Hi all, thinking about buying a mr shifta mover - we only need its assistance parking the van at home, very tight access and on a hill [tarmac] do you all think it will be ok? do they work, are they any good? i dont want to spend lots on fitting a permanent mototmover as i dont want to carry the weight and we are swapping vans next year. do these things work on twin and single axles? thanks for your advice in advance. mark
Mr Shifta Movers? Any Good?
- Thread starter mark_374562186
- Start date
Mr Shifta is no good on inclines. You can contact them and ask them to do a demonstration which they do free of charge.
Motor mover is your answer and you can transfer it to your new caravan.
Motor mover is your answer and you can transfer it to your new caravan.
Parksy
Moderator
in a word and in my experience "NO" i had a trial and the mover could not get my van up the very slight incline of our driveway and then the demonstrator managed to tip the thing over as he hadn't connected it to my van correctly.
Mark
Ask yourself why there are so many on the second hand market?
Don't waste your money.
Cheers
Dustydog
Ask yourself why there are so many on the second hand market?
Don't waste your money.
Cheers
Dustydog
Asked for a trial......the guy turned up.....saw the 1 inch kerb..(which was easily sorted with a piece of wood) and almost invisible incline and said....."No".....
Motor Mover......no contest....
Now what one...........
For me......
http://www.homesteadcaravans.co.uk/cart.cfm/startstring/false/id/1256
Motor Mover......no contest....
Now what one...........
For me......
http://www.homesteadcaravans.co.uk/cart.cfm/startstring/false/id/1256
Hello Mark,
The Mr Shifta I have seen is a well made product, and it is capable of moving caravans, BUT, the fact that it fits to the hitch or A frame of the caravan endows it with some important limitations.
There are basically two types of caravan movers, those that fit to the 'A 'frame, at the hitch or jockey wheel, and those that drive the main wheels of the caravan or axle movers.
All movers need to be able to grip the ground, and most of us instinctively know that to get better grip you need to push the driven wheel harder to the ground. Not enough down force and the wheel will spin, or skid.
The problem for all 'A' frame movers is the down force is limited to the nose weight of the caravan + the weight of the mover. This in practice is not much different to the weight of an adult, so if you find that you cant get enough grip to push or pull the caravan, then an 'A' frame mover is likely to experience the same lack of grip under the same conditions.
On the flat that wont be a problem, but on a slope it means the caravan may run away and the mover will not be able to stop it. The ability to grip is also dependant on the direction the caravan is facing on the slope. Don't forget there are many conditions where the quality of the grip you get will be reduced, for example, wet leaves, gravel and of course ice and snow.
By comparison the axle movers, have roughly half the weight of the caravan on each wheel, which radically improves the grip, and most importantly the stopping ability on slopes. The larger diameter wheels also make it easier to move over uneven terrain and loose material like gravel.
Another factor for some people is the availability of the mover. The 'A' frame movers almost always have to be detached, and stored or carried each time you want tow the caravan, where-as the axle movers are always there and easily made available at home or on site.
I know of places where the Mr Shifta would be very effective to move caravans and other trailers around a flat storage compound and workshop, but it would struggle on the entrance ramp from the road to the compound.
Horses for courses as they say.
The Mr Shifta I have seen is a well made product, and it is capable of moving caravans, BUT, the fact that it fits to the hitch or A frame of the caravan endows it with some important limitations.
There are basically two types of caravan movers, those that fit to the 'A 'frame, at the hitch or jockey wheel, and those that drive the main wheels of the caravan or axle movers.
All movers need to be able to grip the ground, and most of us instinctively know that to get better grip you need to push the driven wheel harder to the ground. Not enough down force and the wheel will spin, or skid.
The problem for all 'A' frame movers is the down force is limited to the nose weight of the caravan + the weight of the mover. This in practice is not much different to the weight of an adult, so if you find that you cant get enough grip to push or pull the caravan, then an 'A' frame mover is likely to experience the same lack of grip under the same conditions.
On the flat that wont be a problem, but on a slope it means the caravan may run away and the mover will not be able to stop it. The ability to grip is also dependant on the direction the caravan is facing on the slope. Don't forget there are many conditions where the quality of the grip you get will be reduced, for example, wet leaves, gravel and of course ice and snow.
By comparison the axle movers, have roughly half the weight of the caravan on each wheel, which radically improves the grip, and most importantly the stopping ability on slopes. The larger diameter wheels also make it easier to move over uneven terrain and loose material like gravel.
Another factor for some people is the availability of the mover. The 'A' frame movers almost always have to be detached, and stored or carried each time you want tow the caravan, where-as the axle movers are always there and easily made available at home or on site.
I know of places where the Mr Shifta would be very effective to move caravans and other trailers around a flat storage compound and workshop, but it would struggle on the entrance ramp from the road to the compound.
Horses for courses as they say.
I had a trial and the mover could not get my van up the very slight incline of our driveway and then the demonstrator managed to tip the thing over as he hadn't connected it to my van correctly???
Blimey, this is an old thread.
First of all im pretty sure the firm is no longer trading.
Now. Shiftas will work on an incline to a reasonable degree. However the most important factor is noseweight. The machine relies on the grip of its tyres and it requires a hefty noseweight to function.
The machine should be supplied with the specific hitch head casting for your van and needs to be setup properly. Wrong casting and you will have problems. It should also be supplied with a brake bar. This will operate the overrun on your caravan each time the machine stops on a slope. You should always pull the caravan down a slope for this reason. You must never push backwards downhill. The machine used to be supplied with specific tyres for its intended use. As well as its standard tyres it could have turf tyres for lawns or soft ground and chevron tyres for fields etc. Chevrons had some success on gravel but noseweight needed to be increased.
If you buy one, check tyre type, brake bar and most important the type of hitch head casting. There used to be seven different Al-ko castings.
One further point is that the machine is completely useless on a rotating hitch head or the nato ring. Many trailers for example have a rotating hitch head. Also make sure the machine has a good leisure battery with it. As far as i know the last model made was the Mk 3 which is identified by green covers. Mk 2 was yellow. Mk 1 black and early mk 1 no covers.
With modern movers unless payload is an issue the shifta is pretty much a dinosaur. Only usefull if you need to move more than one item at home.
Actually, just checked, the frim is still live but no longer manufacture caravan movers, however they are still listing some spares for Shiftas.
Adaptor Castings (1) £28.99 (hitch head casting)
Avonride & Bradley castings £33.00 (hitch head casting)
Shop soiled new Reverse Brake Bars £20.00
First of all im pretty sure the firm is no longer trading.
Now. Shiftas will work on an incline to a reasonable degree. However the most important factor is noseweight. The machine relies on the grip of its tyres and it requires a hefty noseweight to function.
The machine should be supplied with the specific hitch head casting for your van and needs to be setup properly. Wrong casting and you will have problems. It should also be supplied with a brake bar. This will operate the overrun on your caravan each time the machine stops on a slope. You should always pull the caravan down a slope for this reason. You must never push backwards downhill. The machine used to be supplied with specific tyres for its intended use. As well as its standard tyres it could have turf tyres for lawns or soft ground and chevron tyres for fields etc. Chevrons had some success on gravel but noseweight needed to be increased.
If you buy one, check tyre type, brake bar and most important the type of hitch head casting. There used to be seven different Al-ko castings.
One further point is that the machine is completely useless on a rotating hitch head or the nato ring. Many trailers for example have a rotating hitch head. Also make sure the machine has a good leisure battery with it. As far as i know the last model made was the Mk 3 which is identified by green covers. Mk 2 was yellow. Mk 1 black and early mk 1 no covers.
With modern movers unless payload is an issue the shifta is pretty much a dinosaur. Only usefull if you need to move more than one item at home.
Actually, just checked, the frim is still live but no longer manufacture caravan movers, however they are still listing some spares for Shiftas.
Adaptor Castings (1) £28.99 (hitch head casting)
Avonride & Bradley castings £33.00 (hitch head casting)
Shop soiled new Reverse Brake Bars £20.00
adolfainsley8 must have an obsession with forums. If you Google his name he has joined over a dozen different forums in the last couple of days. 
hmy: Or does he just like raking up old threads?
hmy: Or does he just like raking up old threads?
There have been one or two questions recently that makes for the raising of an eyebrow. Thats me being polite.
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