Outdoors

Tank-like device lets you park trailers by remote control

Tank-like device lets you park trailers by remote control
The Trailer Valet RVR's heavy-duty caterpillar treads reportedly allow it to operate on a variety of surfaces
The Trailer Valet RVR's heavy-duty caterpillar treads reportedly allow it to operate on a variety of surfaces
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The Trailer Valet RVR is being offered in three models weighing 45 to 77 lb (20 to 35 kg), and which are capable of driving single- and dual-axle trailers weighing up to 3,500 lb (1,588 kg), 5,500 lb (2,495 kg) or 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
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The Trailer Valet RVR is being offered in three models weighing 45 to 77 lb (20 to 35 kg), and which are capable of driving single- and dual-axle trailers weighing up to 3,500 lb (1,588 kg), 5,500 lb (2,495 kg) or 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
The Trailer Valet RVR's heavy-duty caterpillar treads reportedly allow it to operate on a variety of surfaces
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The Trailer Valet RVR's heavy-duty caterpillar treads reportedly allow it to operate on a variety of surfaces
The Trailer Valet RVR is steered using a radio remote control unit from up to 40 ft away (12 m)
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The Trailer Valet RVR is steered using a radio remote control unit from up to 40 ft away (12 m)
View gallery - 3 images

It can be hard work, using a spotter and/or your vehicle's mirrors to move a trailer into a tight space such as a parking spot or garage. The Trailer Valet RVR, however, is intended to make the job easier. Essentially, it's a remote-control trailer-parking tank.

Equipped with either two or four planetary gear motors (depending on the model), the aluminum-bodied RVR is simply hooked up to a trailer's coupler via an included hitch ball – two sizes are provided – and is then steered using a radio remote control unit from up to 40 ft away (12 m).

Its heavy-duty caterpillar treads reportedly allow it to operate on a variety of surfaces, such as asphalt, gravel, grass and dirt. One charge of its lithium-ion battery should be good for up to 30 minutes of runtime.

The Trailer Valet RVR is steered using a radio remote control unit from up to 40 ft away (12 m)
The Trailer Valet RVR is steered using a radio remote control unit from up to 40 ft away (12 m)

The RVR is being offered in three models weighing 45 to 77 lb (20 to 35 kg), and which are capable of driving single- and dual-axle trailers weighing up to 3,500 lb (1,588 kg), 5,500 lb (2,495 kg) or 9,000 lb (4,082 kg). Prices range from US$2,100 for the 3,500-lb-capacity model, up to $4,100 for the most powerful version.

You can see the RVR in use, in the following video.

Source: Trailer Valet

TRAILER VALET RVR OFFICIAL VIDEO

View gallery - 3 images
4 comments
4 comments
BartyLobethal
What's it like in the loose dirt of a campground?
flyerfly
Now make it waterproof so it can launch boat trailers...might need to have a safety tether to keep it from going down river or the like but it would be nice to launch jet skies on sandy beaches without getting stuck. Seems a bit expensive for the number of times it is used though. A normal hand dolly usually works or one of many that small airplane owners often use are less expensive.
stuart71
On a flat surface I can see this working, but not on a slope. I would need to calculate the actual load based on slope angle, coefficient of friction and probably other things I forgot since Physics class. Cool idea, though.
ljaques
Cool, but BOY are they proud of those things. The smallest is $4,100? I see a dozen or two sales in their forecast for the next 3 years. Many people make it easier to steer their beasties into tight spaces by mounting a ball on the front of their truck.
I can see these getting stolen in campgrounds from the early adopters.
And I can't see them having much traction for slopes, either to push something up one or safely and slowly lower one.
Good luck to them, getting sales before the Chiwanese clones come out at a tenth the price.