Towing on narrow roads

2

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  • AndyJF
    AndyJF Forum Participant Posts: 84
    edited November 2021 #32

    Oh believe me I will be sticking with A roads if I can. The prospect of reversing the van back up a hill fills me with dread. If the motor mover can't rescue me, I'm in trouble.

    Speaking of which, I need a ton of practice doing reversing.

     

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited November 2021 #33
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  • AndyJF
    AndyJF Forum Participant Posts: 84
    edited November 2021 #34

    I really do need that reversing practice, straight line reversing I agree is essential.

    As a demonstration of my lack of skill, the very first thing I tried to do when we got home, was reverse the van on to our drive. It was slightly uphill so that didn't help. I stopped when I smelled the clutch burning!! Admitted defeat, and used the motor mover, which made short work of the manoeuvre. Neighbours were probably having a right laugh.

     

  • Hedgehurst
    Hedgehurst Forum Participant Posts: 576
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    edited November 2021 #35

    Happy memories of the value of the motor mover when in France last time - the intended campsite turned out to be undesirable, so we headed off to a different one, foolishly trusting the satnav for the turn required. (We didn't have a decent scale paper map for that area.)

    Satnav decided the ideal road went under a railway line. It didn't mention the bridge was a rectangular concrete hole, 2m high and just over 2m wide.  In theory our caravan in roof-down towing mode would just, only just, fit, but I wasn't prepared to find out the hard way, so had to unhitch and turn car and van separately on the narrow lane, praying nothing else would come. (No chance of backing out onto a main road!)
    Luckily nothing came.
    All hail the motor mover!

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,135 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2021 #36

    That’s what motor movers are for 👍🏻

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
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    edited November 2021 #37

    Andy, if you can fin an area of tarmac i.e lorry park or disused airfield or such [ I except hard to come by ] and have an hour or so honing your skills or lack of them with the Caravan, you will see it will all fall into place. As Tinwheeler says the Motor Mover makes life easy and that is what it is for, but there could well be instances where reversing with the Caravan attached is a need.

  • AndyJF
    AndyJF Forum Participant Posts: 84
    edited November 2021 #38

    Yes good suggestions, I actually did approach a local airfield to see if they'd let me use the outfield to practice. But the buggers said no frown

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #39

    If other areas with narrow roads/lanes are like in this area,   the locals do not seem to be aware that other vehicles are being driven by those not familiar with the area

  • Hedgehurst
    Hedgehurst Forum Participant Posts: 576
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    edited November 2021 #40

    We found a deserted factory carpark one Sunday morning on a local industrial estate, took plastic bottles with just enough water in to make them stand up, and practiced both tight corners and backing round and between these, so it didn't matter if they got hit. It was truly useful.


    As is that motor mover!

  • SeasideBill
    SeasideBill Forum Participant Posts: 2,112
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    edited November 2021 #41

    I think they do. For me they stand out a mile and too many of them share similar bad habits acquired from driving in places where more aggressive driving is the norm and giving way is a sign of weakness. 

     

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2021 #42

    We are aware, the visitors tend to drive in the middle of the lanes in fear they may end up in the drainage channels due to there being no kerbs. In Winter they drive way too fast & meet frost & ice, in the big cities the roads have been salted-not out here.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #43

    It seems that you are out of touch with what is griitted in a lot of areas now, as it is usually just bus routes and near  school ssurprised

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,037 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2021 #44

    We had a day in the big city yesterday, or at least part of it. (Half a day was enough) It appears to be the norm to race madly between sets of traffic lights, which are often no more than 50 metres apart. To us, it didn’t look like anyone was achieving more than we were, as we usually just rolled up behind the vehicle we were following. 

    It would be good if once electric cars are dominant, the roads could be set up to govern speeds. Imagine no more speeding or aggression👍 Perhaps not in my lifetime....

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #45

     Some cities the traffic light gran prix is part of life's entertainment wink

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2021 #46

    JV, I was not talking about ‘a lot of areas’ I was specifically talking of my area,I know exactly what is salted/gritted as I drive them regularly in Winter & there is NO salting/gritting. FYI-Hull is mostly salted/gritted👍🏻

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #47

      Like us then just bus routes no other roads unless near a school ,and we live on the side of a valleysurprised

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2021 #48

    We don’t have buses or Schools out here JV, it’s a Hamlet of 35 homes.

  • Trini
    Trini Forum Participant Posts: 429
    edited November 2021 #49

    You have to look ahead and so often today, do the thinking for the approaching driver!

     

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #50

    I thought there were buses in East Yorks and that would mean school buses or are there also no children in your areawink 

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2021 #51

    Cars & taxi’s yes but no bus services at all. We don’t have ‘villages’ that hold thousands of families JV. I know it’s hard to comprehend to semi urbanites but away from major conurbations it’s a very quiet idyll.

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #52

    No shops either? so itis very enviromentally unfriendly with the all the vehicleswink

  • davetommo
    davetommo Forum Participant Posts: 1,430
    edited November 2021 #53

    in the big cities the roads have been salted-not out here.

    I wonder what they did with all the rock salt that myself and others used to deliver to council yards in all parts of Yorkshire. And some of those yards could be way out in the sticks.

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited November 2021 #54

    There are no ‘rock salt yards’ out here, for the rest of Yorkshire I can’t speak for as I don’t live there, however there is a wee yellow bin in the village that the Parish council get filled for our footpaths that is used up annually so I doubt you supplied that, if you did-thank you👍🏻

  • ADP1963
    ADP1963 Forum Participant Posts: 1,280
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    edited November 2021 #55

    You seem to live in a similar environment to us Rocky, wouldn't want to live anywhere else either, even though the Calor gas TV is a little slow. wink

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited November 2021 #56

    Salt only goes on named roads, every year we're told locally which roads will be done, mainly A roads but not all. It never goes on country lanes or side roads, as said we just have a local yellow bin to help out with the worst bits. Have a safe winter! ⛄

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #57

    There has in recent years been an increase in yellow bins in our areasurprised

  • Takethedogalong
    Takethedogalong Forum Participant Posts: 17,037 ✭✭✭
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    edited November 2021 #58

    Lucky you. We have to buy our own rock salt.☹️

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #59

    I have to buy salt for our path from the public footpath to our font door,  needed more so as we have got oldersurprised,contractor for,adult  services  from the county council has now installed a handrail to assist OH 

  • Unknown
    Unknown Forum Participant
    edited November 2021 #60
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  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
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    edited November 2021 #61

    It is quite a long journey to get it when entering the mine ,as well, cool