Robo Trailer Valet aims at easing trailer use

With a remote control and a little robotic ingenuity, EZ Loader is hoping to shake up the trailer industry with its new Robo Trailer Valet.

“It’s aimed at the guy who doesn’t want to have to push the boat around,” said Gary Potter, vice president/general manager of EZ Loader. “If you can work your television remote control, you can work this one and move your trailer around that simply.”

EZ Loader first introduced the Robo Trailer Valet to the industry last fall at IBEX and the Marine Dealer Conference & Expo, where the product garnered plenty of attention. The company first showed it off to consumers at the Miami International Boat Show earlier this year.

The manufacturer is a Danish company, Kronings, which has been selling it for several years in Europe and Australia as the “Camper Trolley.” The company contacted EZ Loader in early 2014 as it was looking for a U.S. partner to crack the North American market.

So far, the majority of buyers in the U.S. have been consumers, but Potter said he hopes to see that change.

“I thought it was going to be a great dealer item to move boats around the showroom, but we’re finding it’s a little too slow for their purposes,” he said.

While dealers have liked the Robo Trailer Valet, they want something faster than it’s 29-feet-per-minute rate. EZ Loader is working with Kronings to build a model that is 50 percent faster with a goal of appealing to those dealers.

Currently, it is available in two models: the RTV3700, for moving up to 3,700 pounds, and the RTV5500, for moving up to 5,500 pounds. With its large treads, it will work on any firm surface, Potter said.

It will work with any trailer, tube or channel, but EZ Loader has built in a welded bracket to its trailers to make it easier to use. A bolt-on bracket is available for other trailers.