We're buying our first caravan a 2015 Challenger Sport 524 in March next year and from what I've read the consensus is that they are well worth the initial investment! The question though is which one to buy? A friend has an Al-Ko Mammut and really rates it but at £1500+ it seems very pricey to me. What are your thoughts?
Which is the Best Motor Mover on the market today?
- Thread starter DJMilly
- Start date
I've no doubt you will get many recommendations for Powrtouch, especially their excellent after sales service. Bear in mind that "aftersales service" usually means the system developed a fault. :dry:
I'd say Powrtouch. But then again I've not had anything else to compare with. We had an old van that came fitted with an original Powertouch. They were very helpful when the time came to fit replacement rollers after shedding of the grit layer. When we had the new van in 2012 we had a very good deal on a new Powrtouch Evolution with auto engagement. Very pleased.
Maybe a Mod will move this to Technical
That's a bit hard on Powrtouch Chris.
I see your point.
okay
Powrtouch without doubt and close behind Truma do give cast iron first class guarantees.
Yes things do break.I had a bearing failure. Within minutes Powrtouch arranged for one of their mobile engineers to contact me. He did. We arranged a mutually convenient time. He replaced the defective bearing and as belts and braces the one on the other side which seemed ok to me.
Truma on FIL unit were equally good.
These are expensive units.
Purple line and others are much cheaper.
That's a bit hard on Powrtouch Chris.
I see your point.
okay
Powrtouch without doubt and close behind Truma do give cast iron first class guarantees.
Yes things do break.I had a bearing failure. Within minutes Powrtouch arranged for one of their mobile engineers to contact me. He did. We arranged a mutually convenient time. He replaced the defective bearing and as belts and braces the one on the other side which seemed ok to me.
Truma on FIL unit were equally good.
These are expensive units.
Purple line and others are much cheaper.
Thanks all for your comments, PowerTouch do keep cropping up, no mention for the Al-Ko Mammut yet though, I wonder if it's simply because they are so much more expensive? Are we likely to get a deal on a PowerTouch at the Caravan & Motorhome Exhibition or don't PowerTouch do deals because they are just so popular?
My PowerTouch has behaved faultlessly for 7 years - exactly the sort of customer service you want.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against Powrtouch. They are no doubt an excellent mover. It just seems that I've read a lot of posts on this and other forums about how good their after sales service is. Usually the posts refer to repairs within the warranty period. I'm just a little sceptical about the robustness of the product.
Judging by responses to similar questions on internet forums, PowerTouch seem to have a lot of customers, ie sold a lot of units - the fact that you rarely hear of anyone being critical about them says a lot.chrisbee1 said:
This point has arisen so many times, so yet again we need to take a measured and balanced view about it.
I have no problem with Powertouch, but equally I have no problem with any of the other caravan mover manufactures that make main axle movers. Quite simply Axle movers they are the best engineering solution for obtaining grip to move and even more importantly stop and hold a caravan on a slope.
In practice all mover manufacturers employ the same basic principle of electric motor, reduction gear box and driving roller forced against the caravans tyres. There's very little new mechanical invention here, so its likely that most manufactures will have similar reliability levels.
That being likely, why is it we hear more about Powertouch than most others? It could well be they have sold more than anyone else, so even if the percentage of failures is no worse than everyone else, the bigger number of sales will bring a bigger number of failure reports.
We will never be able to confirm or refute that suggestion, as all manufactures will consider sales numbers as commercially confidential.
All power to Powertouch for keeping customers happy, that is a plus point for their commitment to customer service, and I wish other manufacturers would take the same view on such things. But being someone who has been involved with Reliability, and Quality Management, seeing a greater number of comments about the quality of the after sales service, does make me ask why do so many people have problems that require after service support?
What Powertouch have done better than most other manufacturers is to get their name associated with good service. That is not suggesting that other manufactures have poor service, and long may it continue, but perhaps its time to go back to the drawing board and design out the most common failures you get. And that applies to ALL manufacturers.
As for choosing which is the best mover, Until there is a true like for like comparison test carried out by the magazines or Which, I don't think there is a lot to choose between them. But if getting good service if it does go wrong is a high priority, then you have plenty of testimonials to guide you.
I have no problem with Powertouch, but equally I have no problem with any of the other caravan mover manufactures that make main axle movers. Quite simply Axle movers they are the best engineering solution for obtaining grip to move and even more importantly stop and hold a caravan on a slope.
In practice all mover manufacturers employ the same basic principle of electric motor, reduction gear box and driving roller forced against the caravans tyres. There's very little new mechanical invention here, so its likely that most manufactures will have similar reliability levels.
That being likely, why is it we hear more about Powertouch than most others? It could well be they have sold more than anyone else, so even if the percentage of failures is no worse than everyone else, the bigger number of sales will bring a bigger number of failure reports.
We will never be able to confirm or refute that suggestion, as all manufactures will consider sales numbers as commercially confidential.
All power to Powertouch for keeping customers happy, that is a plus point for their commitment to customer service, and I wish other manufacturers would take the same view on such things. But being someone who has been involved with Reliability, and Quality Management, seeing a greater number of comments about the quality of the after sales service, does make me ask why do so many people have problems that require after service support?
What Powertouch have done better than most other manufacturers is to get their name associated with good service. That is not suggesting that other manufactures have poor service, and long may it continue, but perhaps its time to go back to the drawing board and design out the most common failures you get. And that applies to ALL manufacturers.
As for choosing which is the best mover, Until there is a true like for like comparison test carried out by the magazines or Which, I don't think there is a lot to choose between them. But if getting good service if it does go wrong is a high priority, then you have plenty of testimonials to guide you.
With my first van I bought a purpleline mover(at the caravan show). Died within a year and the controller was replaced. Died less than a year later and purpleline declined to fix it - would have had a 2 year warranty but I fitted it myself so only one year. I replaced the controller again and it worked for the next 2 years till I sold the van. On my new van (2014) I decided to fit a pwrtouch. Couldn't get a deal at the show and the dealer quoted me about £1000 which I declined. Went on ebay and found someone who travelled to my dealer and fitted a pwrtouch(latest model) for £800. When the dealer realised what I had done he offered to match the price which I declined. Deals can be found for pwrtouch. I realise that any mover can have problems but it is how they handle the problem that makes the difference. HTH's
http://www.purpleline.co.uk/caravan-mover-comparison-video.php
This is 2011 you tube video comparing a number of makes.
Granted the tests were carried out by Purpleline. To the best of my knowledge none of the other manufacturers have challenged the results.
This is 2011 you tube video comparing a number of makes.
Granted the tests were carried out by Purpleline. To the best of my knowledge none of the other manufacturers have challenged the results.
Thanks everyone for your replies. This forum certainly is the best place to come to for impartial advice and information!
I too am new to caravaning and had movers fitted,,my BIG mistake was to buy the manual version rather than the automatic,,I know they're more expensive but in my opinion worth every penny.
However I don't have any opinion on makes.
However I don't have any opinion on makes.
Damian
Moderator
Quote " my BIG mistake was to buy the manual version rather than the automatic,"
That is NOT a mistake, it is the sensible thing to do.
There have been so many problems with automatic actuation that they are more trouble than they are worth
That is NOT a mistake, it is the sensible thing to do.
There have been so many problems with automatic actuation that they are more trouble than they are worth
Auto engage is not a mistake if you don't have have the ability to manually engage the rollers, especially if there is cross-actuation. In these days of 'inclusion' please don't decry aids for those with disabilities.
I have to agree with Sir WC.
The cross actuation engagement lever on both my Powrtouch and FIL's Truma need a pretty hefty weight to engage and disengage .If I was arthritic and a light weight I'd struggle
hmy:
The cross actuation engagement lever on both my Powrtouch and FIL's Truma need a pretty hefty weight to engage and disengage .If I was arthritic and a light weight I'd struggle
hmy:+1Dustydog said:I have to agree with Sir WC.
The cross actuation engagement lever on both my Powrtouch and FIL's Truma need a pretty hefty weight to engage and disengage .If I was arthritic and a light weight I'd struggle
I'm not sure there were any fully automatics when I bought mine, but they'd have been too expensive - cross-actuation is a boon but the forces are more than doubled as the cross-bar absorbs force like a spring.
Even with my lifetime of alcohol excesses, it takes all my weight on the extending wrench to actuate it.
I have told this story before but it demonstrates why it is always Powertouch for me.
Many years ago I purchased a second hand van with a move fitted. After a while it developed a fault. I phoned Powertouch and although they did not know who I was they diagnosed the problem and offered to send the spare part free of charge for me to fit or to send an engineer at a nominal charge. The engineer arrived the next day.
The only other time I had a problem was about 8 years ago when a new box failed and the engineer arrived the same day and replaced the box.
I do not know if Powertouch movers are better made than other makes but the after sales service is second to none
Many years ago I purchased a second hand van with a move fitted. After a while it developed a fault. I phoned Powertouch and although they did not know who I was they diagnosed the problem and offered to send the spare part free of charge for me to fit or to send an engineer at a nominal charge. The engineer arrived the next day.
The only other time I had a problem was about 8 years ago when a new box failed and the engineer arrived the same day and replaced the box.
I do not know if Powertouch movers are better made than other makes but the after sales service is second to none
FrintonMike said:
Hello Mike,
You cannot make a balanced judgment based on the information you have given. Not having sampled other mover manufacturers after sales services you have nothing to make a fair comparison against. All you can report is that Powertouch have exceeded your expectations. Thats great but it doesn't mean PT are necessarily better than their competitors.
John - your comment could/can be made to every single contributor in a thread such as this - none of us can possibly have used all, or even just several, models of mover for long periods to assess their reliability with any level of statistical accuracy. The benefit to the OP will acrue if enough contributors recount their own limited experience and a pattern may start to emerge - it won't have total statistical accuracy but be better that a single report. Unlike yourself, Mike gave some information about actual experience of mover ownership.ProfJohnL said:
Mike - your single experience is valuable in adding to the collective response for the OP.
Dustydog said:
I agree,
I've only ever had Powertouch movers and have had no problems with any of them. Likewise, a couple of friends who have them. I've also found them reasonably priced (if you shop about) and easy to fit (I've always DIY'd)
..........nobody has mentioned the weight penalty associated with fitting a mover and the large proportion of payload that is lost as a result.
Payloads are pitifully low on most modern caravans as it is!
Given the amount of gear I see carried in caravans that are fitted with movers....... then it is obvious that the payload is often exceeded.
This is a factor that the OP needs to consider.
Payloads are pitifully low on most modern caravans as it is!
Given the amount of gear I see carried in caravans that are fitted with movers....... then it is obvious that the payload is often exceeded.
This is a factor that the OP needs to consider.
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