Wheel Dollies or Skates? How to Move a Non-Running Car or Bike

Your project car won't run, a stripped shell sits on stands, or a motorbike needs turning round in a narrow garage. Dollies or skates under the tyres, or a trolley under the body, let you move it by hand.

PartsForMachines has 15 dollies, skates and trolleys for cars and motorcycles from Sealey, SIP, Draper and Chicago Pneumatic in its dollies range.

Wheel Dollies or Hydraulic Wheel Skates: Which Do I Need?

Choose plain wheel dollies if you can jack the car up, because you need to lift it to set each tyre on one. Choose hydraulic skates if you can't: a skate opens around the tyre and lifts it with its own foot pedal. The WS650 wheel skate, for example, opens to 550mm and has a safety locking pin for use under load. Skates are sold singly but must be used in pairs.

Steel dollies have no hydraulics to look after. Skates also suit bodyshops, garages and showrooms that need to move immobile cars.

What Capacity Per Dolly Do I Need?

Size each dolly for the heaviest wheel, because ratings are per dolly, not per set. The manufacturer's plate on the vehicle gives the maximum weight for each axle; halve the heavier figure to estimate the load on each of its wheels. Car wheel dollies and skates in our range are rated from 450kg to 680kg each.

Say the heavier axle is plated at 1,000kg: each wheel on it may put up to 500kg on its dolly. That is more than a 450kg dolly is built for, but the WS681 wheel dolly set, rated at 680kg each, leaves headroom.

Why Do Dolly Castors Catch on Rough Concrete?

Often because the castors are small. A small wheel can drop into joints and cracks and catch on ridges or stones, while a larger one copes with them far more easily and takes less effort to keep rolling. Wheel dolly castors tend to be small, for example 75mm metal on the WS681 and 100mm nylon on the WS650 skate.

Skates are meant for an even surface, so sweep away grit and stones before you start. A stripped shell on a rough floor is easier to move on the VMD002 vehicle moving dolly, which runs on 200mm nylon locking castors.

Which Motorcycle Dolly Moves a Bike in a Tight Garage?

Match the dolly to how the bike stands. If it has a centre stand, the MS0651 centre stand dolly lets you turn it in any direction where space is tight, for bikes up to 300kg. A bike without a usable centre stand, such as a lowered one, can go on the MS0630 rear wheel dolly instead, as its side stand holder adjusts to suit most bikes. It holds the bike on its side stand while the front wheel stays on the floor, so you can steer it into place.

The MS0630 takes bikes up to 500kg; for heavier bikes, the full-length MS063 is rated at 565kg, with lever-operated wedge gates for loading and steel pins to keep the bike on board.

What Should I Check Before I Buy?

• Does the vehicle roll on its own wheels, or does the body need supporting on a trolley?
• The rating of each dolly against the heaviest wheel load.
• Maximum tyre width, from 240mm to 355mm where stated, against your tyres.
• Castor size and material, and how many lock, against your floor.
• For motorcycles: centre stand, side stand or upright clamp, and the bike's weight.

Not sure which suits your vehicle? Contact the PartsForMachines team by WhatsApp, telephone or email with the vehicle, its weight, tyre width and floor, or browse the dollies range.

Product options, delivery options and returns terms are shown on each product page. A 30-day return policy applies to eligible items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a car on dollies roll away on a sloping floor?

It can, so use dollies only on a firm, level floor and never on a slope or driveway. Locking castors help hold the car still once it is in place: all four lock on the VMD002, and two of the four on the RE901 trolley.

Which castor material is best on concrete?

Polyurethane is a good choice: it runs quietly and is gentle on floors. Harder treads are noisier and strain the floor, and steel can damage it, though metal wheels such as cast iron cope with very heavy loads. The 23253 dollies have non-marking castors.

What load rating per castor do I need?

It matters when you replace castors: rate each one for a third of the wheel load, not a quarter, because on an uneven floor one of the four may not touch. A 450kg wheel load needs castors rated at 150kg each.

Can one person move a car on wheel dollies?

Often, on a smooth, level floor. The SIP 03833 car wheel dollies each run on four swivel castors so one person can reposition a car. On rough concrete, small castors catch more easily, so sweep the floor first and expect more effort.

Can I move a car with its wheels removed?

Use a trolley that supports the body, not the wheels. The VMD001 and VMD002 vehicle moving dollies (900kg) and the RE901 transport trolley (2 tonnes) are made for partly dismantled or badly damaged vehicles.

Will wide tyres fit on a wheel dolly?

Measure the tyre's width and compare it with the dolly's maximum. The WS454 wheel dolly set takes tyres up to 355mm wide, the WS650 skate 270mm and the WS680 skate 240mm. For twin rear wheels, send our team the tyre size first.

Is a wheel dolly the same as a wheel handling dolly?

No. A vehicle wheel dolly moves the whole car; a wheel handling dolly carries one wheel on and off the hub. The TH002 lets one person fit commercial wheels up to 127kg onto hub studs, and the SIP 09832 takes 14 to 20 inch wheels.

Can I use a motorcycle dolly on my own?

Yes. They are made to help when you are working alone, but secure the bike before you push. The MS0651 has a foot or hand brake, the MS063 has steel pins front and rear, and the MS063V holds the front wheel in a clamp.

Can I work on a car while it sits on dollies?

No. Wheel dollies and skates are for moving a car, not holding it up while you work on it. Before you start work or go underneath, support the car properly on axle stands.