using leveller with caravan mover

BrianBooth
BrianBooth Forum Participant Posts: 8
edited October 2017 in Caravans #1

I have had problems using the milenco leveller and the caravan mover. When I start the mover the caravan skews off to the side as it rides up the leveller which makes it difficult to keep the caravan straight.  anybody else had this problem? any way of dealing with this?

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Comments

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited October 2017 #2

    Put a chock under opposite side wheel to ramp? 

  • Trini
    Trini Forum Participant Posts: 429
    edited October 2017 #3

    When we need to use a ramp leveller I have held the leveller to the wheel with my foot or use an awning peg. With our mover it is possible to use the rollers independently ie one going forward and the other in reverse to counteract the 'kick'

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2017 #4

    I don't use a ramp. Just blocks or a series thereof. Same thing happens. Just drive an appropriate wheel to climb or straighten/align caravan

  • hitchglitch
    hitchglitch Forum Participant Posts: 3,007
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    edited October 2017 #5

    I don’t recall a problem with this but we had a heavy van and a powerful mover. I would have thought that a good control system would compensate so it’s possible that it is not working properly and a conversation with the dealer/manufacturer may help. After all, driving up a ramp is an everyday occurrence with a mover and it should cope. Make sure you are on the lowest possible speed.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2017 #6

    Is the wheel turning ie is the mover roller gripping the tyre enough to turn it? It might need adjusting ..... not all makers of tyres produce tyres exactly the same diameter for a given tyre size. Or is the tyre not getting traction on the ramp? I found a shoulder against the appropriate corner helped on my last caravan  ..... not  really had the same problems with my 'new' twin axle with twin movers though I try to use my tow car as much as possible. 

  • johndailey
    johndailey Forum Participant Posts: 520
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    edited October 2017 #7

    We have this problem as well. As MollysMummy says, drive on to the leveller using the car when possible or 'the shoulder' method. The last time that I had the problem, as soon as the van tried to twist, I pressed  'opposite' key momentarily and it was a success. Hope you overcome the problem and if it is a different solution to the answers on here, let us know please.

     

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member Posts: 5,678 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #8

    If I've understood the problem correctly, we sometimes get this.  With our old van we used to find it quite a problem and the only real answer was to hitch up and use the car.  On our present van the mover tends to cope far better with it and the problem has almost disappeared.  There is a little settle when disengaging the mover, but I can usually judge it fairly well.  I think the effectiveness of the motor mover you have can effect this problem.

    David

  • BrianBooth
    BrianBooth Forum Participant Posts: 8
    edited October 2017 #9

    Thank you all for your helpful replies; good to know its not just me! I will try all your different suggestions next time we go 

     

     

  • G Cherokee
    G Cherokee Forum Participant Posts: 402
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    edited October 2017 #10

    If you have a single axle, just lean against the van on the opposite side of the ramp, 

    Works for us tongue-out

  • tigerman
    tigerman Forum Participant Posts: 39
    edited October 2017 #11

    BB what about the Lock N Level it is more expensive than what most use but it is effective..

  • Oneputt
    Oneputt Club Member Posts: 9,145 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #12

    Welcome BB, not to be confused with the other BBsurprised  Usually tow onto ramp but if space limited then use MM.  If van starts to skew then I just put an opposite input into the controller and that usually fixes the problem.  I tend to think its more to do with the nose wheel not reacting fast enough to the driving wheels?

  • Flappa30
    Flappa30 Forum Participant Posts: 33
    edited October 2017 #13

    Makes sense if you think about it. MM designed to operate both sides at same rotational speed, generally on even ground. If you then put a levelling step/ramp in the way on one side, that wheel is now working against more resistance. Also that wheel is going upwards a little, the other side is still only going along the flat. The result is that the levelling ramp side is effectively slowed down so the van turns towards the levelling ramp side (the slower side).

    solution is to move in small steps correcting as you go.

    HTH 😜

  • Tammygirl
    Tammygirl Club Member Posts: 7,957 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #14

    We used to have the same problem as the OP with our caravans, tried using car to tow onto leveler but then couldn't get the tow hitch to disengage from car. We stopped using ramps and moved to a Bulldog leveler, heavy but effective.

    Using a shoulder to counter act the swing is ok if your heavy enough to do so, it just moved me out the wayembarassed

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited October 2017 #15

    I just use right or left reverse as needed. No problem. 

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited October 2017 #16

    It’s not surprising that the caravan doesn’t keep straight on a ramp.  Not only is one wheel going up hill therefore has to do more work to overcome gravity the wheel going up hill has to travel further. I would advocate pulling or reversing onto a ramp but I understand that, that is a controversial opinion. 

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,431 ✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #17

    we too have a Bulldog leveller and as you say very effective and accurate. We only use it if staying for a week or more now.

     

    Holding the ramp by hand works for us.

  • Navigateur
    Navigateur Club Member Posts: 3,880 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited October 2017 #18

    If the motor mover will not turn the wheelll up the ramp the transition between ground and ramp is too sharp. One could cut a wooden block to sit partly on the ground and partly on the ramp with a top surface at an angle about half that of the ramp.

    Personally I use wooden blocks and have a couple that are very gentle sloping wedges. Also great for going up kerbs.

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited October 2017 #19

    Also make sure your mover doesn’t foul your ramp. In a previous van we had to reverse up the ramp. 

    On the subject of ramps when coming of the ramp make sure you or an assistant had raised all the steadies. 

    a) Ask me how I know.

    b) Guess what I will be doing this weekend embarassed

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2017 #20

    As were leaving for France a few years ago, I managed to bend  a steady that I'd not fully raised. I then spent an hour removing, straightening & refitting it before we could set off ..... how popular was I surprised

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited October 2017 #21

    Actually my wife was at the controls of the car.  The steady buried itself about 9” deep.  It then took 15 minutes to clean the soil out of it. It does go up and down but it’s not happy. Fee for the week’s rally £80, cost of a new steady about same. 

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited October 2017 #22

    At least she has a go ..... SWMBO has driven my car once & that was round a CC site at 5mph .... apparently it's too big .... and not a chance of towing.

  • Boff
    Boff Forum Participant Posts: 1,742
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    edited November 2017 #23

    To be fair to her, she has, more than a go. It’s her name on the registration document of the tow vechicle. She is perfectly competent to tow our outfit and does.  The incident wasn’t her fault she was at the front I was at the back supervising and the problem was at the back.  Draw your own conclusion. 

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited November 2017 #24

    sealed ..... cool

  • Heethers
    Heethers Forum Participant Posts: 641
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    edited November 2017 #25

    Use left and right keys works every time for me, inches up perfectly, problem starts when you need to align the wheel lock. The only way l have manage to that is with a hydraulic bottle jack. luckily most CMC sites are reasonably level so no need for the ramps

  • Heethers
    Heethers Forum Participant Posts: 641
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    edited November 2017 #26

    Use left and right keys works every time for me, inches up perfectly, problem starts when you need to align the wheel lock. The only way l have manage to that is with a hydraulic bottle jack. luckily most CMC sites are reasonably level so no need for the ramps

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
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    edited November 2017 #27

    heard you the first time Heethers. foot-in-mouth Sorry.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited November 2017 #28

    Wasn't it you that rd me off for sarcasm?  🤔

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited November 2017 #29

    Not a problem as I use blocks. line up caravan with wheel lock, place block against wheel for position. Move caravan forwards. Place block and back onto block. Simple

  • mt123789
    mt123789 Forum Participant Posts: 3
    edited November 2017 #30

    Agreed.  I have been using this approach for the last year and it's made the whole process of using a wheel lock trouble free.

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited November 2017 #31

    Trouble comes when you have a twin axle ..... the Law of Sod says that when one is lined up, the other is a clog out, even when you have a Bulldog Max for one axle.