Car Dolly advice needed

[pint4]

I want to be able to move my 37 Packard around the garage easily. I bought a set of skates that go under each wheel. They have steel wheels but are difficult to move. Takes two or three of us to roll the car around the garage. I don't think there are bearings in the wheels. Does anyone have a set of skates/dollies that go under the 4 wheels that make it easy to move the car around. I would like to push the car up to the side wall of the garage so I have more space during the winter. There are probably different levels of quality and value. Does anyone have any recommendations? I have a concrete floor in my garage. Do some come with hard rubber wheeels and bearings?

Thanks!

[Matt Harwood]

I've used these:

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_3000&L2=L2_3030&SKU=77730

They work as advertised and roll easily. You can get a car up on them and rolled out of the way in about 4 minutes. Seriously. They're a little pricey (and they're sold in sets of 2, so multiply the cost by 2), but they are great tools.

Hope this helps!

[Friartuck]

Pint4,

I use and recommend the Roll-Master from N M W Products. These are heavy gauge metal dollies, epoxy painted with ball bearing casters. I use them to move around my 4700 pound 1930 Lincoln by myself. Your Packard should be similar in weight. The decal on mine reads: NMW Products, 35 Orland Drive, Raritan, NJ 08869 (908) 526-3800. I did a search and they don't have a website and phone search revealed an address change to 10 Orlando Drive. I've had mine since 1995 and I wouldn't do a frame-off restoration without them.

http://www.enjoythedrive.com/content/?id=10178

Chris <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Guest dongle]

Re: Griots

I like Griots but shop around - very expensive and often times the stuff is not that 'exclusive'.

These same dollies can be had for a LOT less.

Matt:

I have been looking at these for a while - how smooth is your floor?? I wondered how they worked on less than perfect concrete.????

Dongle.

[Jim Bollman]

You didn't say what brand skates you bought. A friend bought a set of 4 from Harbor Freight and had the same complaint. When he looked at them closer he noticed that the cast wheels ran with no bearings or bushings, directly on the axle. He took them all a part drilled them out and installed some bushings he had and lubricated everything. Said he can roll his MG around with one hand now. A 37 Packard may still take two hands and a little back but you might want to look into fixing what you have.

[Matt Harwood]

My floor is pretty smooth and the dollies roll easily. The wheels are polyurethane and seem to roll over imperfections without any difficulty. Even the lip on the edge of my garage (say, about 1/2") doesn't pose much of a challenge, though a heavy car may change all that. I used it to move my Mustang around as well as Corvettes in an earlier life, both around 3200 pounds. I never had the chance to put my Buick on them, but I'd expect them to work just as well with that load.

Try to find them cheaper--Griot's <span style="font-style: italic">is</span> expensive when things aren't exclusive.

Hope this helps.