TUGCO.CO.UK

Moving caravans and trailers by hand

The idea for the TUG trailer mover / trailer dolly came following years of hauling trailers around on gravel, up slopes and generally struggling. Bending down, trying to pull a car transporter like our trusty Brian James Trailer or a dinghy with one arm is not healthy!

Move a Car trailer (Brian James) by hand on rough ground with a Tug trailer dolly mover

For years we bashed our shins at motor racing circuits like Spa Francochamps where the trailers all have to be moved into a compound away from the pit area. If we'd had a TUG in the back of the van, it is likely that we would have earned a good few beers.

The crunch came when observing disinterested teenagers failing to help their mother drag a camping trailer at Latitude Festival on more than one occasion. The car park is a considerable distance from the Family Camping area. Some struggle to push the trailer on the jockey wheel like here:

The wealthy "glampers" tend to use the buggy service but this is expensive and often involves a long wait. In muddy conditions the buggies have been known to get stuck too.

Many use wheelbarrows, stopping every two minutes to pick up the things that have slid off into the mud, or if it is dry; sheep poo!

Wheelbarrows involve many trips back to the car and much picking stuff back up

You can also hire little green trollies at the festival. By the time you have the family wellies in there, they are pretty much full. The Bell tent and alcohol supply would have taken many trips back to the Land Rover!

Blimey! I wish I'd brought our trailer and a Tug!

Something had to be done so we sat down and designed the concept over several beers sitting in the sun at Henham Park and then refined the paper designs over the following months.

Design and manufacture of the TUG caravan and trailer dolly /pulling device

A couple of prototype trailer movers and caravan movers were made, tested and tweaked. The concept of a neat design that clipped together quickly was a result of many successful years in the motor sport industry.

The handle bar has a kink in it so that the actual handle does not sit in the mud when it is at rest; details like this came about from using the protoypes in various situations. We soon realised that the strength of the wheels was a key factor as we had produced such a strong metalwork design.

The Tug trailer dolly mover uses clever clips for easy assembly

Keeping production of the TUG caravan mover local was the result of an increasing awareness of green issues and a long - held belief in British manufacturing. The major components are laser cut and manufactured by a friendly and efficient company just a few miles away from us here in Suffolk. For the first couple of years we were served well by one company; we ironed out production niggles and enjoyed a good relationship with the production team.

However, when the management decided not to replace someone on long term sick leave they turned down our order! Luckily, contacts with other local engineers produced an alternative supplier. The process of re-pricing led to three significant production improvements and the move away from powder-coating to plating. We are really pleased with the results so far.

The latest plated finish on the Tug trailer mover

Initially we used wheels from various sources which all, ultimately and disappointingly seemed to be made in China. We were really pleased to find a British manufacturer for the wheels. This same manufacturer helped us out when we introduced the puncture proof option.

From the name "TUG" it is fairly obvious that the concept was conceived to make pulling trailers and caravans easier and it was always accepted that pushing would be less easy. However, a nagging thought and a similar customer eventually prompted us to develop an optional third wheel which does indeed enable a TUG to push!

Moving a heavy trailer by hand with a three wheel Tug

The latest version just clips on. This also means that it can be purchased separately if someone realises that they would benefit from one. We also took the opportunity to offer even stronger brackets and a taller ball post on our ordering page when we introduced this development.

Recently we have been talking to members of the sailing community who have to pull their launching trollies over sandy beaches. We have been working on a fitting that is either universal or at least suitable for the majority of popular trailers.

We are now able to offer a post that simply bolts in where the ball post usually goes. Have a look here.

Dinghy launching trolly fitting on a Tug

We have made a conscious decision to keep costs down by advertising very little. We have found that the modest amounts we have spent in the past have produced no direct sales. Instead we are now concentrating on our web presence and the word of mouth effect. This is all part of the plan of building up our capacity in a strong and sustainable manner.

A recent SEO (search engine optimization) campaign that we have instigated in-house in conjunction with our web-guru Jacob has led to a significant improvement in our standing on the Google search results. These are even further improved if you add "UK" into your search for trailer dolly, moving a caravan etc. We think that searching for images is also an easier way of finding what you want.

The Tug - No Sweat!

So, are you interested in our innovative caravan mover / caravan dolly / trailer puller? Do you want to show your friends or family via the good, old-fashioned medium of a piece of printed paper?

We don't blame you. For a printable leaflet suitable for leaving around the house in time for birthday/Christmas/father's day/mother's day, simply then print it off.