caravan movers

[Easyvanner]

Assuming that Seth has caravanning experience I assume that he has got this far without Aa mover and he still knows little of the differances between chasis mounted benefits compared to A frame from his time caravanning.

Returning to caravanning we could have been tempted until we found the cost and had different dealers telling us how their X brand was best compared to Y brand and then another Y brand was the one compared to X brand.
With out a salesman or anyone else pushing, when sitting back and working out when we would actually have ever used one and how often we might use one it was a no brainer for us.
Just like working out if you buy 'A ' brand mover @ £1050 or 'B' brand @ £1200, if you don' have one you also don't have reliabiity concerns or need a larger battery.

"
Nose in I can do with no problem

without a mover

Side b'room and twin end seating you can use either end without doing a parading remote cotrol pirouette routine. Park it, and sit the other end if we don't like the view.

if MOVER is the only way, then go for it!
With a bit of thought you may decide that you can cope the same as you've coped for all your prior caravanning years and save a few bucks for another day like us

nay a prob is it?

 

[Parksy]

Side b'room and twin end seating you can use either end without doing a parading remote cotrol pirouette routine. Park it, and sit the other end if we don't like the view.

if MOVER is the only way, then go for it!
With a bit of thought you may decide that you can cope the same as you've coped for all your prior caravanning years and save a few bucks for another day like us

nay a prob is it?

Not everyone chooses to buy a caravan with twin end seating, I don't use a motor mover but if I used continental caravan parks with smaller pitches or if I regularly pitched nose first for good views I'd have to think about a motor mover.
Don't forget that caravans in general have become much heavier than they were in 'prior caravanning years' (when I and no doubt many others were younger, fitter and stronger

)
As an ex HGV 1 driver I'm fortunate enough to be able to reverse our caravan to within an inch or two of where I want it and I have a hefty 4x4 with an automatic gearbox (no burning clutch or wheelspin) with which to do it.
In this respect it could be argued that I'm still paying out money, if I had a smaller caravan then I wouldn't need my 4x4 and possibly no motor mover either so it all boils down to a matter of choice in the end doesn't it?
Seth appears to be doing some research with which to help him to make his choice, he asked about the differences between various motor movers and not if others agreed with the fitting of them.
Each To Their Own

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi all.
intresting thread this with points scored on both sides of the equation, however in reality to some the fitting of a mover is a absolute nessesity to others they are a expense that can be done without.
I can see both sides of the arguement but in my situation not having one was a no brainer. having happily caravanned over 25 years without one (most of that time before they were invented) I can see how the young or fit vanner could assume it was a luxury they can do without BUT things can change and very quickly.
having given up caravanning in favour of a motorhome when the kids stopped going with us we were immediatly struck by the extra freedom the M/H gave us " no more trotting back to the same site after a day out" stay one night and then move on it was brilliant for a long time but after 10 years it got a bit stale so we went back to a tourer,
that was when I found the big problem how to get the van in the garage !! it was big enough but required two 90degree turns up a slope and the van had to go in front first, we did manage it after 2 frantic phone calls to the lads and the greatful help of a couple of neibours.
thinking it was too difficult to do this on a regular basis I enquired about storage for the van, cheapest was £260 a year and 20miles away. the nearest one was £400.so I needed a alternative solution.
on talking to one of the neibours that helped us he suggested a motor mover, he had a twin axel with one fitted and said without it he could not have a van. as it was too heavy to push and because of the angles could not reverse it up the drive.
luckily he knew where there was one that was for sale 2nd hand for £50 I bought it and fitted it myself in under 3hours he showed me how it worked I was so suprised how easy it was to use. after a couple of practice runs could get the van out and back in again in less than 15 mins it's truly brilliant.
it has paid for its self many many times over in storage fees and I have the security of knowing the vans safe and sound locked up in the heated garage at home when not in use.
wether or not anyone else needs a mover, "I know I do" it is worth it weight in gold to me without I definitly would not have kept the van.

the question often arises are they any good well look at it this way people who dont have one manage without.thats fine.
but people that do have one wouldn't be without one ever again.
I think that speaks for it's self.
colin

 

[chrisbee1]

A couple of years ago I posted a comment about people who fit movers because, by their own admission, can't reverse. I got well & truly pilloried for it. My opinions were the same as Easyvanner's are now. However, a change in circumstances has now led me to seriously consider fitting a mover, much as I don't like either the weight or financial penalty. Perhaps it's a case of "all things come to pass".

 

[WatsonJohnG]

All things do come to pass if you live long enough it seems!
When I first started teaching I was the youngest on the staff and as years progressd I became deputy head younger than the rest and then head of a village school younger than the rest but then gradually I grew out of it until now I've just had to renew my driving licence and am on borrowed time at 3 score years and 10
My friend got a mover some years ago and that made it necessary for me to get one
With a disabled wife who also is expert at standing where she can't be seen when tha van is being reversed its a godsend having a mover as well as making hitching up and parking at home with the Alko wheelclamp a doddle
So when we arrive at site she is sent out of the way to the reception while the mover and slave set up the outfit!!
When we got the van it was December and having towed it onto the drive fitting of mover commenced with increasing darkness and whisps of snow falling finishing with LED headlamp on as dusk fell
The van could then be reversed through 180deg into its parking space and the wheel lined up for the Alko
Definitely a must have for us
And all the fun of fitting it!

 

[Jennifer2]

We had one of the first movers (Carver) on our previous van. Without a mover we would not have a caravan as we have to park it on the right hand side of our drive to be able to get to the door. This meant going nose first, and on a 1 in 10 drive with a 1300kg van this would be impossible as we could not use the car to pull it onto the drive more than a few metres, the drive is only 8 metres long and the van was 6.27 metres. We used to drive the car part way into the garage, then unhitch and move the van the 2.5 metres to the right using the mover.
We never even considered an A frame type, if we were spending the money we wanted to be able to benefit from it all the time.

Now we have a 1900 kg twin axle that is only 5cm shorter than the drive, so a bit more of a challenge. We also can no longer drive the car into the garage (but that is another story!)

Now the mover has to get the van from the street, turn it 90 degrees and park it neatly. We agonised over which mover to get for several months, but eventually decided that we could not afford to "lose" the extra 30 odd kg a 4 wheel mover required, so fitted a Truma TE. We have plenty of width on the drive to manoeuvre (10 metres), and are on a fairly quiet road, so the extra space needed to make the turn has not been a problem.

With experience it has proved possible to turn the van in a smaller space than first thought, and we have found we can get the van onto awkward pitches that we could not have used by reversing with the car.

We do also use the mover for hitching up, makes it so easy. We have frequently watched people with movers struggling to position the car and actually physically pull their van to hitch up......most odd!

 

[Easyvanner]

I feel that I should apologise if caravanner's here believe that I think the elderly, disabled or those with caravan parking difficulties shoild not use a mover.
Maybe I'll need a mobility scooter one day or an electric wheelchair like my late mother but I'm not going to buy them until I really need them.
Until we really need them, would it not be wasted money buying them now?
Having visited quite a few French and other European sites, we've found most of the pitch sizes to be very very generous.
Our issue with movers is the weight penalty, if they are becoming such an essential part of caravanning manufacturers should make an allowace for them and increase load allowances rather than reduce what can already a limit that some find hard to meet.
The other issue is the 'salesman' style spin that you will not be able to cope without one when many people do exactly that.
We were only out of caravan ownership for about 4 years whilst we got some of our dreams fulfilled when we both took early retirement, Cravan sizes and weights have not changed that much in our time away.
I'm a little surprised by some of the remarks here, I've always found caravan folk friendly and open minded.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Easyvanner,

I think you are play the devils advocate here.

No one is telling you that you are wrong about not wanting a caravan mover, That is your choice and fundamental right, but you are continually telling those of a different persuasion that they are wasting their money, That is their choice and right.

Anyone who does not need a mover, will have made their choices perhaps based on different but equally valid criteria to your own, and in their opinion a mover out scores whatever else they considered doing with their money.

Bravo if you feel no need for a mover, but also Bravo for those who have decided they don't want to have to manually push and pull their caravan about. neither is right or wrong.

However there are definitely some people who would have had to give up caravanning if caravan movers hadn't been around, and I say Bravo to them for wishing to continue.

 

[Easyvanner]

I can't really take the posts here seriously

I think I've ONLY said that a mover is a waste of money if you are fit and capable of parking a caravan without one.
I was only ever suggesting that potential buyers carefully works out their needs before being parted from their cash rather than be sold on one by a salesman or someone else with different needs or ability.
We've just worked out that even with our break from caravanning we have nearly 30 years of caravanning under our belts and have yet to get in to pushing, pulling or hernia's

where did we go wrong? And yes we have helped many other move their caravans. May be all honesty people are just less likely to help others who need the odd bit of help these days

We have one expensive mover that the van hitches to and it has done all the work along with our old ones. In all our caravanning we must have just been going to the wrong sites I guess

 

[Parksy]

I can't really take the posts here seriously

.....................

.................We have one expensive mover that the van hitches to and it has done all the work along with our old ones. In all our caravanning we must have just been going to the wrong sites I guess

Fine Easyvanner, I'm also lucky enough to have not needed a motor mover.
This is now the third time that I've intervened in this topic to try to remind you that Seth who started the topic didn't ask if anyone thought that movers were necessary, a waste of money, useful for disabled caravanners or not.
The topic is about what sort of movers those who have them have chosen and why the made that choice, Seth also mentioned that he wanted to know so that he could explore commercial pssibilities so I don't quite understand your need to continue to question or debate the need for movers in this topic.
If you want to debate this issue no problem, open your own topic but please don't try to hijack someone elses because that winds people up which you then appear to see as unfriendliness or a change in attitude amongst the caravanners of today.

 

[Lutz]

Perhaps I can throw my ha'penny's worth here. For over 20 years I was a convinced "don't-need-a-mover" type, but then we only had a 1300kg caravan. I never had too much difficulty with it during all those years. However, last year we bought an 1800kg single axle and then I quickly came to realise that moving it over anything other than a hard level surface is something that is just not possible with just me pushing or pulling by hand, even though I have no difficulty in lifting the hitch set at 75kg noseweight. Although I am reasonably competent with manoeuvering the caravan with the towcar I have come across tight situations where it was necessary to unhitch before reaching the final parking position. Now I'm more than thankful that I've got one.

 

[seth1]

Hello to all again,i,d like to say thanks for your replies.It would seem theres alot of interest in movers just by the amount of replies here.But the trend does side with what i call "underslungs" which is what i was trying to differentciate between.Shame really but i think its ran its course. big thanks seth

 

[Parksy]

If you look at any set of caravan classified adverts or even online auction sites Hitch drive movers are advertised for sale fairly regularly but used underslung movers offered for sale are comparatively rare. This would suggest that many caravan owners who want a mover try out hitch type movers before discarding them in favour of the fitted underslung movers.

 

[Gafferbill]

......perhaps 0tolerance is a clue!

 

[littlebasher]

I'll help push this back in the right direction!

My drive is on a slope and "L" shaped, - it's difficult (but not impossible) to reverse it on, but then the door is facing away from the house which is no good for me.

I couldn't push it up, due the weight and the jockey wheel digging in to the gravel, therefore i began a hunt for a twin axle mover. I remained patient and eventually found a brand new Truma TE mover for £500 (not bad considering they are £1400 elsewhere). I've got to say that it's a brilliant piece of kit, auto actuation and it can push the van up onto breeze blocks that i use on one side to level the van. As i have recently bought a new and heavier van (2009 Bailey Ranger GT60 620/6), i had to remove from my Lunar and fit to that - thankfully it was a good deal easier to fit 2nd time around, plus it also gets to work on the front wheels now rather than the back ones i was forced to use on the Lunar.
What i will say though, is that i've yet to see anyone use a mover to position their van when on site - despite being fitted...Whereas i'll use it any excuse i get..including hitching up the van!

 

[Jennifer2]

.....................................
Having visited quite a few French and other European sites, we've found most of the pitch sizes to be very very generous.

Our issue with movers is the weight penalty, if they are becoming such an essential part of caravanning manufacturers should make an allowace for them and increase load allowances rather than reduce what can already a limit that some find hard to meet.

The other issue is the 'salesman' style spin that you will not be able to cope without one when many people do exactly that.
..................................................

I think you have been very lucky in finding very very generous pitch sizes, our experience has been exactly the opposite on 75% of the sites we have been on in Europe in the last few years.

Maybe we are going to the wrong sites!

The weight of the mover is indeed a big consideration, however we solved this by uprating our MTPLM. This also covers our air conditioning unit, yes I'm afraid we have one of those too!

We may just be lucky with our choice of dealer, but we have never experienced any salesman "spin". Ours is very laid back, leaves the customers to wander round the vans, gives information if asked, but there is never any "pressure".

 

[Easyvanner]

Sorry I missed your post Jennifer.
I think we've pitched up in most of the French regions in the past. I can only remember 1 pitch in La Trinite that had a tight turn in as the roadway was narrow and all the pitches were hedged out to the road.
But even then pitched upposite was the largest German caravan I have ever seen in tow.
Up until we sold our last van we always caravanned with 1 or 2 of our kids and their partners who pitched tents as our kids did when they were younger. We've always had room for large caravan including awning the car and as many as 3 tents on pitches. That was the norm for us over many years.
Ejjoy your aircon, I hate it, ruins my breathing and even the quietest units noise keeps me awake, We never even used it in Australia motorhoming we prefer to aclimatise.
Off subject.
Sorry again

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi Seth
if you are looking into getting a mover as you seem to be, think carefully as to how or why you need one.
both types do work but in a different way the A frame type are ok if you only need to use occacionally say at home to position the van or are getting it out of a tight space at the storage but there is a problem with them they dont like steep slopes or gravel and because they pull from the A frame have no control over the road wheels of the van and can slip plus you are at the front of the van in one place so cant see down the sides also you have to let go of the mover to apply the hand brake. the units are lighter but still have to be carried about and stored somewhere when not in use.
under slungs control the wheels and are less likely to slip on a slope as the wheels are effectivly braked by the rollers so there is no need to let go of anything to pull on the h/brake plus with the remote you can walk round the van while in use and you dont have to carry or store them because they are attached to the van perminantly however there is a weight penelty of 35 kg or so that comes off the user payload
as parksy said most people end up with the underslung so that speaks for itself however the a frame type do have there uses so dont discount them entirely. at my BIL storage yard the guy uses one to position the vans under cover packed in like sardines even though some vans have movers fitted. it is all down to choice .
colin

 

[Bosch_Dave]

Hi

I have a Truma TE fitted (2 Motors) on a twin axle . The movement is different (Arking ) to prevent tyre scrub but it works perfectly with the jockey wheel up or down.

 

[RayS]

I've been addicted to this (caravanning) craze since 1967 when the van was 750 kg and i was young(er) and fit(ish), but for the last 10 years we've liked the comfort of a big 'van which we keep at home on a drive covered with gravel and which has a significant slope.

Now, being well into the bus pass generation, i could not manage a 1500 kg van without a mover either at home or on most of the sites we use regularly in France and Spain. I had one of the first Powrtouch movers which seemed very expensive at the time but as HID said ( and I know enough to listen carefully) 'it's cheaper than a hernia operation and probably much more fun'
As usual she was/is absolutely right.
The jockey wheel type have to be carried and stored; those fitted under the 'van do not, and are usually close enough to the axle not to alter the nose weight too much. They are easy to fit if you are in to DIY and not too expensive if you are not but the sense of security you have knowing how easy it will be to position the 'van exactly where you want it is worth ££££ in itself.
I am a fan of powrtouch having had excellent service from them and, as a professional Engineer, their gearing and construction is top notch. Not to say the rival makes are not - I have no direct expereince with anything else.
In my many years of carravanning, the really big developments have been cassette type toilets, blown air central heating, double glazed windowns and motor movers, but the mover comes top of the list.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Ray,
What a lovely post, it made me smile