We just started caravanning in August and loving it. We bought a four year old single axle van with a powrtouch motor mover. the slight problem is that it doesn't move the caravan in a straight line, one wheel going slightly faster than the other.so we have to keep stopping and adjusting. is this a normal issue, or is there a way to calibrate the two motors ?
Powrtouch mover, calibration?
- Thread starter Mandarin
- Start date
Hi Mandarin,
When Motor Movers are originally fitted, they are supplied with a 'Spacer Block'
This block is then used to periodically check the correct distance between the movers 'Roller' and the caravans tyre. It could be that over time, one of the mover's rollers has moved back and this then reduces the force on the tyre. As the opposite tyre is working normally, it will control the direction and this is why you are not travelling in a straight line. The adjustment is easy to fix, as long as the bolts have not seized on the control box of the rollers.
Regards,
When Motor Movers are originally fitted, they are supplied with a 'Spacer Block'
This block is then used to periodically check the correct distance between the movers 'Roller' and the caravans tyre. It could be that over time, one of the mover's rollers has moved back and this then reduces the force on the tyre. As the opposite tyre is working normally, it will control the direction and this is why you are not travelling in a straight line. The adjustment is easy to fix, as long as the bolts have not seized on the control box of the rollers.
Regards,
Thanks, we had new tyres fitted in August and I can't recall if the movers were ok on our one use before that, so i'll check the space, we have the block supplied. I know the tyre pressures are OK because I stood over the fitter and checked, originally they wanted to inflate them to 35psi and I had to insist on 60 !
Can you prove the age of the mover?
Powrtouch give a 5 year no quibble guarantee. Their after sales service is excellent. A quick phone call may elicit some useful advice.
I believe their guarantee is transferable but off hand don't know the T's and Cs.
Have you checked the quality of all the wiring connections? Sometimes a poor earth or power feed can give an inferior performance.
Powrtouch give a 5 year no quibble guarantee. Their after sales service is excellent. A quick phone call may elicit some useful advice.
I believe their guarantee is transferable but off hand don't know the T's and Cs.
Have you checked the quality of all the wiring connections? Sometimes a poor earth or power feed can give an inferior performance.
I replaced the rubber gaiter/boots on mine earlier this week. Whilst only just over two years old I suspect that the dealer may have over stretched them when fitting. Powertouch replaced them FOC very quickly. But whilst fitting I had to remove the cables from their connectors and there was quite bit of corrosion on the spade connectors which I cleaned up before re connecting the cables. A poor contact in that zone could cause asymmetry issues
Can also be a problem if the wiring is asymmetrical. Given the control box is usually biased to one side of the van, it is possible to have a really short set of wires to one motor and a full length set to the other. A professional installer will typically keep the lengths similar with the shorter side taking a more convoluted route than necessary to consume the slack. A few inches won't make a significant difference, but it one is going 10-15 feet further than the other, the increased resistance of the longer wire can make a significant difference in a high amperage situation.
Also, if the shorter side is the side that's slower, check to make sure that excessive wire has not been coiled up. Not sure what impact that would have apart from generating a local magnetic coil however, doubt it will be good.
If you watch the rollers you should be able to see and hear if they are slipping on the tyres which can be adjusted away.
Also, if the shorter side is the side that's slower, check to make sure that excessive wire has not been coiled up. Not sure what impact that would have apart from generating a local magnetic coil however, doubt it will be good.
If you watch the rollers you should be able to see and hear if they are slipping on the tyres which can be adjusted away.
Many thanks for the replies, we checked the gap yesterday and that looks like the cause, the slow side, which also slipped last time out,, has a block and a half gap (30 mm!) so we will adjust that over winter and hopefully will be ok next time. Right now the vans all covered for the winter in storage with the battery charging in the shed at home.
So either that was due to the tyre change, which seems unlikely as the old ones were hardly worn, or the pdi check in August missed it. It missed other things so not surprised.
So either that was due to the tyre change, which seems unlikely as the old ones were hardly worn, or the pdi check in August missed it. It missed other things so not surprised.
I think regapping the rollers will fix the problem described. From memory the block is 20mm . If the caravan jockey wheel is clampted on the outside if the A frame rather thAn in the centre you may find the caravan does not move exactly staight without some small correction with the handset
Powrtouch warranty IS transferable, there is a £50 charge for this. Our caravan was less than a year old when we bought it, so it was well worth while (even though I think the charge is a bit steep, especially when compared to the charge Bailey made to transfer their warranty).Dustydog said:
Mandarin said:
Just a quick update, now spring is here and we've been out I can report that adjusting the gap solved the problem and the mover now goes in a straight line. Thanks again.
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