Going up a slope - which way?

[ChrisinSwansea]

Hello everyone,

We are picking up our Bailey Pageant Bretagne tomorrow and have a question about parking the 'van on a slope. We have a steep drive (1:5 at its steepest), so we have had a Powrtouch fitted.

The drive flattens out a bit at the top, where we'll be keeping the 'van.

My question is, should we go up the drive with the caravan facing forwards or backwards?

Probably a daft question, but I'm clueless (At the moment anyway!)

many thanks

Chris

 

[602]

Hi,

Depends on a multitude of factors. Like which side do you want the door? Are you likely to trip over the drawbar?

All else being equal, I would reverse up. That way you can hitch your car, and drive out. But that makes it equally as easy for a clefti-wallah.

Also, your hand brake should work going down the slope (er...1:5), but I personally would be very reluctant to trust it going backwards. On the other hand, if its going to run away, I'd rather be uphill of the van.

Remember car brakes don't usually work if the engine isn't turning, so don't hitch up and free-wheel down your drive.

602

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Chris

I agree with 602 on all points .

May I add that you should carefully chock the wheels and jockey wheel if possible. On such a slope if you try to level the Pageant be careful you don't "bottom out" and damage the rear panel.

From a pure security point of view have you thought about a security post as well as all the wheel clamps etc.

Make sure you comply with all your Insurers security requirements at all times.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[Steve L]

Hi Chris.

You say your drive is 1 in 5, that is very steep. I would be a little concerned about the mover being able to cope with a long distance of that. by that I mean over 10 feet.

However, I would say that reversing the van up the slope is by far the safest. You will have the full capability of the hand brake should you need it. I would also get your partner to position chocks infront of the wheels on the steep bit, moving them to keep pace with the caravan as it goes up the slope. That way if the van starts to roll back down the slope the chocks will stop significant movement.

Please make sure that the chock handler keep's their fingers clear of any entrapment between chock and ground or tyre.

As for what 602 was trying to say about towing forward downhill with the car with the engine off. When the engine is off on a car the efficiencey of the foot brake is greatly reduced as the brake servo is not operating. So in all circumstances HAVE THE ENGINE RUNNING, as you could inadvertantly also engage the steering lock with the engine off, with disasterous possabilities.

Finally take your time and don't worry about blocking traffic while you park up your van. Doing things without pressure is key to success.

All the best

Steve L.

 

[ChrisinSwansea]

Thank you all very much indeed.

Apparently, the Powrtouch model can cope with my van up a 1:4 slope, but we'll see! I have also ordered a bigger battery to power it.

Reversing up makes sense as I would imagine the counterbalancing is heavier on the jockey wheel end (the front)?

As the drive (about 60 feet long) is double width towards the top, maybe if I tow it up as far as possible (past the steepest section at the bottom) and then use the Powrtouch to manoeuvre in into place?

I'll make sure I have some chocks!

Thanks again, really appreciate the help (and the security advice).

Chris

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Our drive has a crest that is steep enough for the car hill start brake to engage and the Powrtouch mover will move the carvan and also hold it on the slope with no movement

Its sound practice to chock the van wheels against the slope and fit wheelclamp etc before releasing the mover and handbrake

Thhs handbrake issue is always emotive but having had a stuck on one over winter I always leave mine off and having had the van this year roll down the drive while parking in reverse with handbrake correctly applied chocks are a must

 

[RayS]

If, as i hope it will, the mover will cope with the slope, I would reverse the van up the hill. Having the jockey wheel trailing rqther than leading makes it easier to keep a straight line, and avoids the jockey wheel getting deflected by any bumps or dips. As other have said, you can then tow out and use the car to control the van downhill.

I wonder if it would be possible to rig a pair of chocks onto the chassis with some rope, such that they are dragged up the slope by the caravan. Set them immediately behind the wheels, such that if the canavan does "get away" it has only to travel a few inches before getting chocked, and furthermore you chock both sides at the saame time. Doing one at a time by hand would well cause the van to swing.

Something like this used to be used on horse drawn carts - if you go to an agriculatural museum e.g. at Northleach you can see them. These chocks obviousl removed for normal travel, so need to be quickfit.

 

[Oldsalt49]

Hi Chris,

Have you considered utilising a winch at the top of the slope? There is some that use the tow hitch. You could also consider a motorised winch. I think you would get a great deal of control and less risk of a run away situation.

 

[602]

Hi Chris,

Have you considered utilising a winch at the top of the slope? There is some that use the tow hitch. You could also consider a motorised winch. I think you would get a great deal of control and less risk of a run away situation.

Hi,

Thats a lot of rope, cable, strap to wind around a winch drum, so will need several snatches.

I used a 1000kg boat winch to pull Land Rovers (1500kg?) up my 1:8 drive into my garage. The most I could manage was about 2 metres per snatch, before the loaded drum increased the effort required.

I suppose I should have used a "lifting" winch, as they do not run away if things go wrong. But they also cost more.

602

 

[Gafferbill]

Chris...

Moving a caravan weighing around 1.5tons on a 1:5 incline detached from the towing vehicle is asking for trouble.

I urge you to keep the caravan attached for as long as possible, along the lines of your second post.

 

[Dustydog]

Chris

I don't know what car you have but have you considered a front mounted tow ball on the car?

All the mags carry adverts from Watkins Engineering.

Cheers

Dustydog

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Powrtouch say this

"Under ideal conditions it is expected that this model will move a 1500 kgs (approx 1.5UK tons) caravan up a 1 in 4 slope."

Certainly I have found the mover far better than the van brakes at holding the van on a slope

Its never run away or moved an inch on the mover but in reverse the same can't be said of the Alko brakes(yes correctly adjusted and applied )

 

[xtrailman]

I agree with gafferbill, re your second post.

Using the mover over 60 foot is not only time consuming, but will take a lot from the battery, and cause more wear and tear on the motor and gearbox if fitted.

Drive it up on the car, chock the van wheels, unhitch and more the car away. Assuming your drive is wide enough, turn it 180, chock both wheels and release the hand brake. I would also attach a chain or wire rope from chassis to a secure anchorage, to help prevent theft and as a added safety feature.

 

[J.Lo]

Van weighing 1500 kgs slope 1 in 5, 7 yrds long, 7ft 8 inches wide, van over 7 ft. I have been moving a caravan for 5 years or more at least twice a month even on snow and never had a problem Whats all this about be ready to chock wheels, it wont roll back with the mover engaged unless you opererate the remote.Powrmover heavy duty.

 

[Steve L]

So now then J . Lo haven't you heard of "health & safety"!

Or may be the what if? syndrome.

What if the drive gear of the mover fails and the caravan is facing up the slope which will render the hand brake next to useless due to the design of the over run brakes.

You will now have 1500Kgs of caravan rolling down hill heading for maybe, a group of pedestrians on an afternoon strole, or a f amily driving their car up the road not expecting a run away caravan to emerge into the road infront of them!

Or you the caravan owner decide to try to physically hold the caravan back.

So for the sake of a bit of contingencey planning you could end up injuring your self or other people and also causing hundreds of pounds of damage to a third party's vehicle. And all for the sake of a couple of wheel chocks. Nice idea of Ray's to try attatching drag cords to make the chock follow the wheel.

I prefer to think of safe ways to do things rather than flip the coin of chance.

ATB Steve L.

 

[J.Lo]

Steve, Forgot to mention my van goes up in reverse,and I am aware of the danger if I went the other way.

 

[Gafferbill]

Known issues with motormovers..........

The roller can slip against the tyre due to......

Tyre tread wear....Low tyre pressure.... slow puncture?

Incorect adjustment of roller.

Mechanical damage to low slung unit altering roller adjustment.

They are a caravan mover not a braking system.

 

[ChrisinSwansea]

Known issues with motormovers..........

The roller can slip against the tyre due to......

Tyre tread wear....Low tyre pressure.... slow puncture?

Incorect adjustment of roller.

Mechanical damage to low slung unit altering roller adjustment.

They are a caravan mover not a braking system.

Hi all. The Powrtouch got it up the drive perfectly (in reverse), back down again and parked up on the site with plenty of power left in the battery (110A). It wasn't a speedy manoeuvre, but very controlled and inch perfect. That being said, it's not something I would like to do very often (we are on a pretty busy road, so the traffic needs to be held up for a couple of minutes to swing the 'van around).

As the van was getting further up, lots of "what if..." scenarios kept running through my head. Steve in Leo read my mind!

So the 'van is now in a CaSSOA site 10 minutes away (it would take me 20 minutes to get the van down the drive and hitched, so I have saved some time and some nerves!)

Thanks everyone for you input. Hopefully this thread will help others in the future.

 

[ChrisinSwansea]

Hi all. The Powrtouch got it up the drive perfectly (in reverse), back down again and parked up on the site with plenty of power left in the battery (110A). It wasn't a speedy manoeuvre, but very controlled and inch perfect. That being said, it's not something I would like to do very often (we are on a pretty busy road, so the traffic needs to be held up for a couple of minutes to swing the 'van around).

As the van was getting further up, lots of "what if..." scenarios kept running through my head. Steve in Leo read my mind!

So the 'van is now in a CaSSOA site 10 minutes away (it would take me 20 minutes to get the van down the drive and hitched, so I have saved some time and some nerves!)

Thanks everyone for you input. Hopefully this thread will help others in the future.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

It does move slowly

When leaving a rally in Brittany this year I had to move the van quite along way on the mover to get off the hedged pitch and avoid blocking the site road

From the gathered group of good byers came the comment

"Its going to take a long time to get to Roscoff like this"