Motor mover disengages

[Tingtong]

Hi, new to this forum and hope you lovely lot can help me ?
i have a power touch freedom motor mover with the manual engage, it’s been fine until my last use on putting it back on the drive when the mover disengaged ? Thought it might have been me not quite pushing it far enough around but now every time it disengages ? First time resulting in it running away lol.
if I keep my foot on the bar it works ok but means u have to hop along side it 🤦‍♂️ any ideas ??? Many thanks

 

[RogerL]

Re-check the clearance gap between the tyres and the rollers, both sides - if the gap has reduced you may not be able to mover the bar far enough to "lock-on" - this can happen if you fit larger radius tyres of the clamping of the cross-bar slips a bit on the chassis.

I think from memory the gap should be 20mm - but it's been a long time since I fitted my first mover and I've let dealers do all the subsequent ones.

 

[Tingtong]

Hi and thanks for the reply, I do get the feeling of the clamping slips then it would push away from the tyre but will defo check that 👍

 

[ProfJohnL]

also check your tyre pressures,

 

[Tingtong]

Yeh, have checked them and still good 👍

 

[JTQ]

It can also happen due to wear in the cross linking system.
Where you manually take it over the latching centre it is then properly on that side, but the wear in the cross linking does not so assuredly take the other side unit over centre, so "on" but not latched by being full over centre.

What then can happen is that the unlatched unit under load snaps off, but as it is cross connected, the energy it unleashes is enough to undo the previously securely latched side.
Been there, it initially happened rarely but got more frequent causing me to investigate.
The short term "fix" is always use the lever on both sides when putting it on; do one side and walk round and do the other. The fact I could take the other further, over centring it, giving me the cause.
You can undo it from either side for the same reasons it flys off on both sides.
The proper fix is to up size the "roll pins" used to couple the sections of the bar together. This will involve buying larger pins and drilling the new appropriate sized holes to force fit them. Or live treating it as a system without the cross connecting feature, for putting it on.

 

[IanB1485]

Deja Vu this is covered on another forum

 

[birdman101]

Replace the pins if broken with cap head screws and lock nuts and will not fail again as they are solid hardened steel.Also when was unit lubricated as it may be tight operating and no going over far enough to lock in position.
From memory the Caphead screws were high tensile M5 by 35 mm long.

 

[Tingtong]

It can also happen due to wear in the cross linking system.
Where you manually take it over the latching centre it is then properly on that side, but the wear in the cross linking does not so assuredly take the other side unit over centre, so "on" but not latched by being full over centre.

What then can happen is that the unlatched unit under load snaps off, but as it is cross connected, the energy it unleashes is enough to undo the previously securely latched side.
Been there, it initially happened rarely but got more frequent causing me to investigate.
The short term "fix" is always use the lever on both sides when putting it on; do one side and walk round and do the other. The fact I could take the other further, over centring it, giving me the cause.
You can undo it from either side for the same reasons it flys off on both sides.
The proper fix is to up size the "roll pins" used to couple the sections of the bar together. This will involve buying larger pins and drilling the new appropriate sized holes to force fit them. Or live treating it as a system without the cross connecting feature, for putting it on.

That sounds like the explanation I’m looking for, many thanks, will check this out and let you know 👍

 

[Tingtong]

Replace the pins if broken with cap head screws and lock nuts and will not fail again as they are solid hardened steel.Also when was unit lubricated as it may be tight operating and no going over far enough to lock in position.

The van is in regular service so I’m assuming it is liberated, will check those pins too 👌👏

 

[Tingtong]

Deja Vu this is covered on another forum

I have posted this on another forum 😉 didn’t know what was out there till the search yesterday

 

[Tingtong]

The van is in regular service so I’m assuming it is liberated, will check those pins too 👌👏

Lubricated 🤦‍♂️

 

[Beardy]

Lubricated 🤦‍♂️

Auto correct stripes again.

 

[Hutch]

That sounds like the explanation I’m looking for, many thanks, will check this out and let you know 👍

If you are replacing the roll pins with a size up, drill both the cross bar and the MM shaft slightly under sized for the roll pins whilst connected together then drill to the correct undersize for the roll pins, don't drill the cross shaft and drive shaft separately.
Good luck.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Deja Vu this is covered on another forum

Just because it might appear on another forum does not preclude it from also being discussed here.. I have deliberately chosen to restrict the number of other forums or social media sites I use, as its all too easy to forget where you may have posted and thus loose track of a thread or subject. For the same reason I do not use facebook (which when I did try years ago it never seemed to make sence).

For basically the same reasons, it creates difficulties when posters start the same subject in multiple topic areas here on PCF.

 

[Hutch]

The van is in regular service so I’m assuming it is liberated, will check those pins too 👌👏

I found that my AWS technician did NOT lubricated the MM sliders, his reply was that it not on his list of items to do. For myself that is not a problem, I clean the sliders with Motorcycle chain cleaner, then lubricate them with Motorcycle chain Lube.

 

[otherclive]

I used to use Waxoyl to lubricate my mover.

 

[Dustydog]

I use ordinary Moly Grease or Copperslip.
See this

 

[otherclive]

I use ordinary Moly Grease or Copperslip.
See this

They used too recommend Waxoyl for the Classic manual and I never moved away from it. Seemed to work okay, and in those days every DIY car owner had a supply of Waxoyl along with Cataloy too.

 

[Beachball]

Hi Tingtong Welcome to the forum sorry I cannot help but you will get someone who can so keep posting

 

[Dustydog]

They used too recommend Waxoyl for the Classic manual and I never moved away from it. Seemed to work okay, and in those days every DIY car owner had a supply of Waxoyl along with Cataloy too.

Mine of course is an original Powrwheel Ltd Powrtouch mover , the white one.

Interestingly they recommend using their own branded grease “Powrlubricant “ on all moving parts not the drive wheels. I’ve never seen this but they did say the greases I mentioned are fine.

I recall reading somewhere motor cycle chain lube was approved , probably because it is not easily washed away?

I suspect the differences may be something to do with Truma taking over Powrwheel and the improvements in the performance of lubricants.
Who remembers Duckhams 20 /50 oil? My old engines could never have tolerated 10/30🙀

 

[otherclive]

Mine of course is an original Powrwheel Ltd Powrtouch mover , the white one.

Interestingly they recommend using their own branded grease “Powrlubricant “ on all moving parts not the drive wheels. I’ve never seen this but they did say the greases I mentioned are fine.

I recall reading somewhere motor cycle chain lube was approved , probably because it is not easily washed away?

I suspect the differences may be something to do with Truma taking over Powrwheel and the improvements in the performance of lubricants.
Who remembers Duckhams 20 /50 oil? My old engines could never have tolerated 10/30🙀

I see your link at #18/recommends motorcycle chain lub. 10/30…….our two , cars Kia is 0-20, the Toyota is 0-16. Soon we will be using tap water. 😂

 

[RogerL]

Just because it might appear on another forum does not preclude it from also being discussed here.. I have deliberately chosen to restrict the number of other forums or social media sites I use, as its all too easy to forget where you may have posted and thus loose track of a thread or subject. For the same reason I do not use facebook (which when I did try years ago it never seemed to make sence).

For basically the same reasons, it creates difficulties when posters start the same subject in multiple topic areas here on PCF.

I don't use any other forums besides this, and don't use other forms of social media - but I see no reason why a caravanner with an issue shouldn't use all those they subscribe to.

 

[JTQ]

I don't see the lubrication of the Powrtouch Classic's various bits require very specific products nor present too many challenges, other than enduring through whatever the road throws at it, and is inherently a "creeping" nature so it penetrate to where required.
In those requirements I think a motorcycle roller chain lubricant will suit well, as would Waxoyl original [there creeping very well before the solvent evaporates away leaving an oily/ waxy base, relatively resistant to washing away].

I use a light Tellus hydraulic oil, as is recommended for the lubrication of my Myford and I use with other machine tools, so its in the hand spouted oil can and what I have used for decades. Probably not optimised but in my case expedient.
However, IMO anything thin enough to creep where it is needed will be way better than nothing.