So...a little update. Turns out that the adventure was so much fun, we ended up wanting our very own Alto. Renting it for a vacation was a great opportunity to really experience the Alto first hand. We placed an order when we got back and waited for delivery. On Nov 7th, we met our sales rep Pierre in Hudson, and it became ours.
Now how do we get it into the garage?
Kneeling Alto
One of the first things we had to resolve was the issue of getting the Alto into a garage for the winter. As we ordered the optional 13' wheels, we were a little concerned that this would raise the overall height of the trailer enough that it would not be able to fit through a standard garage door. Our delivery date was early Nov 2009, and in anticipation of storage for the winter, we had already rented a private garage space. We were told that the overall height of the Alto with the 13' wheels was almost 86" high, where a standard garage opening was 84".
What to do?
Giving it some thought, I realized that I could take advantage of the Alto's teardrop shape. If one was to really lower the tongue as much as possible, you would also be lowering the overall height. A quick test proved this theory, knocking almost 3" off the height. Now there was the problem of moving the trailer with the tongue lowered. Wandering around Home Depot, I happened upon this little guy...
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a little 3 wheeled dolly, probably intended to place under furniture pieces so they could be moved around easier. This would be perfect. I added a 2" pvc end cap to ensure the jack post would stay in place while the Alto was being pushed. All this of course being theory until we got the Alto and actually put it to test.
Did some tests in the driveway before putting it into storage.
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You can actually see that it is lower, so we were quite confident that the theory was valid. And it was. The Alto was easily wheeled into the garage on the little dolly, with lots of clearance. Anyone notice the big tape measure sitting on the ladder...
One of the first things we had to resolve was the issue of getting the Alto into a garage for the winter. As we ordered the optional 13' wheels, we were a little concerned that this would raise the overall height of the trailer enough that it would not be able to fit through a standard garage door. Our delivery date was early Nov 2009, and in anticipation of storage for the winter, we had already rented a private garage space. We were told that the overall height of the Alto with the 13' wheels was almost 86" high, where a standard garage opening was 84".
What to do?
Giving it some thought, I realized that I could take advantage of the Alto's teardrop shape. If one was to really lower the tongue as much as possible, you would also be lowering the overall height. A quick test proved this theory, knocking almost 3" off the height. Now there was the problem of moving the trailer with the tongue lowered. Wandering around Home Depot, I happened upon this little guy...
Did some tests in the driveway before putting it into storage.
