Hi has anyone got a Mr Shifta what do you think of them please? My sister has just bought her first caravan and she is on her own. She wanted to buy a motor mover but they are quite expensive so she wondered if these Mr Shifta's are any good? Her caravan is a 2 berth quite small and very lightweight. Appreciate your comments. Thank you.
Mr Shifta
- Thread starter mandy_5114266
- Start date
Hello Mandy,
As you are aware there are two basic types of caravan movers, Those that fit to the front on the A frame, and the others fit to the chassis and drive the main caravan wheels.
The type that fit to the A frame (Mr Shifta is one of them) are fine on hard flat ground, but they begin to struggle if the ground is soft, slippy, or if there is a steep hill to climb (or come down!). I suggest that as a rule of thumb, if one person cannot push or pull the caravan without needing to use the brake, then the A frame movers are likely to have the same difficulty, and don't forget, its not necessarily the ability to push or pull, but more importantly the ability to stop a caravan on a hill.
You also have to store them, and fit them when you want to use them.
I know I have painted a fairly bleak picture, but these are issues you should be aware of.
By contrast, the chassis mounted movers have been reported on frequently by members of this forum 'the best thing since sliced bread' They are available both at home and away, and because of their superior traction, they are more capable of tackling inclines and loose surfaces.
Yes they can get stuck, but most cars would also be stuck under the same conditions.
If you sister only wants it for flat hard surfaces then the a frame are fine, but think about the wider world out there.
As you are aware there are two basic types of caravan movers, Those that fit to the front on the A frame, and the others fit to the chassis and drive the main caravan wheels.
The type that fit to the A frame (Mr Shifta is one of them) are fine on hard flat ground, but they begin to struggle if the ground is soft, slippy, or if there is a steep hill to climb (or come down!). I suggest that as a rule of thumb, if one person cannot push or pull the caravan without needing to use the brake, then the A frame movers are likely to have the same difficulty, and don't forget, its not necessarily the ability to push or pull, but more importantly the ability to stop a caravan on a hill.
You also have to store them, and fit them when you want to use them.
I know I have painted a fairly bleak picture, but these are issues you should be aware of.
By contrast, the chassis mounted movers have been reported on frequently by members of this forum 'the best thing since sliced bread' They are available both at home and away, and because of their superior traction, they are more capable of tackling inclines and loose surfaces.
Yes they can get stuck, but most cars would also be stuck under the same conditions.
If you sister only wants it for flat hard surfaces then the a frame are fine, but think about the wider world out there.
I am also on my own, but considered the weight of the mover units, because as it needs to be removed whilst you are on the move it needs to be of a weight that it can be lifted into the car boot or caravan, i have bought a second hand motormover which does the job i wish i have the one that worked at a higher speed but it does do the job. I have looked at the mr shifta but it is a heavier unit i think its around 24kg which is heavy but mine is 15kg. You can contact the manufacturer and arrange for a demo on your caravan, although this unit is expensive to buy you won't see much change out of
mandy,
I had a MR Shifta Mk 1 and that handled my Castleton of 1100kg's [Max] fine up and down a 1:14 slope even in the wet. It was not suitable going down hill in the wet when I changed to a 1700kg van. The heavy van just pushed it on some occassions where the van wanted to go.
So if your sisters van is no greater than 1100kgs she should cope okay with one, particuarly as later models are uprated. They take a bit of getting use to but handle the van with extreme accuracy. As she copes with the other aspects of caravanning alone she should take this new skill in her stride. Clearly its only any use at "home" its not portable in the sense of it being usable on site.
The good news is that the CC and CC&C mags are full of cheap secondhand units as poeple move to wheel powering movers. But this does not detract from them being good for the job they are sold to do as I said before as long as the weights being handled are low enough. Of the options available keep to the Mr Shifta as its the best of the type as it carries its battery so is self powered in moving it to and from the van and the batteries weight improves its traction ability when moving the van. Not only this if you leave it "parked" on a trickle charger its always "Topped Up" ready for action and not reliant on the vans battery state. She would need somewhere to store it where it is drivable to and from the van, its not something to be lifted about.
I had a MR Shifta Mk 1 and that handled my Castleton of 1100kg's [Max] fine up and down a 1:14 slope even in the wet. It was not suitable going down hill in the wet when I changed to a 1700kg van. The heavy van just pushed it on some occassions where the van wanted to go.
So if your sisters van is no greater than 1100kgs she should cope okay with one, particuarly as later models are uprated. They take a bit of getting use to but handle the van with extreme accuracy. As she copes with the other aspects of caravanning alone she should take this new skill in her stride. Clearly its only any use at "home" its not portable in the sense of it being usable on site.
The good news is that the CC and CC&C mags are full of cheap secondhand units as poeple move to wheel powering movers. But this does not detract from them being good for the job they are sold to do as I said before as long as the weights being handled are low enough. Of the options available keep to the Mr Shifta as its the best of the type as it carries its battery so is self powered in moving it to and from the van and the batteries weight improves its traction ability when moving the van. Not only this if you leave it "parked" on a trickle charger its always "Topped Up" ready for action and not reliant on the vans battery state. She would need somewhere to store it where it is drivable to and from the van, its not something to be lifted about.
Hello Mandy,
I use a Mister Shifta mk1 to move an 8m twin axle caravan [1700kg] my drive is quite flat and block paved but I have to shunt the van a few times to nose it into place down the side of my garage and out of sight of the road [a good theft prevention as it cant be seen and cant be removed without the Shifta] it is a little underpowered for a twin axle when turning although it will turn it 45 degrees nearly on the spot with my help, but a single axle will be no problem and will turn in its own length, the mk2 and mk3 Shiftas are even more powerful. I would not recommend a Shifta for use on loose surfaces or steep slopes but on flatish hard ground they are very good. To steer it you will have to put in a bit of effort but a small single axle should be quite easy. I went for a Shifta because I dont like the idea of carrying the weight of a mover system around when I only need it to get in and out of my drive, also it gets all the weather behind the wheels, they have instalation costs, more costs to remove and fit if you change your van and the are by far over priced for what you get. The Mr Shifta is also over priced but I got mine off Ebay for
I use a Mister Shifta mk1 to move an 8m twin axle caravan [1700kg] my drive is quite flat and block paved but I have to shunt the van a few times to nose it into place down the side of my garage and out of sight of the road [a good theft prevention as it cant be seen and cant be removed without the Shifta] it is a little underpowered for a twin axle when turning although it will turn it 45 degrees nearly on the spot with my help, but a single axle will be no problem and will turn in its own length, the mk2 and mk3 Shiftas are even more powerful. I would not recommend a Shifta for use on loose surfaces or steep slopes but on flatish hard ground they are very good. To steer it you will have to put in a bit of effort but a small single axle should be quite easy. I went for a Shifta because I dont like the idea of carrying the weight of a mover system around when I only need it to get in and out of my drive, also it gets all the weather behind the wheels, they have instalation costs, more costs to remove and fit if you change your van and the are by far over priced for what you get. The Mr Shifta is also over priced but I got mine off Ebay for
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