Would I get a Caravan up this steep curved drive.

[Beachball]

Another vote for a motor mover you should not have any problems

 

[Buckman]

Thanks to everyone for the replies and food for thought. I'm really at the early stages of deciding whether to get into caravaning but this is one of the most important considerations for me. If I can't get it up to the house, then it makes it much less attractive.

Thanks again and depending on how the trailer goes this weekend I know where to come for solid no nonese advice.

Have to considered storing the caravan away from home on a nearby CASSOA caravan storage site?

 

[Guzzilazz]

We store at a CASSOA gold site (happens to be our dealer) and it is much more secure than any drive we have would be; consequently our insurance is reduced by 10%, there's also an advantage in that if we have an issue, we can drop the van off at the end of a trip for attention.

 

[otherclive]

The OP would still benefit by knowing if a caravan could access the drive up to the house. So much easier than having to go out to a storage site to fill up and unload the caravan, or for very early departures too. But security wise a secure storage site is better than on the drive.

 

[ProfJohnL]

...encore un fois...
View attachment 7337

What on earth are you trying to say?

 

[Buckman]

The OP would still benefit by knowing if a caravan could access the drive up to the house. So much easier than having to go out to a storage site to fill up and unload the caravan, or for very wary departures too. But security wise a secure storage site is better than on the drive.

We never fill up or unload our caravan at the storage as prefer to carry all in the car. Makes life so much easier. Obviously if you have kids or no room in the car then you have no option.

 

[otherclive]

We never fill up or unload our caravan at the storage as prefer to carry all in the car. Makes life so much easier. Obviously if you have kids or no room in the car then you have no option.

Whatever, it’s still beneficial to know if you can get your caravan on your drive.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Knowing that your gates are 3.9m wide, and applying that as a scale to assess the task. It will depend very much on the length of the trailer and the width, don't forget that the actual length of the caravan is usually longer than the manufacturer's stated length becasue of the additional length of the A frame.
Most caravans are 7' 6" wide but in the last few years caravans have been allowed to be 8ft (2.4m). So fully understand the size of the caravan.

Road access from the top of your picture should be OK, but from the bottom, acuteness of the turn could be a problem for a car towing a caravan.

Doing a rough estimate the S bend from the gate to the level area at the front of the house looks to be about 20m. if this is 25% gradient then it is going to be a tough job to move a caravan up it. You will definitely need mechanical assistance. If you have a small caravan (short) I suspect you could tow the caravan up. I would suggest that you would be best served by an automatic transmission with fluid torque converter to avoid excessive clutch wear.

The other alternative which many have suggested is a caravan mover. Again you would have to look carefully at the specifications to ensure the model you choose is rated for your weight of caravan, and the working duty of a 25% gradient for 20m or so. I would strongly advise you write the details of your specific requirements on the order so it becomes a critical term in the contract with the supplier. You would need to uncouple (or couple when leaving for a holiday) the car and caravan at the bottom of the drive. You appear to have enough space to do so without causing a major obstruction to the road traffic for more than a few minuets.

Another factor to bear in mind is the battery needed to run the mover, and how it will be charged particularly on your homeward journey. You need to make sure it will be well charged when you get to the bottom of your drive, otherwise it might not have the charge to move the caravan all the way up your drive. This is a real concern, because many new cars have what is called a smart alternator, and they will not necessarily provide charge current to the caravan battery when the cars needs are satisfied. For this reason do ensure your towbar fitter is aware you need current for the caravan battery and fridge when towing. Some cars need a software change to ensure this is the case.

A lot to think about - Good luck

 

[Dustydog]

What on earth are you trying to say?

It’s French Prof. Surely a man of your ability knows une petite peu Francais😉

Briefly it’s a corruption of language better known these days as Gymglish
Literally means Once again, one more time. The attachment is is rolling bush thing.

 

[borderbilly]

Buy a cheap quad bike ( £1000) and pull it up with that.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Buy a cheap quad bike ( £1000) and pull it up with that.

A highly dangerous suggestion. the caravan will most likely weigh considerably more than the quad, and as such it would be unable to safely control the caravan o the slope. Don't forget it's not the ability to start climbing the hill its more important to be able to stop the caravan once its moving going down hill. Give any condition such as rain or dead leaves or even worse snow and ice, and the quad bike would be a dangerous liability rather than safe assistant.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It’s French Prof. Surely a man of your ability knows une petite peu Francais😉

Quite simply no. I am not a foreign language linguist.

 

[otherclive]

Quite simply no. I am not a foreign language linguist.

Typically French, one dictionary gives eight meanings of " une fois" 🥐🍷

 

[Hutch]

Typically French, one dictionary gives eight meanings of " une fois" 🥐🍷

Yes but only "Once."

 

[Gafferbill]

I wouldn't have any caravan detached from it's towing vehicle on that slope.....too dangerous for me.
Looks to be plenty of room .....just have to be aware of rear end swing going though the gates.
The gates are 13ft wide!

 

[primal242]

My experience with Purpleline Quattro mover on a slope is not good. 1650 kg single axle van on a 9 degree (16% slope) slips badly and cannot be used. The specification for the movers is 2250kg flat and 1500kg 25% slope so I think I am within the limit. I think the specifications are in the absolute best case scenario, and there are many factors influencing the performance. In my case I get the tyre pressure absolutely perfect before attempting to use them on a slope. I also suspect, but cannot confirm, that the tyres that are being sold these days (low rolling resistance) hinder the proper operation of the movers.

I do not use them to back down my 14% slope driveway anymore. Instead I tow the van down the driveway frontward and then use the movers to do a 180 degree turn at the bottom of the sloping driveway where it is quite flat.

 

[ProfJohnL]

My experience with Purpleline Quattro mover on a slope is not good. 1650 kg single axle van on a 9 degree (16% slope) slips badly and cannot be used. The specification for the movers is 2250kg flat and 1500kg 25% slope so I think I am within the limit. I think the specifications are in the absolute best case scenario, and there are many factors influencing the performance. In my case I get the tyre pressure absolutely perfect before attempting to use them on a slope. I also suspect, but cannot confirm, that the tyres that are being sold these days (low rolling resistance) hinder the proper operation of the movers.

I do not use them to back down my 14% slope driveway anymore. Instead I tow the van down the driveway frontward and then use the movers to do a 180 degree turn at the bottom of the sloping driveway where it is quite flat.

It reads to me as though the rollers may not be exerting the correct pressure on the tyres when its engaged. Not only should you check th etyre pressures, but you should also check the mover set up correctly. It should be checked periodically and adjusted to account tyre wear or when new tyres are fitted.

 

[primal242]

It reads to me as though the rollers may not be exerting the correct pressure on the tyres when its engaged. Not only should you check th etyre pressures, but you should also check the mover set up correctly. It should be checked periodically and adjusted to account tyre wear or when new tyres are fitted.

I do check and adjust the tire pressure before using the movers. The movers are "auto engage" so they choose the pressure to apply to the tyres when engaged. When engaging, you can see them deflecting the tyre surface slightly and then they back off a fraction. The movers are the necessary 20mm from the tyres when disengaged. They were professionally installed and both the movers and tyres are new. The driveway is concrete and in good condition.

My hunch is that caravan movers work better uphill than downhill. Backing a caravan downhill with them also has an added risk. If they start to slip, and you use the handbrake in an attempt to stop, there is a slight risk that the reverse direction will disengage the brakes as it thinks the caravan is being reversed.

The simple solution would be to apply a little handbrake before taking the van down the hill - taking pressure off the movers - but alas the caravan has an Alko handbrake mechanism that only has fully ON or fully OFF - nothing in-between.