Powrtouch mover repair
This post is only going to be useful to you if you have a reasonable amount of mechanical ability, basic electrics and the appropriated sockets, allan keys and other kit. You will also need plenty of cleaning cloths together with cleaning fluid and a tub of general purpose grease.
I have a series 4 mover on our van. It is a brilliant piece of kit but has just suffered a horrible event.
I was moving the van on site getting ready to leave. There was a dip in the hard standing of the sort that had never bothered the mover before. However, it seemed to get stuck, there were some intermittent jerks then an awful grinding, crunching noise. That side of the mover stopped working although I could hear the motor turning.
Reverting back to the old way, I got the van hitched up and we came home. I served a proper apprenticeship, which reveals my age, so after reviewing Powrtouch's very helpful website, I set about taking the mover apart.
Cutting to the chase, I found that there is a coupling between the electric motor and the primary (worm and wheel) gearbox. The coupling, which is made of aluminium with a rubber type shock absorber, had broken up.
I called Powrtouch and explained the situation - I needed a new coupling. No deal! You must buy the whole assembly at the very reasonable price (!) of £150. However, it was sort of hinted that golf buggies use the same kind of connector between motor and gearbox. I declined the offer of buying a new assembly and did a tinternet search for golf buggy couplings.I found one and bought it for a fiver on the chance that it would fit. It did - perfectly.
The next issue was to discover why the original had broken. From the conversation I had with Powrtouch, I got the impression that this happens not infrequently so it was important to discover the reason and prevent a repetition. The very simple answer is pure, old fashioned dirt. The bearings of the roller that contacts the tyre had become almost seized up with the ingress of years of dust and grit. When it was dismantled from the whole assembly, it was difficult to turn, I gave the bearings a good washing of lubricant which transformed it into a form of spinning top. I also noticed that there was quite a lot of small grit in the teeth of the secondary gears which wouldn't have helped. The combination of the two were obviously too much for my coupling.
So how does all of this help you? Get a tin of WD40 with a little straw thing that fits. Run the motor mover forwards and backwards (without actually engaging it to the wheel) whilst spraying at the ends of the roller. The idea is to flush out accumulated dirt and grit from the very simple bearings. Of course, be somewhat careful not to get WD40 on your tyre as it doesn't help their well-being or longevity.
Dismantling the mover is neither as simple or as clean as the Powrmover site suggests, but Percy Veerence and some agility is a big help if you call on his services. Remember lots of grease on the sliders when you reassemble!
I hope this helps someone. (Oh, if you think that I am wrong or want to talk about warranties, T and Cs or other negative comments, please keep them to yourself. The result will not help your self esteem.)
Comments
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Another small tip is get some MO 94 from halfords its for cycle chains and the gears on the back wheel, very similar to WD 40 I give the sliders and tyre roller "not the actual part that touches the tyre"but nearer the mover it self a good spray, seems to keep mine working fine..
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This seems truly helpful, Dunclair And by the end I'm reassured - you start by saying we'll need a fair amount of tools and engineering competence to benefit from your post. I have neither, but can do simple stuff logically!
Our Powrtouch mover... I can't tell you just now which series it might be, but it was fitted some time since 2000 and I think well before 2016 when we bought the caravan ... grinds away more noisily than I think it should, and sometimes one roller revolves without actually powering one of the wheels to do any uphill moving.
Our local engineer reckons, as your initial call to the company suggested, that it's not an item you repair, just replace, and that's not cheap. But if applying WD40 at the end of the roller helps it to move more easily, then even if this doesn't help it engage better on the wheel, that's a good start. Next time I have an opportunity to work on the 'van I'll try that.
If you or others have a fix for improving its purchase on the tyre I'll be very glad to hear that, too
Thanks,
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May I suggest posting a film on you tube about this maybe with a demonstration for those like myself with less skills than the OP.
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A very helpful post. I have used motorbike chain oil on the sliders inside and outside to keep them moving more freely, but never thought about the drive rollers, but will do those in future. Many thanks.
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The really annoying thing is that caravan dealers will not service them when you take your van in for its annual going over!
The only other thing I have noticed is that if one tyre is soft then the diameter may well have shrunk slightly thus giving rise to a problem on one side.
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The only other thing I have noticed is that if one tyre is soft then the diameter may well have shrunk slightly thus giving rise to a problem on one side.
That happens to be a big plus.
It "should" alert anyone not to even try and tow the van, potentially wrecking that tyre and worst.
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In my case the tyre's not soft, it's at its prescribed pressure. So unless we've somehow got a tyre marginally under the diameter of whatever was on when the mover was fitted, I'm thinking I maybe need to find a way of moving the roller's position relative to the wheel. Dunno if that's possible.
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There will be a clamping system, together with an additional back stop clamp block that holds the mover to each chassis rail. These allow the mover rollers each to be set to the right distance from the tyres. Usually this is set by using a spacer wooded block between the roller and tyre.
It would be expected to reset the mover on tyre replacement, or if the mover gets knocked.
Edit: This should help:
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Hey, that's very encouraging and useful looking! Thank you, Ocsid.
I sometimes wonder if being told "It can't be serviced" means "it's a faff and I'd rather not get involved with doing the job" !
As it is, this might even be one I could do myself.0 -
Thank you for this timely post, Dunclair. Our Powrtouch mover has a problem in operating on one wheel (no tyre issues) and as a result the caravan can't be manoeuvred properly. We have just been in contact with a service engineer to ask if he could have a look at the van sometime next year (as it's stored in France - and he will service movers) and are waiting a reply, but I'll show your post to my OH and as he is very handy it may just solve the problem!
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"wind on manually"... we evidently have an older model. Cranking on manually is the only possible way!
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just slightly off topic but I was reading some reviews of caravan sites last night in Practical Caravan and one of them states you have to have a mover fitted to be able to stay there! That's a new one on me.
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I never believe everything that I read in the press.Especially practical caravan since their towbar investigation published in January 2000!
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Could well be lol, it's on page 41, Manor House Park.
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just checked out their website (out of interest)
NO REVERSING of caravans on pitches, motor movers must be used. Water butts and grey waste units must be placed on the tarmac or gravel - not on the lawns.
also non refundable deposits
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I wonder what you're expected to do if you turn up & for some reason your battery isn't charged or there's a fault with your mover or like us a few years ago, as I hitched up, the jockey wheel leg fell apart ...... or you don't have a mover and hadn't read the small print.
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Its a f'w years ago now 7 to be exact but our Lunar caravan had an issue with the mover 'Powertouch' on our first site in France for many years, we engaged the mover and started to reverse it into position when we had a loud crunch type noise. OH checked it out, it was the outer casing of the roller, it had crumbled away. So no mover for the rest of our 4 week trip.
On return OH called Powertouch and explained what happened, they were very helpful and sent FOC a new set of metal rollers with instructions of how to replace them. Never had another problem with the mover, at the time of the problem the mover was on its 3rd van and not under warranty so great service from Powertouch.
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Yes good point, In the same issue there is a review of Bath Chew Valley where your van is always pitched and levelled for you after you check in!
For guests convenience, all caravans are pitched and levelled by a member of staff, using our small tractor. At the end of your holiday, we also take the caravan from your pitch and hitch it to the back of your car.
We do not allow vehicles on to the grassed areas of the park, cars are also not permitted to park on the pitches, even temporarily, you may park your car in the road way in front of your pitch briefly whilst you load and unload, but this should not be for prolonged periods. Your car should then be moved to the car park.
Awnings and windbreaks may only be used on the gravelled area of your pitch; you may not pitch on or enclose the grassed areas, but ground cover is fine on the hard standing area.
also talk about club rules:
You can arrive on site from 2pm to 6pm on your date of arrival (from 4pm for bookings in the lodge).
Where you have made an advance booking, we reserve the right to re-book the pitch if you do not arrive by 7pm on the first day of your booking unless a late arrival has been previously agreed.
No vehicle traffic is permitted on sites between 10pm and 7am. If you arrive after this, you will not be able to drive to your pitch.
Pitches must be vacated by 11am on the day of departure. When pitching, please ensure that you are within the boundaries of your pitch.
An additional charge is made for all arrivals before noon & after 7pm
All off topic sorry
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What do they do about motorhomes then?
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no it's not on my to do list either
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I thought about that but could not find any reference to that on their website at all
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I don’t think I’ll be finding out.
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Bath Chew.....dont judge a book by its cover, it is a great/quaint, site and a great area, yes the site is a bit regimented but it is beautifully kept, and how nice of someone to pitch up for you and then collect when you leave. The site i feel was developed in the days when we toured in caravans not stately homes as now, so driveways etc are restricted hence a nice little tractor with a driver with lots of experience who can park your caravan on a sixpence, which saves churning up the manicured lawns, as so often happens on club sites. Dont recall MH's being on site. This is not a site for the hardened CAMHC member.
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The only churning of grass that I see is because CC pitches are only just big enough. By the time I've pitched to the peg, I've barely enough room to get alongside my caravan especially because of my water & waste containers so I have no option but to put a wheel over the grass as I leave or arrive.
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