Motor mover or not
I have never had a motor mover, as an ex truck driver I thought I can always maneuver a van into position, however in wet conditions the front wheels spin on a 2 wheel drive car, and this year I struggled to get through the gate on one site.
I don't know if I should invest in a motor mover, they not cheap, but they also about 40 k.g.
I appreciate any advice
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Yes as above, best invention for the caravan ever.
There is literally pinpoint accuracy and you can get your van exactly where you want it either on the 'peg' or directly over the tow ball. It also means that hitching and unhitching can be done alone with out any second person. You use the mover to bring the van to the car and then use it at the other end to put the van on the pitch. I often do this now as my wife still works, I leave early and collect the van, drive and pitch up, she arrives later in the day.
If you are thinking of getting one look into the automatic roller engagement.
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Our drive is on a slight slope added to which there is a lamp post in the way so manoeuvring the caravan whilst still attached to the car is impossible so has always had to be done by hand, so to speak. Getting it out meant using a winch anchored across the road, (not really a good idea but it worked). However, after my heart attack 9 years ago SWMBO said that unless we got a mover she wouldn't go caravanning any more so the incentive was there. I have to admit that it is the best thing I've ever bought for the caravan. I can get the 'van out and park it up again without help and without effort. Hooking up to the car is simplicity and accuracy itself as the 'van can be nudged millimetre by millimetre.
Yes, they are relatively expensive but can usually be transferred from caravan to caravan. The other downside is the weight loss from the available payload. Our Powrtouch Classic is 33kg so we just have to be a bit more careful with loading and put more into the car.
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I couldn’t manage without a mover. No matter how good you are at reversing it would be impossible to get my caravan back into position at the storage compound without pushing it or using a mover, there just isn’t the room for a caravan and tow car, and as I’m on my own now pushing a fully loaded caravan getting on for 1800kg is out of the question.
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When I had a 4.3m internal length caravan I could tow the caravan right in to the driveway with sufficient room to unhitch the caravan and take it past the caravan to store alongside a garage behind the home. Moving it by hand on my own on level hard surface was not a problem. When I bought a 1.2m longer caravan that was not possible due to the width of the road outside despite a fairly wide entrance. Because sections of my drive are sloped and the gradient on the dropped crossing at the front of the drive it would need several helping hands. I did try it once and the next time I took the caravan out was to get a motormover fitted.
I was happy with manual engagement with cross actuator as with the motormover slides properly lubricated and properly adjusted it is a doddle for me to put on and off despite arthritis. When my previous 10 year old one packed up on holiday I got a replacement fitted at a dealers near our next site. I could not park up without it.
I uprated my MPTLM by 49kg on present caravan which more than covers the weight increase.
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Hi, I eventually decided to get a motor mover after the neighbours were having too much enjoyment watching me try and reverse my caravan on to the drive. Ordinarily I'd be fine but it had a tricky access from a narrow road etc. (That's my excuse anyway!)
Also when we went to France last year we found that reversing on to a pitch was not always suitable due to the pitch layout being better suited to their caravans having their door on the opposite side to us. The best orientation for the caravan was always the opposite way round to how we would normally pitch.
For the UK, you'll find you have many more options on where best to pitch it when it's all done from a remote control in your hand.
Also I recently bought a new caravan and the dealership transferred my motor mover over for free so you won't lose it if you invest in a new caravan in the future.
I'd recommend you invest in one and you'll never look back.
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It's not just on sites & tight driveways. Motor movers are also a godsend if you use a storage site, as most of the rows of caravans are too close for you to hitch up & pull the van out of it's bay without the back end damaging your neighbours caravan.
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Best thing ever- I can reverse my outfit with no problems, but the level of fine control you get with a mover just makes it so much easier. As other posts have said, also very useful if (for whatever reason) you want to pitch with your van facing the opposite way to normal - you would have to do this by hand without a mover. Finally, again as per other posts, it makes hitching the van to the car so much easier.
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Like everyone else, I wouldn't be without mine. I don't use it all the time to position the van but I use it every time to put the Lock n Level on which, with a mover, is ease itself. When I need it , it's been a God send. I have a feeling I may need it soon as it's not exactly dry in the Lakes at the moment and we are on a slight slope but I do have 4 wheel drive with diff and low box so I'll probably be OK but there's always the mover. Yes, I wouldn't hesitate in recommending a mover to anyone. 40kg? Mine isn't that heavy I'm sure- more like 30. I have to say that I agree with Deleted User User re the auto engagement- just something else to go wrong. Keep it simple.
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Could not do without ours, but I do like the electric engagement of the rollers and have had no problems with it.
It does usually cost extra so not having it would likely save a bit.
Like David, we had one of the original Carver movers a couple of years after they were first available, without one we could not keep our van at home so would not now be caravanning.
Ours weighs about 32kg. Like ET, we have had our MTPLM uprated, in our case by 85kg.
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We toured for 25 years plus without a motormover but as we got older, the vans got bigger and heavier and spaces seem to get smaller! There are lots of sites that I simply reverse into but some are virtually impossible without driving over a flower bed etc. With the mover you can even go in nose first for a view etc. Not cheap but worth their weight in gold.
PS My bro bought his second hand and fitted it himself to save money!
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For several years I did without a motor mover, always managing to place the van on a pitch with the car. At home, getting it onto the driveway involved the use of a "Mr Shifta" hitch mover and some pushing and shoving. One fateful day one of the caravan wheels got into a rut, requiring some herculean pushing and pulling to try and get it out. End result was that I ruptured my Achilles tendon and I suffer to this day with a weakened left leg due to muscle wastage whilst in plaster. After this lesson learned the hard way, I proceeded to shut the stable door after the horse had bolted and invested in a motor mover. Wouldn't be without it now.
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Definitely get one, and I agree with Deleted User User, manual engagement is very easy and I like to reduce possible sources of problems!
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I rather thought it was "cheating" like the first drill I saw being used for the corner steadies! What a silly idea! However I do think its a good idea to keep my hand in and do still back the caravan - probably about half and half. I have noticed that movers save the grass on the corners of many Club sites that seem to be tighter than they used to be. My body is knackered enough without wasting energy when there is something else to use! My mover was a present to me on my 60th birthday to save my back!
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Just come back from the South of France. Site had some very tight pitches. A UK couple turned up one afternoon and had to pitch in a tight spot amongst trees..literally inches from it. Took 4 of us to help as no mover fitted. A Dutch guy came out to look and said....you British have such big outfits and is impossible to move them. Not far from true unless you have a mover which most others had!
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Wouldn't caravan without one, l can put my van off the road on a sixpence on our drive, where before it would take 20 minutes maneuvering with the car. as it was such a tight entrance. That was if their were know cars in the close, which was very rare
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After an Italian experience with a narrow site road, small pitch, units either side and right up to the road edge, trees etc I was glad of some help in pushing my van into place. Decided I would get a mover to cope with these situations, had fitted the lightweight 'EGO Titanium' earlier this year weighing in at 23kg.
Absolutely brilliant, where I have the room I still position as normal but where space is limited it's spot on, also gives us more choice of pitches when abroad.
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