After38Years

My garage is really tight with storage along the sides. I'm considering a set of wheel skates as an alternative to having to pull the '66 out of the garage to access stuff on the side shelves.

The garage has a good smooth concrete floor. Any advice or observations on the ease of pushing a car around and good models of skates?

Thanks!!

GTOguy

We have these where I work---the ones that also jack the car up when you use them. More $$$$, but super easy to use. You can push the car easily into any tight spot you want it...just be careful, it'll roll very easily and you can inadvertently push it into something. No downside to using these dollies.

Tampa Jerry

I bought a set from Harbor Freight and ended up replacing four of the sixteen wheels. The bearings were so bad that the wheels hit the cradle. I ended up giving them away after fighting with them during my restoration. Buyer beware. Jerry

domenic tallarita

I agree not to use the Harbor freight skates. They didn't do the job and I have a pile of them in the corner.

Dom

rsinor

GoJack- have had a set for around 10 years, they are not cheap but they work perfect.

jim lockwood

I've used wheel dollies for years. Get the right ones and they work well. The converse is also true.

In my opinion (and experience), you want to get dollies with hard rubber wheels and to avoid those with solid steel wheels. Why? A solid steel wheel can be stopped in its tracks by a grain of sand. The rubber wheel will go right over it. Relatedly, it's easier to push a car on dollies with rubber wheels.

Jim

Randy G.

I almost pulled the trigger on a few Harbor Freight items and this was one of them. I also declined on ordering their blast cabinet when all the reviews said they worked great after you replace their junk glass bead nozzle with a good one and replace the inadequate florescent lighting. All that to say, who do you recommend buying these dollies from?

After38Years

Kerrmudgeon

Has anyone here MADE their own dollies like that? I was wondering how much the materials would cost vs buying premade ones. The ones above are 100$ for 2, so that's 200$ for a set.

JohnZ

I have a set I bought about 20 years ago that has large hard rubber/poly wheels on ball bearings, and you can still push a car around in the garage with one hand.

DansYellow66

I've used these dollies from Harbor Freight for about 5 years and they have worked out flawlessly. They are pretty easy to use - I just crank them up by hand. I've even used them while doing garage home alignments since they work like an alignment rack turntables. I even accidently started this car in gear once while still on the dollies and it just sat there and idled while spinning the tire rollers on the rear dollies like it was on a dyno - not something I recommend.

However, I think Harbor Freight may have discontinued these and gone to a different manufacturer.



I push the car over to the side of my garage to store it - my garage is 25 ft. wide and I park 3 cars side by side in it - and another up on a lift.

Craftsman51

I had the same experience, wouldn't buy these from HF again.

davekp78

I bought a pair from Summit- #SUM-G1046-2. $165. What I like is each wheel has a grease fitting on it. I get by with 2. Drive/push the front end into position, then jack the rear, lower on dollys and push rear sideways.

gbvette62

The Zendex GoJaks are about the best wheel dolly's you can buy.

Their 5211 series will handle a 5200 pound vehicle on tires up to 13" wide, is made in the US, and sells for about $300 each. Not cheap, but if you need something to move a car around on often, they can't be beat.

Easy Rhino

I don't have a set - don't need them (yet?) but I've used them and am a believer.

I will say this, though. There are enough horror stories about them to make me want to be careful. Like getting all he-man and running a car into things, Or being forgetful and leaving them on for too long, and messing up. I seem to recall that a guy on this forum jumped into a car that was up on them, and started the car and tried to take off.

One buddy puts a red tag on the antenna mast of any of his cars up on them to help remind his, and another puts a red tag on the steering wheel. it's easy to be forgetful.

sub006

Cobras of almost any origin are featherweights. Do you use those presumably MIC dollies with normal, crash-resistant cars like C2s?

GTOguy

We have the Go-Jacks at work. Much more compact than the HF stuff pictured, and bulletproof.....ours must be 13-15 years old. Not cheap by any means, but very high quality.

DansYellow66

Actually that's not a bad question as it is probably about 400 lbs lighter than my 66 Corvette - and I haven't actually put my C2 up on them. They have steel wheels and I won't tell you I can push the car with one hand - although once all the wheels are pointed in the same direction it rolls pretty easily. I'm sure a good quality composite wheel would probably roll a bit easier, but I've got about $200 in these and they have worked fine for me.

jim lockwood

Have you ever weighed the Cobra? I'm curious to know the actual weight. Originals would be 1200 - 1300 lbs lighter than a Sting Ray.

Jim

DansYellow66

No, but from other ERA owners who have the 427 models usually come in around 2700 lbs with an FE motor. With an all aluminum BB and being sparse with the sound deadeners/insulation - might get to 2600. I have iron heads and quite a bit of insulation so I'm probably a little over 2700 lbs.

From what I know the 260/289 models were around 2200 +/- lbs. The 427 models were 2500 - 2600 +/- lbs. The ERA is about 100 lbs heavier than originals due to more steel in the frame and fiberglass instead of aluminum for the body. I have heard the aluminum Kirkhams with all billet suspension, differential, all aluminum FE motors, etc. can get down to nearly 2200 - 2300 lbs - don't know this for a fact.

So yes, some of them were as much as 1000 lbs lighter than a C2.