On the secure site where my caravan is stored, the ground is a little rough, and the last few yards have to be negotiated, by pushing the unit by hand. Because my wife is disabled, I have to push myself, being 70 years of age, am finding this a little to much. Iam considering replacing the jockey wheel with a "hitchdrive" which will allow me to effectively wind the unit into position. Have any members done this, and are there any down sides to discarding the jockey wheel in favour of the hitchdrive? My unit is an Abbey 214 gts, Thanks in anticipation for any help offered.
Hitchdrives
- Thread starter norman_5111905
- Start date
Hello Norman,
If you decide to go for a hitch drive insist on a demonstration at the place you want to use it. My reason for saying this is that if you research this forum you will find a considerable number of contributors who have bought a hitch monted mover, only to regret the purchase becuase it will not work safely on slopes and rough ground.
Points to consider:
Is it easy to fit,
and when it is not on the caravan is it easy to carry to and from the store.
Will it work on the ground over which you want it to move your caravan, dont forget that if the ground is wet or slippy (autumn leaf fall etc) it will have much less grip.
Does it clear all the features of the caravan (gas bottle locker and chassis structures etc)
Can you see where you are going when you operate the mover?
The general consensus is that the hitch mounted devices are only really suitable for hard flat, level ground. If you have slopes, gravel or rougher ground then the chasis mounted devices are generally more suitable.
A further point to consider is safety, Many of the hitch movers will claim they have enough torque to move big caravans, yes the wheel can turn with lots of power but can it grip the surface? That is totally dependant on the weght (Force) pushing it to the ground, and the friction between the wheel and the ground. The force is only going to be about 150Kgf (nose weight plus mover) and that is a small proportion of the total caravan mass. Just as important as being able to push or pull the van, is the ability of the mover to stop and hold a caravan on a slope. As a guide, if you feel you could not stop of hold the caravan in a given situation, then it unlikely that a hitch mover will be any better, and dont forget that in wet of slippy conditions, the mover has even less grip.
By sharp contrast, the chassis mounted devices have about half the weight of the caravan on each wheel, and this affords them much more grip. The larger diameter of the main wheels also means they can better cope with loose surfaces such as gravel. Most makes have a remote control box that allows you to stand to the side of the caravan so you can easily see when you are moving close close to obstructions.
Do you home work, ask each possible supplier for a demonstration.
best of luck and I hope you can continue to enjoy caravaning without the physical strain.
If you decide to go for a hitch drive insist on a demonstration at the place you want to use it. My reason for saying this is that if you research this forum you will find a considerable number of contributors who have bought a hitch monted mover, only to regret the purchase becuase it will not work safely on slopes and rough ground.
Points to consider:
Is it easy to fit,
and when it is not on the caravan is it easy to carry to and from the store.
Will it work on the ground over which you want it to move your caravan, dont forget that if the ground is wet or slippy (autumn leaf fall etc) it will have much less grip.
Does it clear all the features of the caravan (gas bottle locker and chassis structures etc)
Can you see where you are going when you operate the mover?
The general consensus is that the hitch mounted devices are only really suitable for hard flat, level ground. If you have slopes, gravel or rougher ground then the chasis mounted devices are generally more suitable.
A further point to consider is safety, Many of the hitch movers will claim they have enough torque to move big caravans, yes the wheel can turn with lots of power but can it grip the surface? That is totally dependant on the weght (Force) pushing it to the ground, and the friction between the wheel and the ground. The force is only going to be about 150Kgf (nose weight plus mover) and that is a small proportion of the total caravan mass. Just as important as being able to push or pull the van, is the ability of the mover to stop and hold a caravan on a slope. As a guide, if you feel you could not stop of hold the caravan in a given situation, then it unlikely that a hitch mover will be any better, and dont forget that in wet of slippy conditions, the mover has even less grip.
By sharp contrast, the chassis mounted devices have about half the weight of the caravan on each wheel, and this affords them much more grip. The larger diameter of the main wheels also means they can better cope with loose surfaces such as gravel. Most makes have a remote control box that allows you to stand to the side of the caravan so you can easily see when you are moving close close to obstructions.
Do you home work, ask each possible supplier for a demonstration.
best of luck and I hope you can continue to enjoy caravaning without the physical strain.
Norman, I agree with John on this one. We hd one demonstrated on our driveway (it is sweeping and a bit difficult). However, when the chap arrived he said he would give it a try but thought it would be inadequate. A few minutes into the demo we nearly lost our van over a 2' drop as the hitch drive would not control it. Eventually, when he tried to replace our van on the driveway the whole wheel shredded!!! Personally, I would give these contraptions a wide berth.
Hi Norman.
I'd steer clear of the hitch drive unit, they are useless.
You'd be better off spending 2-300 pounds on a second hand motormover. I'd try to get the ET model with pneumatic tyre. Weighing only 30Lbs the unit is quite easy to carry and if you fit a second jockey wheel bracket to the A frame you just have to wind up the original wheel when the mover is fitted. The handle will swivel to allow you to look down the side of the van in tight spots.
I use one of these to move a twenty foot twin axle van at home as I suffer from cronic tendonitus of both elbows and shoulders which has left me with limited arm movement and lots of pain.
The unit can either be powered by the van's leisure battery or you can use a car battery. I use the latter as I can then use the mover on my small goods trailer too.
My father-in-law who is a cronic asthmatic and 76 years old can use this machine too, and he is chuffed to bits, as he has to rely on family to set his van up for him due to his ill health. Being an ex-serviceman, he feels he let's the side down when he is not able to do things. We give him jobs he can do with power tools like driving the mover and powering the steadies down with a battery drill, so he feels usefull.
All the best and keep on vanning.
Steve.
I'd steer clear of the hitch drive unit, they are useless.
You'd be better off spending 2-300 pounds on a second hand motormover. I'd try to get the ET model with pneumatic tyre. Weighing only 30Lbs the unit is quite easy to carry and if you fit a second jockey wheel bracket to the A frame you just have to wind up the original wheel when the mover is fitted. The handle will swivel to allow you to look down the side of the van in tight spots.
I use one of these to move a twenty foot twin axle van at home as I suffer from cronic tendonitus of both elbows and shoulders which has left me with limited arm movement and lots of pain.
The unit can either be powered by the van's leisure battery or you can use a car battery. I use the latter as I can then use the mover on my small goods trailer too.
My father-in-law who is a cronic asthmatic and 76 years old can use this machine too, and he is chuffed to bits, as he has to rely on family to set his van up for him due to his ill health. Being an ex-serviceman, he feels he let's the side down when he is not able to do things. We give him jobs he can do with power tools like driving the mover and powering the steadies down with a battery drill, so he feels usefull.
All the best and keep on vanning.
Steve.
Many thanks to Steve,Ann,& John L, for the advice and time given to my question. My site is flat but gravelly,therefor bearing in mind your advice, I have decided to keep a look out for a second hand motor mover. Probably try
the old favourite "E-bay". Again all replies very much appreciated.
I have a Carver/Truma motor mover on the van. This has rollers on each of the main wheeels.
Like you my wife cannot help me in moving the van and I find this invaluable.
OK, it costs over
Like you my wife cannot help me in moving the van and I find this invaluable.
OK, it costs over
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