that there’s only an inch on each side and it’s almost impossible to get the trailer in. From the start, I gained valuable feedback from the people around me, and I used this feedback to design my prototype. I also attended multiple RV and boat shows to gain a feel for what the market would be like by talking to real people: my future customers.
I will admit that it wasn’t always easy. When you’re working on a new project where the bills don’t immediately come in, the negative thoughts always creep in. Am I wasting my time? Did I just waste an entire day working on something that will amount to nothing?
But I persevered, and soon found the development process to be highly rewarding. Sure, sometimes it could be frustrating, but with each prototype, I began to get closer to what I wanted to build, and that kept my enthusiasm going. This enthusiasm became my fuel, and I continue to ride it to this day.
After approximately seven prototypes — and six months of work! — I finally managed to build a product that I was satisfied with. My tiny little invention could move a surprising amount of weight! I posted two units on eBay and began to wait.
Steve Houle, Founder, with an early model of a Parkit360 Electric Trailer Dolly
I remember my first sale like it was yesterday. While enjoying a pleasant dinner with some of my friends, I got a notification: both items that I had posted were sold! Words can’t describe just how shocked and happy I was at that moment. All that long work had finally proven my idea successful. I was so excited about these sales that I added three more to eBay, and — you guessed it — sold all of them the very next day! Needless to say, I had to get busy and start building the product at scale.
That’s how Parkit360 started. The early days sure had their ups and downs. Any company goes through similar struggles in dealing with growth. Keeping up with demand can sometimes be a challenge for me, but it’s a sign that people like the product, and inspires me to continue working.
Still, the first year was a success! Next, I had to figure out how to grow my fledgling company. First, I began to expand my operations by hiring an administrator to help me out – and they're still with us to this day! During the second year, we hired three team members to build units because we had so many orders. In the third year, we really hit it off with a whopping 3000 units bursting at the seams in my double garage. To handle all the orders, we ended up moving to a 12,000 square foot facility in an industrial park, where we now have 11 employees building 50 units a week on average.
It’s all about the people
It may sound counter-intuitive, but to anyone looking to start their own business, I’d say a slow start is best. Try to control your growth and, for the first few years, avoid bank financing. The main interest of each business shouldn’t be unparalleled growth, but rather happy customers and a nice community. Start there and the rest will follow.
There are a few other things that I’ve learned in my journey of being in business. Remember that family always comes first; if you neglect the ones you love then what’s the point? You always need to make time for them, even if it means you miss a deadline or two.
But the single most important thing is that you can never take people for granted. Everyone on your team is valuable in some way and you should never think of them as a liability to you. It may sound cliché, but sometimes you don't know what you have in someone until they’re gone. Don’t make this mistake. Make everyone feel that they're wanted and that they’re working towards the same end goal, and you’ll immediately see the results.
That’s why my team is my most valuable asset. Our employees are loyal and they love to be here working on this amazing product. When people are really passionate about what they do, it makes all the difference in the world. I invest a lot in my employees. Almost every year, we all go on a cruise or an all-inclusive resort, where each employee can bring a plus one. It’s a great opportunity for us all to get away and enjoy each other’s company.
When I look back on my entrepreneurial journey, I see that the key to success is believing in the idea and being truly passionate about it. And when I look into the future? I see myself and my team constantly working on our product, improving it, and having a great time while doing so!
Hitched and Hectic: How Parkit360 Trailer Dollies are Saving Relationships
How many times has parking your trailer turned into a major dispute?
Picture the scene: you arrive home from your fabulous family camping trip, and all you want to do is go inside and unpack. But first, you have to park the trailer.
So, one person gets out to spot and the other begins to maneuver into place. It’s a tight fit, the angle isn’t working, and you’re having trouble communicating with one another. Before you know it, you’re stuck, you’re screaming, and everyone is ready to walk away.
“Why do we keep doing this?” you wonder. “We’d be better off if we never took this trailer out in the first place.”
We get it. Many of us trailer owners have had a hectic parking experience like this (or two, or three). From new campers to boat owners, we’ve all had trouble parking from time to time.
In fact, numerous customers have shared stories like this with us over the years. We’ve had many couples and families recount their stressful attempts to park their trailers in tight or awkward spaces, resulting in raised voices and short tempers.
Those same customers have also shared with us how much easier the parking process was after purchasing a Parkit360.
Just check out some of these reviews:
Been using my 10K Parkit360 a couple of months now and it has been great. My wife says it is worth the cost (she has been guiding me when using the truck to park the TT under a cover).
- Paul Dufford
Hubby and I bought this to help park our 23’ Wolf Pup in our driveway. It works like a dream and is easy enough I can even control it. Thanks for the wonderful tool... may have saved a marriage ;-)!
- Heidi Cox
This is going to make the most stressful parts of camping trips a breeze and will also lead to more domestic harmony.
- Jim Ross
My wife was not happy when I bought the Parkit360, she kept saying I should 'try to back the trailer in'. Well, the problem is the travel trailer is 11' wide and I would risk hitting the house! But, the Parkit360 worked perfectly and without much effort I was able to guide our trailer in with ease, and when I finished my wife said, "Now I know why you bought it and you were right!"
- Lance Corporal
Parkit360 trailer mover works great. We call it the marriage saver. Nothing more stressful than a couple parking a trailer.
- Jeff Sparkman
These real life stories inspired us to make this video, which tells the story of a couple who are new to camping and have found that parking their trailer is testing their marriage – and impacting their neighbours, too:
We love these stories because they remind us of why we created this product in the first place: Parkit360 trailer dollies don’t just help individuals tackle difficult parking situations – they also save families from a lot of undue stress!
That’s why we made the Force 5K and 10K models. They’re compact, easy to use, and capable of moving most recreational trailers (up to 5,000 and 10,000 lbs). You can store one of these units in your trailer compartment, or in the back of your vehicle, and take it along with you for maneuvering into cramped campsites as well.
Parking doesn’t have to be hard. No matter how tricky the spot, we want people to know that there is a simple solution so that they can feel empowered, confident, and less stressed. Camping should be a pleasant experience, from start to finish. You don’t want a fight over a bad parking job to ruin an otherwise enjoyable time.
Whether a family who is new to camping, or a couple who needs a more effective parking solution, an electric trailer dolly makes things better for everyone.
Don’t let the stress of parking keep you from pursuing your favourite hobbies together. Check out our full line of trailer dollies, and learn to start enjoying each other’s company again!
Moving More than just Trailers!
While we’re primarily known for moving RV trailers and boats, our wide range of adapters allow us to park almost anything!
Coming up on our 11th anniversary, we’ve seen a variety of use cases for our trailer dollies over the years. With 14,000 happy customers and counting, they continue to inspire us to develop new parking solutions for a wide variety of industrial applications.
Here are just a few of their parking success stories.
Industrial Facilities
One of our long-time customers needed to move parts of their assembly line on a daily basis. Moving large parts with limited factory floor space proved to be a challenge for them.
They needed a compact, self-powered solution that could work within a confined area. With a few minor tweaks to our Force trailer dolly, we were able to develop a customized solution that met their parking needs.
Airports & Hangars
Some airports are now using our trailer dollies on the tarmac! By attaching a hitch to their cargo loaders and staircases, they are able to move them in and out of place quickly as planes land. A few customers are actually using our trailer dollies to park their small aircraft!
Not all situations require a customized solution though. We have some standard Adapters that can help you get connected and set up quickly, without any modifications!
Pintle Hitch
A lesser-known use case is for pintle-hitch trailers. A lot of industrial and military customers tell us they’ve “been looking for this forever!”. With our Pintle Hitch Adapter, you simply line up your trailer’s hitch with the dolly and thread our adapter bolt into it. This can be done in a matter of seconds with a drill if you’re in a hurry.
Telescopic Hitch Adapter
Our Telescopic Frame Adapter is a non-invasive solution that bolts around the frame of your trailer. Just adjust the height of the telescoping pipe, lower it into our trailer dolly and go! For boats, we recommend attaching this adapter to the Y section of the trailer frame. This universal adapter can be used on a wide variety of trailers!
No matter the application, we can work with you to develop a safe, customized solution that will get your product where it needs to go!
Of course, our weight limits still apply and will vary depending on the hitch type: Ball Mount, Kingpin, Pintle, Gooseneck etc.. We have 3 Trailer Dolly models:
-
Force ISC 5K
5,000 lbs gross weight / 900lbs tongue weight -
Force ISC 10K
10,000 lbs gross weight / 900lbs tongue weight -
Transformer 15K
Maximum 15,000 lbs gross weight / 2,200lbs tongue weight
Have a specific use case that would benefit from a customized solution? Speak with one of our technicians today!
COVID-19: New Trailer Dolly Building Measures
We are staying open to ensure manufactured parts and supplies are being delivered to the right people during this difficult time.
As such, we are doing everything we can to keep our employees, their families and our customers safe by following all Government and WHO recommendations and regulations.
We are limiting working hours, staying home whenever possible, and enforcing the new building measures below:
Low Contact Assembly
To keep our employees and customers safe, each Trailer Dolly is now assembled and packaged by one person. All of our employees practice social distancing during this process to limit contact.
Clean Workplace Practices
Our employees are washing their hands frequently, sanitizing their work stations, and wearing gloves when necessary to prevent any possible contamination.
Dolly Sanitation
All handles, buttons and high contact surfaces on our Trailer Dollies will be sanitized before shipping. Please stay safe! Do your part by washing your hands before and after using your Trailer Dolly.
Keep your loved ones safe by staying home.
Your pets will sure love you for it! If you have any questions about our process, please Contact Us. We're here for you. We are available weekdays from 10am - 6pm EST.
All the best. Stay Healthy!