Caravan Movers..some questions please

[HomerMarge]

Due to a long term arm / shoulder injury I am finding it harder and harder to move the van by hand. We have to pull the van out onto what should not be a busy fast road....BUT IS! and pull it almost across the other side of the road swing and push back alongside the kerb. And of course in reverse when we are back, the gate opening is not tight, but at the same time not huge, and the biggest problem is you always start with no traffic, and before you know it traffic is heading towards you. I was thinking about investing in a mover early next year and have a couple of questions:-

How hard is it to engage the roller...for instance with my arm injury (which could be long term) I would not have the strength to change a road wheel? Are the rollers hard to engage, I see you need to use a lever.

With the fitting of a mover, do you need a secondary battery, if so where do you fit..under the front seat maybe?

Do you end up having to remove the spare wheel and carrier from under the van when a mover is fitted?

And finally, how quick and accurate are they given the scenario for getting the van in and out of the drive..of course on site time is not an issue, but in the road I am concerned that the time it may take to align the van to the gate opening etc will put us in a more dangerous position maybe than trying to man handle the van? (It's the high camber that causes me a problem if you do not get a good enough run at it).

Also, do you really get a better deal on these if you go to the shows (we were thinking of going to the NEC show in a hope that they may be on offer)?

Many thanks and sorry for so many questions (that have most probably already been answered somewhere on the site already)!

 

[WatsonJohnG]

The rollers are quite hard to engage especially with the one side attachment.The lever is telescopic for more leverage on the Truma and Powrtouch.

The Reich can be applied using a cordless drill but you need to hold the drill quite firmly.

 

[metz]

Hi,You can quite easily engage the rollers with one hand providing the mover has been fitted correctly,no you don't need another battery, the ideal would a 110AH in good condition well charged(although I,ve fitted movers to van's with an 85AH and they've been ok),the mover should be fitted in front of the wheels on a single axle van so you need'nt move the carrier,as for speed, well with a little practise you would be able to put the van up the drive once unhitched as quick as reversing your car in solo.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

You would be better to go to a dealer or Caravan Show and try for yourself.Powrtouch often have special show prices.

Easy to apply is relative to the health and strength of the operator.

You have two different answers already

If the mover is correctly fitted it needs to press hard onto the tyre to avoid slipping especially when wet.

To overcome this needs quite a strong pull but the telescopic lever does help.

My friend has the one side actuation bar on his Powrtouch and that needs a hefty pull.

We have the Carver and have to do it on both sides but it still needs some force .

You do not need an extra battery as Metz has said assuming that you have one already on the caravan

We used an 85 amp hour battery for several years but we always go on electric hook up and the van is always on charge at home via a timer.

 

[HomerMarge]

Ok thanks for the info so far. We do have a good (new this year) battery and wen for a high powered one. Thanks for the advice Jojhn, I think I do need to try one of these first, at nearly

 

[Clive-Cardiff]

Just a few points to add to those already made.

Unless the van is a twin axle the mover will turn the van in its own length.

The Powrtouch has slow start electrics which should make close control much easier.

Most movers are rated to be able to move the van up a 25% slope,which means that you can handle the camber without having to take a run at it and not being in full control.

As john has said the Powrtouch comes with a telescopic handle, if you found that you needed more leverage you could always extend it with a short length of tube. The thing is you need to be in control of the lever because after you get over the tight part of the cam mechanism you need to hold back to stop it "klunking" into position.

The amount of effort required to move the cam can depend on how well it is maintained, it should be cleaned and greased evey so often.

Movers are usually fitted in front of the wheel which keeps them clear of the road spray from the wheel, is this where your spare wheel carrier is fitted?

 

[AnnM1]

I would seriously consider buying the Powrtouch as opposed to the Truma. Truma only guarantee their product for 1 YEAR and this does not include the rollers!

Powrtouch has a 5 YEAR no quibble gurantee, including the rollers! We had a slight problem with the 'engaging key' in that the small pin fell out and lost. Fortunately, we had a spare. However, when we rang Powrtouch, who are very helpful and friendly, they said they would put a replacement in the post. Within 24 hours we had two new keys in our hands. Great service.

 

[Clubman1]

If you live close enough, Powrtouch welcome potential customers ( by prior arrangement) at their New Milton base in Hamsphire. They have a chassis set up there with a mover and are very customer friendly. I paid them a visit before i purchased my mover and they honored the NEC show price I was offered at the Birmingham show. Might be your answer, but only if you live close enough.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Agree with all the above comments on Powrtouch

Sadly we bought our Carver (pre Truma) before Powrtouch became so well known (to us anyway)

 

[Stephen_5077753]

We just had a Powrtouch mod3 fitted yesterday and am very impressed with everything, from purchase, the fitting and on its working capability.

It takes a 200 degree turn to actuate the rollers onto the wheels and is quite stiff but you say you have a bad shoulder. Well, will you be ok if you use the good one?

We paid 890 (with the powrbar-actaution from one side only) for the mod3 (heavy duty for heavier vans) and well happy.

Steve

 

[mikeE]

Paul & Ruth,

We got ours last November time when many dealers had an end of season type offer. Maybe they will do the same this year. A hidden cost you might find as we did is that our existing wheel clamp would not slip past the roller even in dis-engaged mode. Again, the fitting dealer advised us of suitable alternatives.

Just off at a tangent . . . . whilst using the mover to bring the 'van from outside a neighbours four doors away, caught the attention of two guys doing landscaping in the street. I made great play of whistling and pointing to the 'van sheep dog style - and it followed me ! I think "gob smacked " describes the reaction.

Mind you I did confess that it took ages to get to Dover that way.

Mike E

 

[354]

Paul & Ruth we have a powertouch fitted and it isnt that heavy to engage. Which part of the country do you live in, maybe someone with a mover fitted would let you check it out. Alternatiley give power touch a call they may be able to get one of their fitters to give you a demonstration.

 

[HomerMarge]

Hi everyone, once again great information and advive. It sounds like the powertouch mover is a good one to go for and we actually live in Hampshire so we are about 1 hour away from New Milton where you say they are based so seems a visit and a try is in order. I am having treatment for my arm and hopefully it will get stringer if not fully recovered (I hope so because at the moment I am unable to play drums (drummer in a band), golf, etc...:-( ) Also sounds like end of Nov is a good time to go for an end of season reduction maybe....Thankyou all, we appreciate the time to reply.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

As I said before hard/easy is relative to the operator.

I know that we joked about my friend going to the gym to build up his muscles or taking steroids to be able to apply his Powrtouch with one sided application.

When you go to Powrtouch or contact them ask about re-con units/ex demo as postings on this site previously have told of reductions in price for such units.

You will not regret buying one as it takes away a LOT of hassle .

 

[keith_5081818]

Just to muddy the waters further, i dont know how bad your arm is of course.

But if a unit is fitted properly,i.e powrtouch & truma 20mm gap between driverollers and wheels they arnt that hard to engage once u are used to them.

However, the reich has been mentioned earlier, but not fully explained.

It comes with a straight lever, its a hollow tube about 16 inches long this fits onto a small bar sticking out of the side of the roller mechanism, u push the lever onto it, lift a small safety knob and pull the lever towards the road wheel, this engages the rollers and the knob drops into a hole to lock it in place, u have to do this to each side & it takes more effort to engage than the others because it only has a 15mm gap between the rollers & wheels.

Now, you can, as an extra, buy what they call a reich comfort,

this makes it a cross actuator that engages both wheels from either side.

the whole roller engagement mechanism is completely different, with this u use a standard corner steady brace, to engage the wheels, using exactly the same movement as putting the steadys down, but it takes ages to wind on its a finer thread than the steadies.

So of course u use a good old cordless drill, its totally effortless, u just have to slow down near total engagement or u will come to a very sudden stop & that may hurt your arm.

Good points:- effortless, soft start motors, about the same price as the others, provided u order one as a comfort to begin with & not want comfort later, as i said they are totally different & the mechanisms have to be changed, Reich say 2 1/2 hours to do, so it gets expensive. Its got the isolator switch in the battery box to get it turned off quickly if anything goes wrong, i.e frozen relay so it wont stop.

Bad points:- its german, its got very long expensive rollers, not cheap to replace, its german, its ground clearance is not as good as the others, & finally, yes u guessed it, its german and theyre the bu**ers that bombed me dad.

As a final note personally i like the powrtouch, its well made, its british, its got a 5 yr guarantee (the others are 2 with a

 

[AnnM1]

Powrtouch can be fitted with a single action (1 wheel - as stated above) AND ALSO as a twin action. Hope this helps.

If you need to have one fitted Powrtouch will match any quote. So it is worth going along to your local fitter and ask for a quotation.

Why not have a look on the Powrtouch website for more information.

Hope this helps.

 

[mikeE]

Two further points come to mind:

My remote control kept loosing contact with the mover - turned out the batteries in the controller needed a little extra packing inside the battery area to keep them in touch with the terminals. Whilst I had the controller open I screwed and glued a very small ring eye onto the outside of the case and attached a neck cord - saves any chance of putting it down on tha A frame or car roof and forgetting it ! Looks a bit ultimate 'chav bling' but saves on the cost of replacing it.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Keith the model of Reich that my friend has (12 months old) is entirely different to the one you describe(my neighbour's 2 year old one is like that)

The later one has a bolt head facing sideways that you use to wind the mover onto the wheel.

This can be done with a cordless drill.

 

[keith_5081818]

thats what i said john, the difference is between a standard one, that has the lever still, the comfort, which is the one u describe with the bolt for a corner steady.

u are supposed to ask when u buy one for a standard, or a slightly more expensive comfort, maybe your neighbour bought a comfort without knowing it. (or the dealer sold him the dearer model without telling him.

The standard is

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Keith it is indeed what you said ---I must read more carefully in future!!

I saw one of the Reich with four motors at Broad Lane Caravans and it looked most impressive.

Something out of giant machines and reminiscent of those low loaders that transport generators !!

 

[Clubman1]

Hi everyone, once again great information and advive. It sounds like the powertouch mover is a good one to go for and we actually live in Hampshire so we are about 1 hour away from New Milton where you say they are based so seems a visit and a try is in order. I am having treatment for my arm and hopefully it will get stringer if not fully recovered (I hope so because at the moment I am unable to play drums (drummer in a band), golf, etc...:-( ) Also sounds like end of Nov is a good time to go for an end of season reduction maybe....Thankyou all, we appreciate the time to reply.

Where in Hampshire do you live? I am in Winchester and would be happy for you to call and have a look/try my Powrtouch mover.

 

[Jayne Simpson]

This is where the forum is tops. Great sensible advice and lots of it and better still its FREE.Well done folks.

 

[Surfer]

Just to clarify, the Truma has a 3 year guarantee that can be extended up to 5 years for a one off payment of

 

[Paul_5064559]

Paul/Ruth

I had the Powrtouch fitted 2 years ago and would not caravan now without it. Regardless of your mentioned home storage difficulties you will find it such a boon when you arrive on site and you can position your van just where you want it. When you leave you will bring your van out to the road and couple up like it is on rails!

Only points pertinent to your posting are as follows, These movers are definitely NOT FAST. Their whole value in moving the van is their SLOW speed. This is important to avoid collision with other fixed objects like your gate posts! Also you will find that due to this low speed they will crawl up the steepest slopes. My actuation lever is telescopic but if this is still a problem you could use a torque wrench if you have one which is longer or you could try to find an extra long socket wrench which I think may do the job easier.

You will certainly need a good battery as the whole thing will be rendered useless if the battery fails which has happened to me. 110AH is the recommended specification.

I have a bit of a fiddle fitting my wheel clamp but it goes on eventually, I also have a spare wheel carrier whis is not affected by the mover.

Last point is you must consider you are adding significant weight to your vans MTPLM even more so if you fit the single side actuation version, So check this out first.

My mover was fitted two years ago for

 

[AnnM1]

Just to clarify, the Truma has a 3 year guarantee that can be extended up to 5 years for a one off payment of