New Spa Delivery Trailer!!!

[Vanguard]

This is going to be of more interest to dealers.  I was at the Atlantic City Pool & Spa Show this week and saw a really nice new tub trailer.  The trailer was made of aluminum and was very sturdy.  Had very nice features including radial tires that keep the trailer from bouncing around.

Check it out at:  http://www.hottubhauler.com

Looks to be a really nice replacement for the one that is primarily used today.

[Spiderman]

The wheels on the cart look a tad small which could make it difficult to navigate across rough terrain.  I can't tell if there is room underneath the trailer for the cover either.  At least they've got a Hot Spring to help sell the trailers  

Make sure you read the "about us" tab on their website.  What delivery system is he talking about so badly?

[Chas]

I have seen one other company try to take the business away from Spa Dolly, and it didn't work for them either. Sorry, but the Spa Dolly folks have done their homework. This new device looks well built, but it doesn't have the pivoting arms at the rear which keep the trailer from falling down when you tip the spa up onto the cart.

And as was mentioned above, the cart wheels on the aluminum unit are smaller than the Spa Dolly cart. I haven't tried it, but I bet that would make going up and down steps a bit tougher.

I wish them well - they might sell some units. But the Spa Dolly is still 'it' for me.

Also - I haven't priced the new Spa Dolly - even though I want to upgrade - but I think it is lower than this new trailer by quite a bit.

 8-)

[Chad]

Very cool. I wonder if something like that is rentable?

I'm not familiar with trailers of any kind but $5,500 seems like alot of money for one imo.

[Chas]

Prices on the Spa Dolly are around $4k for the whole system. And the joint is run by a HotSpring dealer so how could you possibly go wrong? I met him and his lovely and gracious wife on the gondola headed up to the top of a mountain in New Zealand. Nice people, but the wife screamed when I jumped up to shake his hand and the gondola car started to swing wildly... go figure.

http://www.spadolly.com/trailer.html



 8-)

[Spiderman]

I'm not familiar with trailers of any kind but $5,500 seems like alot of money for one imo.

I spent just under $5K for the Spa Dolly trailer, but the inflatable wedge, super super heavy duty casters, and deck winch extension were included in that price.  Believe me, I didn't want to shell out that kind of cash either, but it will pay for itself as I can do 99% of the deliveries with me and one other person.  I've also done a few by myself.  It's definitely worth what I paid.  It's also fun to use..................and I hope it never gets old  

[hottubdan]

The wheels on the cart look a tad small which could make it difficult to navigate across rough terrain.  I can't tell if there is room underneath the trailer for the cover either.  At least they've got a Hot Spring to help sell the trailers  

Make sure you read the "about us" tab on their website.  What delivery system is he talking about so badly?

Jeff was an RSM for Watkins/Hot Spring before launching this venture.  I waish him luck.  Hope there are dealers interested in investing right now.  Seems with peole going out of business there must be a surplus of used equipment around.

[d8]

I concur that the cart wheels are too small. We deliver in snowy/muddy/steep conditions often enough, and that cart would be more of a liability than an asset on jobs like that.

I'm happy enough with our old spa dolly trailer. It has served well for a couple hundred deliveries, and will probably outlast me.

[Chad]

I spent just under $5K for the Spa Dolly trailer, but the inflatable wedge, super super heavy duty casters, and deck winch extension were included in that price.  Believe me, I didn't want to shell out that kind of cash either, but it will pay for itself as I can do 99% of the deliveries with me and one other person.  I've also done a few by myself.  It's definitely worth what I paid.  It's also fun to use..................and I hope it never gets old  

Sounds like they're worth every penny. I just didn't know how expensive those things really were. Is that something that can be rented?

[clover]

One problem, only ONE spa at a time.  Yes, I know you can pay more for larger that will handle 4 tubs, but it calls for a serious investment of equipment including the tow vehicle.

We were doing 3 to 4 deliveries a day when times were booming.  We could never do that returning each time to reload, maybe 2, one in the AM and one in the PM.  Too much travel time.

We use (2) 30' flatbed Trition aluminum trailers (snow mobile trailers) equipped with aluminum roller bed strategically located to roll the spas to the back for off loading vertical or flat.  90% of all our deliveries we done with 2 people.  You just have to know what your doing.  Average time on a delivery was 1 ½ hours to completion.  The 2nd trailer is being loaded for deliveries for the next day while one is out on deliveries.

If you are going to do volumn, you have to deliver volume.

[hottubdan]

One problem, only ONE spa at a time.  Yes, I know you can pay more for larger that will handle 4 tubs, but it calls for a serious investment of equipment including the tow vehicle.

We were doing 3 to 4 deliveries a day when times were booming.  We could never do that returning each time to reload, maybe 2, one in the AM and one in the PM.  Too much travel time.



If you are going to do volumn, you have to deliver volume.

Totally agree.  These one spa trailers don't work for volume deliveries.

[wmccall]

Hmm, a  brand new user registered today called hottubtrailer, and is reading this thread. .

[hottubtrailer]

 
Thank you for mentioning my new trailer.  I would like to reply to a couple of comments.

First, I think the SpaDolly is an amazing product and I used it for well over 1000 deliveries.  In fact the dealership I work for has purchased 5 of them in the past 13 years.  The trailer I have brought to market is strictly an alternative as I think there should always be choices.  

Up here in New England the aluminum should last longer when dealing with the salt and calcium they use on the roads.  When pulling up to a customers house, it is a lot like your showroom and the presentation is important.

As far as the wheels on the cart; for anyone who was at the show we mentioned that you can purchase the cart with either the 8" wheel or a 10" wheel.  It is your choice.  I just thought the solid tire may be better in certain situations but the people have voted and the 10" semi-pneumatic tire was their choice.

The cover can most definitely ride underneath the deck of the trailer (on top of the cart).  The only covers that won't fit there are covers thicker then 5".  The straps that come with the trailer (for the cart) are plenty long enough to hold the cover in place.

I choose to develop a single place trailer as the market is not doing well right now and I figured this would be more useful.  There were a few people that asked about a multiple place trailer, but it is not in my future right now.

There are many ways to deliver tubs.  Believe me I tried them all )  I just thought that it would be great to have a nice aluminum trailer that will hold up to the elements.  There are also some nice design features to help protect your investment.  Aluminum is very expensive to purchase but when you put it on top of an axle with a 5 year warranty you should be able to expect a longer life out of the trailer.

Please note some of the key features of the Hot Tub Hauler
~lights that are out of harms way
~license plate is in a location that won't allow it to get damaged
~rub rails to minimize the risk of damaging fenders
~the trailer always stays attached to the truck when going up onto the cart which eliminates the need to lock the cart in place
~foam padding on the cart to protect the cabinet of the tub
~pins that are all fastened to their location in each point on the trailer
~goodyear tires with a Dexter axle so the trailer stays on the road

Thank you so much for talking about the trailer!  If you have any questions don't hesitate to email me and I will do what I can to help make delivering hot tubs a little easier.

Sorry if this sounded like a commercial but I am proud of this trailer and there is many hours of design time into making sure it did everything us dealers needed it to do!

[Chas]

Thanks for clearing those items up - I went back to your web site, and I can now see that the trailer stays attached to the tow vehicle when tipping, so you don't need the folding bits on the back. Good idea!

And yes, the lights and license plate do take a beating on my Spa Dolly. They aren't very expensive, I usually have to buy a set each year or two.

I don't have any problem with the tires, but yours are better looking.

 8-)

[wmccall]

Welcome to our forum.