Motor Movers?

[BedfordGeorge]

Having just returned from 6 week tour of Scotland, at the start of which my Motor Mover packed in on one side. For those of you adept at parking whilst still attached, not too much of a problem, but I was not one of those, however I have to say enforced to do so, I did improve.
Having looked for information on the various motor movers on the market, I have to say that it appears that there is not a definitive comparison test having been carried out by, either of the clubs or the magazines. Having had the Powrtouch for 7 years, I am inclined to purchase another from them, but in the Caravan Club Magazine there is an offer for the e-go Titanium Manual Actuation at £679-00, it is not too clear though if this includes the fitting? This is still considerably lower than the Powrtouch Evolution Manual.
My other question mark is whether to go for the Auto Roller Engagement as on my present model, but which has been the cause of all my problems with it, or shold I go with the Manual on the basis there is little that can go wrong with it, or is there?
Look forward to any views or information you may have, now retired we have to spend our money more wisely than when we were working.

 

[Martin24]

With having an 1800kg twin axle the initial investment in a motor mover not inconsiderable.

When I was fit and able we had a manual powrtouch. This had an actuation bar so we only had to do the wheels on one side to activate both.

That took a bit of grunt to do this, so as I lost arm strength we had the actuation bar removed and I had to engage each of the four wheels in turn.

When swmbo had to do it herself as I couldn't manage to engage the mover at all I found myself just watching her do one more job that I couldn't do.

We then decided to take the bull by the horns and go for the auto actuation. Now I can just about manage the remote control and am, for want of a better term, back in control. :cheer:

The moral of the story being we don't know what's around the corner so I now cater for all eventualities and think ahead when planning major purchases. Go for the evo or equivalent from another manufacturer just in case.

Buying direct from the manufacturer is not always the most cost effective way of doing things. Sometimes you may be lucky to find a workshop or experienced fitter to do the whole job for less, like I did.

 

[Hutch]

Hi George, I have only had Power touch MM. This year both Hex shafts sheared, at different times and were replaced under warranty, I have heard of problems with auto engagments on PT and othe makes. There is a new Power Touch Registered Engineer in our area, Mark from Caravan Medic Based in Broughton in MK. He does several mates caravans, and I can highly reccomend him.
https://markcaravanmedic.co.uk

Hutch. We will have to get that beer sometime.

 

[Bikeral77]

I have a Powrtouch Evolution fitted to my Swift Corronette van, it's a manual type. The only problems I've had were self inflicted. Leaving the remote on top of the A frame is not recommended, as the bouncing down the road doesn't do it one bit of good., and the battery in the remote won't last for ever, so it's a good idea to take a spare with you. I was negotiating a tight turn on a European site, when the remote battery gave up the ghost, blocking the site road to all, whilst I discovered the reason for the stoppage. Fortunately I did have a spare battery.
I can quite honestly say that I would not caravan without my Powrtouch.

 

[BedfordGeorge]

To update the situation, I took Hutches advice and have placed an order with Mark @ Caravan Medic in Milton Keynes, he gave me a good price and responded quickly. I decided to go with the Powrtouch Evolution with the Manual Engagement, based on lower cost and probably less to go wrong in the future, lets hope I got it correct!!

 

[Bikeral77]

Good choice George, don't forget to stow the remote safely as soon as you've finished moving, I learnt the herd way. Powrtouch after sales service is very good as well, they got me out of trouble once in Spain, when one roller shed its sleeve, they sent a replacement out to Spain double quick. No need to worry about that problem now, as they got rid of the old sleeve rollers and introduced the solid aluminium toothed roller that they fit today. Happy moving !.

 

[mealsonwheels]

Recently had a Powrtouch Evolution auto fitted to our Swift Challenger, to replace the old one, which gave us years of service and we're very pleased with the Evolution. Powrtouch are an excellent company for customer service and we had no hesitation in getting a mover from them again.

 

[BedfordGeorge]

My previous mover was a Powrtouch and although I had problems with the actuators they always sorted it out quickly. Biker I have managed not to leave the remote on the remote on the A frame to date, but as I get older it's more likely that I will do something like that sooner or later.
Thanks for all your comments on this thread.

 

[KeefySher]

We have the Powrtouch Classic, excellent bit of kit.

I've left the remote on the A Frame several times, always once the caravan is back on the drive at home. This is probably due to then setting the steadies down, putting the wheel lock on and the hitch lock. Then unpacking before having a cuppa.

When setting off from home and sites I have a collapsible plastic crate that sits in the boot of the car. The wheel lock, hitch lock and drill for the steadies go in as each item is finished with. I use the mover to position the caravan to hitch up, hitch up then put the remote in the crate before closing the tailgate and plugging the 13 pin in and lifting the jockey wheel.

So maybe a method to include the remote needs to be established to suit how you operate. I now check the A frame whilst having that first cuppa at home.

 

[JamesH]

It was mentioned by Bikeral77 in a previous post that you should ensure you carry a spare 11 volt battery for your motor mover controller. I will add that you should also ensure you carry a screwdriver small enough to open the battery compartment on a Powertouch controller as the screw is exceedingly small.

 

[Hutch]

If you have the extension lead for the powertouch contoller to connect to the master box it will,power the controller in an emergency.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I do find it so very interesting that so far in this thread several contributers have praised one particular make of mover, but look how many of them have had actual failures! What they are really praising is teh their after sales service.

Now I am really pleased that a company does look after its customers so well.

I have no data to confirm or deny the relative reliabilities of their products compared to others, but it is a marked trend that Powertouch is frequently mentioned in terms of "and when it broke they fixed quick" where as there is a notable absence of similar comments about other makes, even just to mention there has been a failure.

Powertouch are probably the most prolific manufacturer and with more products in use they are more likely to have more field failures.

It is my suspicion that if all movers use very similar technology, its likely they would suffer similar rates of failure, but if that were the case why do we predominately see PT mentioned so frequently.

All i'm asking you to do is to not be blinded by number of apparent positive comments, it may not be what it seems.

 

[DaveA1]

I've had a Towsure mover for about 4 years, no trouble, cheaper and so far so good.

 

[BryanTheSnail]

Before paying out good money, grab the connectors on the faulty side, wiggle them about and see if that solves it. Could be a dodgy connector. Easy repair to fit new connector.

 

[BedfordGeorge]

Further to Prof. JohnL comments, I do agree with the comments made, but I am aware that with the older model Powrtouch Movers that they had a bad batch of actuators. This was confirmed to me by one of their engineers who was as you would expect replacing a failed one. It could also be that as Powrtouch are the largest supplier, they would naturally suffer the higher number of problems, if only on a percentage basis. This is, as I said previously, one of the reasons I went for a Manual engagement, the other being price.

 

[Dustydog]

My Powrtouch is 8 years old. Year one the main drive bearings were replaced foc. Turned out there had been a faulty batch of bearings. The red isolation key pin broke. Replaced foc. The actuator wrench handle shaft came apart due to a failed pawl spring. Replaced foc.
Seven years later , touch wood, no problems.
FIL had a Truma mover. A drive roller fell off somewhere in the Highlands.A new roller and fixings were couriered to our site foc.
A balanced view by the Prof. For me the aftercare service is just as important as the piece itself. Kampa have also given a first class aftercare service when their inflatable tubes have failed.
I seem to recall a PCv survey revealed Powrtouch have 65%of the market hmy:

 

[RayS]

Suggestion for the controller. It has a tape loop attached or a place where a cable tie could be used. Get a neck strap with a snap catch at the other end and connect. then when using the mover wear the assembly round you neck.
Since doing this I have saved valuable drinking time by not have to hunt for the damn thing after pitching.

 

[forester08]

Our battery is 9v. Good point regarding the screw driver, have now got one.

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Our battery is 9v.

Reading back through the thread I assume you mean the battery in the remote control handset, as a previous poster said it was 11 volt? Ours, of course, is also 9v. (a standard PP3)