Front Hitch?

[Dylan]

Hello,
I searched high and low to find an anwer, but to no avail.

Bought a new house at the end of December, and finally had time to build a large side gate (12'), and should start having the brick pavers installed this weekend depending on the weather. My problem is that along the front of the house I have several obsticals to jog around. I have a block wall on the property line shared with my neighbor, immediately next to my gate. I also have a power pole directly in front of the house, fire hydrant and a palm tree to dodge. I can take out the palm but my wife would hate me more than usual.

I've ran across several possibilities from buying a lawn tractor with hitch, to buying a shorter wheelbase junker (Jeep or similar) to move the trailer (last resort). Does a front hitch help any? I pride myself in being well skilled at backing. However when building the gate and bringing material over there for the fence and bricks I have noticed it's more difficuly than I thought it would be. Does the front hitch allow more articulation in smaller spaces? Logic would seem to tell me yes, but that isn't always true in the real world.

A power caster is out of the question. I have too many changing surfaces right now from soil, concrete curbs, large river rocks and transitioning to the brick pavers.

Thanks for your help!

[ski_king]

This is what ya need, but you could probably pick up a cheap garden tractor cheaper.

[mzimme]

Front hitch would definitely give you better control through tight places. But hell, if you can afford to get a little jeep... do it! They're fun off the pavement as an added bonus

[Forrest-X45]

Yes - having the trailer pivot point close to the steering axle makes a big difference. You can spin the trailer on it's own axis very quickly but it will also jack knife quickly. Small corrections is an understatement. I have a front receiver hitch on my truck and works very well moving a trailer in very tight spaces.

[Dylan]

Okay I'm going to pick up the front hitch this week. 20-45min install time... I should know the outcome fairly quickly. At the very least, she can see how hard I am trying :-)

Might be picking up a new boat this weekend, need to get this figured out!

[dfmaus]

I can't believe everyone is passing up the obvious "this is what you need" jokes with the attractive woman in the pic

[Dylan]

Originally Posted by dfmaus

I can't believe everyone is passing up the obvious "this is what you need" jokes with the attractive woman in the pic

I already have my hands full with the one I have, two would bankrupt me!

[GT500 MC]

Originally Posted by dfmaus

I can't believe everyone is passing up the obvious "this is what you need" jokes with the attractive woman in the pic

Agreed. I didn't even notice that other thing attached to the trailer. She should go in the swimsuit thread.

[Sierra Tango II]

I have the same problem where i live so I had a hitch put on the front of my truck. I love the manueverability, however even after buying the biggest drop hitch I could find, i still have clearance problems with the prop guard. I have a 1998 PS 190 and a stock height F350. This is the only problem that I have had and I only have it when backing in my Mastercraft due to the low clearance in the back. I tried using my JD 316 and although there is plenty of power, if you get on any incline whatsoever its fairly easy to lose control. I was at a marina the other day and saw them using a small forklift which seemed to work really well.

[thatsmrmastercraft]

Originally Posted by Sierra Tango II

I have the same problem where i live so I had a hitch put on the front of my truck. I love the manueverability, however even after buying the biggest drop hitch I could find, i still have clearance problems with the prop guard. I have a 1998 PS 190 and a stock height F350. This is the only problem that I have had and I only have it when backing in my Mastercraft due to the low clearance in the back. I tried using my JD 316 and although there is plenty of power, if you get on any incline whatsoever its fairly easy to lose control. I was at a marina the other day and saw them using a small forklift which seemed to work really well.

Since you are obviously not going far or fast with the boat attached to the front, why not make (or have a local welding shop) a drop hitch to fit?