Caravan movers. FACT!!!

[Lenny]

After much deliberation and wondering, some highly advanced maths (will it work? Dunno.), i decided to buy a motor mover, powered jockey wheel type.

Add to this the fact we were buying our new van today, and we've wanted this van for ages but had to beg, steal and borrow to get it, we were praying that this mover would get it where we wanted it to.

To get onto our drive, we have to do the following: turn the van 85 degrees in a narrow cul de sac, whilst turning it has to start to enter onto a sloping curve. Once turned, it has to be guided up a sloping driveway, which although not excessively sloping, is plenty enough to test any cars handbrake (or vans for that matter). So we've negotiated a tight turn, on a sloped kerb, and started up the driveway. But the fun continues, as the van has to be placed within a 6 inch spot on the side otherwise it hits the garage, the fence, or doesn't fit on the drive period. Tis quite a feat.

So after much deliberation i decided to buy the mover, a Bigfoot ET. And thats the piece of equipment that almost effortlessly did what i describe above. Perfect. Even a taxi driver stopped because he didn't believe it. As well as that, when i stopped the van, the Bigfoot held it on the slope perfectly, till i put handbrake on.

The only thing i experienced was a slight bit of spin from the wheel. But it is raining the preverbial cats and dogs outside, and it was only a slight slip till i applied a small amount of pressure to the handle to help.

I was absolutely ecstatic over the way this handled this van, despite being worried all day.

And to praise the mover even more, it did all this pushing an Avondale Argente 650/6 twin axle, weighing 1360kgs.

So there you go. I've been searching for months looking for a decent write up on this piece of kit, to no avail. And most people have told me how not up to the job it is.

They were wrong.

I'll keep my Bigfoot, it's 5 year warranty and it's soft start feature, and enjoy my van.

I hope this helps someone who needs to make the same choice.

And if anyone wants photos of the drive or how tight i have to get it, just ask.

 

[sharpy]

yup,we had the same model. we were well chuffed too, it shifted our elddis avante (1400kg) with no trouble, that is until we moved and we now have to pull the van in as opposed to push. unfortunately the bigfoot just couldn't cope (small step in drop kerb and up a fair old slope), so we decided to invest in an axle type mover.the biggest problem with this was the price, almost 16 grand!!! aye, the bleedin' missus thought it would be a good idea to get a new van at the same time.

My thoughts on both? for massive umph with a fair degree of finesse, go for an axle type shover, if you don't require mass amounts of power a hitch mounted is just as good and will save you a big load of wonga too!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Lenny, I sincerely hope that the big foot continues to meet your needs, but you have already indicated that you have experienced one of potential problems hitch mounted movers exhibit - loss of traction on a slope. I acknowledge your point about the rain, but I do urge you to use particular caution in the autumn - wet leaves and of course winter with frost or snow. Sharpy's answer has also shown that the hitch type movers can become unstable, in his case a simple 180 degree change of direction. My biggest concern is that if it has slipped once, it is likely to do it again, and if it were to happen when you can't get to the unit to add more down force, it might run away, at worst injuring someone or doing damage. Please be carefull.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Glad that you are chuffed with you mover.

Many people are not so pleased and end up with the permanent "Carver " type as they offer better traction and can be used on site as well.

 

[Lenny]

Glad that you are chuffed with you mover.

Many people are not so pleased and end up with the permanent "Carver " type as they offer better traction and can be used on site as well.

Don't get me wrong on the fitted movers, but there is enough reviews and pros and cons of buying one, whereas the Bigfoot has no worthy reviews i can find, apart from the one i got on this forum.

John L, i get your point about the slipping, and it was the first time i'd used it. The slip was on a slightly greasy surface, with the rain and what have you. I know the units limits and safety is a concern of mine at all times. I just was so pleased at it's performance that i had to say something to at least make people who are deciding have a viable opinion to read.

 

[ChrisP]

Lenny, excellent info. Could you let me know where you bought it from (and how much) as i've searched web but can't find it.

Thanks

Chris P.

 

[Pete4]

Hi, we don't put our caravan on the drive much as we have to push it up the drop kerb and then control it on our sloping drive. Getting it back on the road is even more hairy as we have to push like heck to get it up the drive and then control it down the road, avoiding parked cars. Will the Bigfoot mover stay on the road when doing this? I have a twin axle and I think it will be lifted in the air as the drive slopes down.

 

[MickC1]

Just as a word of warning, especially if you have a new caravan still under warranty, Al-Ko won't accept any claim for repair or replacement of jockey wheel housings or chassis members where damage has been caused by the use of a mover in place of a jockey wheel assembly.

Basically the jockey wheel housing isn't designed to take any loading, unlike the main coupling head. Please see the following document on the Al-Ko website. Other chassis manufacturers will probably take the same view:

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/Downloads/InfoBull25.doc

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi, we don't put our caravan on the drive much as we have to push it up the drop kerb and then control it on our sloping drive. Getting it back on the road is even more hairy as we have to push like heck to get it up the drive and then control it down the road, avoiding parked cars. Will the Bigfoot mover stay on the road when doing this? I have a twin axle and I think it will be lifted in the air as the drive slopes down.

Hi Pete.

Please check other postings about the suitability and safety of movers. Having read your description of the route you have to negotiate I have serious concerns that you may find "A" frame devices unable to cope with the changes in effective nose weight caused as the twin axles sequentially encounter the changes in camber and other obstacles. Perhaps you may find a fellow caravanner in your are who already has a jockey wheel device that you could test drive on your caravan. Please also note Micks note regarding warranty. The loads imposed by these devices can be quite dramatic. Twin axles need much more shove to make them turn corners because the wheels tend to scrub.