Single Axle mover on twin axle van

[littlebasher]

I don't know whether anyone will know the answer, but would a single axle mover work on a twin axle van??

There's the issue with a single mover turning both wheels in opposite directions simultaneously - but surely the van would still turn, albeit with a bit of tyre drag on the unpowered wheels

Thoughts?

 

[Damian]

Yes a single mover unit will work on a twin axle van, however, the load rating of the mover must be such that it is not overloading the motors.
Until quite recently 4 wheel twin axle movers were not available, so single units were the only option.

It is recommended to fit it behind the rear set of wheels so that the jockey wheel can be used to lift the front of the van and take some weight off the front axle to reduce the scrubbing effect.
Turning is slightly compromised, but a twin axle van will never turn on its own axis as a single axle will.

 

[littlebasher]

Thanks Damian
Thought i would clarify, due to the shortage of cheap twin axle movers, i was looking to fit a mover made specifically for a single axle van and fit to my twin!

Something like a Truma SE or similar

 

[60North]

I'd be interested to hear the views of other members, and how you get on.

I consider the weight and cost of a 'full' twin axle mover set-up to be too much. There are plenty of single axle movers rated for caravans with a much higher MTPLM than our lightweight twin axle tourer. However, I do wonder how the scrubbing action of the second set of tyres would affect both the manoeverability and performance of a single axle mover.

Is that a Quaser 615 in your picture?

 

[littlebasher]

Well spotted, yeah it's my 615!

 

[joeby]

When we bought a new twin axle , our motor mover from our last single axle van got left in the garage for about 9 months , it was a heavy duty unit , allthough they are not larger motors they just have a lower gear ratio, any way i new i wouldnt get much for if i sold it second hand ,so fitted it to the front wheels of the van to avoid all the spray from the wheels , it works perfect going front and back , if i need to turn at all i just lower the jockey as far as poss so it lifts the weight of the rear slightly , but after its made a small turn you have lean on the side of the van other wise it will straighten up again , you just have move the van in small increments , its mostly used for putting the hub locks on or levelling the van ,

 

[Surrey_Chris]

HI,

I have a PowrTouch model 4 control box and rollers which convert the Single Axle model 3 to a model 4. It steps the wheels in opposite direction when your perform a turn. I would like to sell it so if you can pick up a model 3 powr touch I would be happy sell you the upgrade.

 

[Surrey_Chris]

Not sure what all the other text is above my last post

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hi Littlebasher,

Physically yes you can fit a single axle mover to a twin axle, and it will move the caravan backwards or forwards is straight line with no problem just as Joboy states.

As a general note though TA’s tend to be larger and heavier than SA, and it would certainly unwise to fits a single axle mover designed for lighter caravan to a heavier TA. It is likely that all guarantees will be invalidated if a SA mover is fitted to a TA as it is not designed for that purpose.

The problem as several have already identified is turning. The second pair of wheels in contact with the ground do cause an enormous amount of scrub, and additional strain on the motors.
Different mover manufacturers have approached the problem in different ways, most fit lower geared rollers, some fit extra motors, and they also play games with the power delivery to the motors to try and relive the stress and strain on the system – and battery.

 

[60North]

Though it was a 615, we have one too - a 2004 model - perfect layout for us and extremely towable at only 1450kg laden. Don't see too many about on our travels.

At this weight using a single axle mover for fore and aft positioning won't be an issue, as confirmed above. Turning it may be!

When manoeuvering our 'van into it's winter storage position (by hand) I raise the front end on the jockey wheel to take a lot of the weight off the front axle. This allows us to turn the caravan in a much tighter circle as the wheel scrub effect is much reduced. I would only use this method on a smooth surface so as to avoid too much lateral strain on the jockey wheel strut and mount. While we can move the 'van into postion by hand it's not the easiest and a mover would certainly help.

What I'm not sure about is whether or not the extra strain from the (reduced) wheel scrub would be too much for the mover.

Hopefully someone has tried it on the rear set of wheels and can let us know of their experience.

Regards

 

[Robtel]

I have a Senator Wyoming twin axle caravan, MTPLW 1678kg which I store on my driveway. The driveway has a fairly steep slope plus it leads on to a narrowish private road. When I get my van out the driveway I then have to turn it 180 degrees. The road is too narrow to use the tow vehicle. Other than a motor mover my only other option is to go out on to the main road and reverse, not ideal as we are on a bend of the road just after a long straight section and traffic including HGV are coming along at a fair speed.
When I bought the van two and a half years ago I had a two wheel drive power touch fitted to the front wheels. This was rated as being o.k. (just) for moving a van of that weight. At that time Powrtouch were going to be bringing a new mover out called "innovation", deal was that they would upgrade mine to that when it came out f.o.c The Innovation was to be more powerful but they decided not to go ahead with it.
Anyway - back to the mover - The two wheel drive mover did power my caravan up my driveway and did manage the 180 turn at the top. I felt however that it was struggling just a little and was perhaps at the limit of it's range. I negotiated with Powrtouch an upgrade to an AWD mover which obviously copes much better.
My recommendation to twin axle owners would be - if you can afford the extra cost and the reduced payload then go for an AWD.If not and you only need the mover for fairly level ground then consider a two wheel drive version.
I reckon if it hadn't been for the circumstances of my sloping driveway combined with the tight turn at the top then I would have stuck with two wheel drive mover

 

[Jennifer2]

We have a 2 wheel mover on our twin, fitted on the front wheels. BUT......it is designed for twin axle, it's the Truma TE.

I don't think it would be a good idea to fit a mover designed for a single axle to a twin if you need it to turn the van much. Too much tyre scrub.

 

[littlebasher]

Jenny
Funny you should say that, yesterday i found one of those 'too good to be true' adverts...a brand new Truma TE mover advertised for £800

He accepted £575 for it and i picked it up earlier

Now all i have to do is fit it to the van - judging by the number of boxes, brackets, lengths of wires etc it's not something i'll be doing in a hour

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Rob,

I sure your comments will be helpful, but I do feel you are confusingly combining two separate issues i.e the slope and the turn.

Assuming the caravans are the same weight and within the movers weight range then there is very little difference in the movers ability to move either caravan in a straight line, and that includes the slope.

The biggest difference is in the turning the two types of caravan, and the presence or otherwise of a slope has relatively little to do with the capability of the mover to complete a turn. The biggest factor is the drag that the second axle induces

Consequently even if your drive did not have a slope, an SA mover would still struggle to turn your caravan. You certainly made the better decision to go for the AWD.