Caravan Motor Mover

Caravan Motor Mover header image 1

Caravan Motor Mover

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover

Welcome to caravan motor mover .com.

Here you will find information on every motorised caravan mover on the UK market and some advice on what to look for when buying yours.

So what exactly is a caravan motor mover? If you have been caravanning for a while you will probably already know the answer to that question but if you are new to the joys of travelling with your own caravan then maybe this is something you have yet to come across. When you arrive at many caravan sites and start the process of un-hitching and trying to move your van onto your pitch it won’t take long before you realizes that this must be the single most annoying and back breaking task caravan lovers have to do. Moving your caravan may not only be a chore but in some instances dangerous.

After doing this a few times you may notice that not many other fellow caravan users are that despondent about arriving at the caravan site and this will be because of a wonderful piece of technology, the caravan motor mover.

These easy to fit motorised units will allow you to move your caravan into and out of most pitches you come across. They will also park up your van when you get home and all at the touch of a button (or simply pushing a bar)! So after that depressing drive back you at least don’t have to physically exert yourself by moving your caravan onto the drive yourself.

In the next few posts I will try and breakdown what it is you should be considering when choosing the best caravan motor mover and talk about each type of motorized caravan mover on the market in the United Kingdom.

→ 2 CommentsTags: ··

Correction About Reich Caravan Movers

July 8th, 2009 · Reich Caravan Mover

The following was a comment made on the blog from David Daubney who runs  a caravan mover fitting and supplier business in the North West of England. It is such a good comment I’ve decided to make it into a post of its own and hope david doesn’t mind.

START

We are a supplier/mobile fitter of Reich movers based in the North West and wanted to correct your information on Reich caravan movers. There are a number of models available, not just the RK model you refer to.

There is the JUMBO/ECONOMY model which is very similar to the RK, but features cross-actuation as standard and has a 2 year warranty. This mover is available as manual engagement only.

There is also the COMFORT model (this has the plastic covers over the rollers to protect them from dirt/spray) – this has cross-actuation and has a 3 year warranty. However, this mover can, if required, be upgraded to the automatic version (Motordrive) for an additional cost. The mover weighs just 33kgs (single axle).

Finally, the latest model (COMPACT) is new to the market, is lightweight (weighing just 25kgs) and features cross-actuation and automatic engagement as standard. Again, there is a 3 year warranty with this product.

All Reich movers are available for single or twin axle caravans. In most cases, Reich movers just clamp onto the caravan chassis – no drilling or welding required and no pipes/vents need to be moved. Also note that Reich movers are designed not to affect the operation of the caravan’s shock absorbers and are also the only movers that will fit onto Eriba caravans. All Reich movers are designed to be fitted either in front or behind the tyres, although we recommend wherever possible to fit to the back as there is better ground clearance.

If further information is required, we are always happy to help.

END

E-mail:  info@caravanmotormovers.com
Tel: 0845 017 9662
Fax:0845 017 9663

I have added the contact details so if you are looking for a Reich Caravan Mover or someone to fit yours please be sure to contact David.

→ No CommentsTags: ··

Popular Caravan Motor Movers

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover, Powrtouch Caravan Mover, Purpleline Caravan Mover, Reich Caravan Mover, Rhyno Caravan Mover, Truma Caravan Mover

There are 3, what some people call “main” but we shall call them more popular, manufacturers of caravan motor movers, Reich Powrtouch and Truma. However before we rush off to the shops and buy the most “popular” caravan mover you may like to now that there are at least 3 more manufacturers of motorized caravan movers out there, Purpleline, Rhyno and Mr Shifta should be considered in the bigger picture.

All these companies are based in the UK, besides Reich that is, which in Mr Shifta’s instance is neccesarry as he has a policy that “Mr Shifta3 is only available following a successful demonstration.” This demo however will be conducted at your home or anywhere in the UK but you best be sure you want his caravan motor mover before calling in Mr Shifta!

While on the subject of country of origin this may be a good point to say that of the 6 major caravan mover manufacturers mentioned here most if not all will have the actual units produced abroad or they will have the parts shipped into the UK and assembled in their factory. Why should this be important to consider? Warranty! Consider you have a 5 year warranty and something breaks after 3 years, no problem simple contact the manufacturer and get it replaced. The fact is that you may have to wait until the part is delivered to them from the main part manufacturer. Most often this will never be a problem, as most if not all companies will hold a stock of parts. If however your unit was built in Germany and shipped to the UK and sold as a unit the chances are that spare parts will be held in Germany as well, just something to consider when choosing your caravan motor mover.

So although at first glance there may seem to be only 3 options when buying  a caravan motor mover take time to consider the “not so popular” manufacturers. If you frequent forums and are looking for answers to some common questions about a Reich motor mover or a Truma caravan mover the information may be easy to find. What won’t be so easy is to find is information from people who own a Mr Shifta or a Ryhno caravan mover. Instead of asking about the same movers you can information on already why not ask who owns any of the other 3 and what there opinion of them are, this way you will be armed with more information than the advertisers want you to have.

Choosing a caravan motor mover is an expensive move but one that should be with you for a number of years, make sure you have all the facts before buying.

→ No CommentsTags: ··

Truma Caravan Motor Mover

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover, Truma Caravan Mover

Truma have always been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to caravan movers, and produced a new generation of their original caravan movers to excite the market.

There are 3 separate models in the Truma caravan mover range now, the Mover S, Mover SE and the Mover TE. These new generations of Truma caravan movers, the SE and TE, have implemented features to help with the comfort and safety of moving your caravan. Electronic engaging and disengaging of rollers is seen to be one of the largest steps forward in caravan motor movers.

They are also reported to be the lights unit available and ‘judder free‘ with the new ‘Smooth Start‘ action found on all the new models. Weigh in at 35kg the Truma S and 33kg for the Truma SE both are 15% lighter that comparable caravan movers but it’s the Truma TE that really blow the market away. Weighing in at only 33kg, that’s a whopping 50% less than other comparable caravan movers.

The Truma S and SE models are both for single axel caravans weighing up to 1,800kg but the SE is the deluxe model of the single axel caravan motor mover and has some properties in common with its twin axel sister. The Truma TE is designed for all double-axle caravans and trailers weighing up to 2,250 and like the SE comes with ‘Smooth Start’ drive for jerk-free starting and stopping.

Truma are surely the big boys of the industry, with more of them fitted to caravans in the UK than any other caravan mover. The introduction of the new models a few years ago helped cement their popularity with many users providing positive feedback on their units. Many people who had long been fans of the powrtouch caravan motor mover were seen to move over to Truma, even with there shorter 2 year guarantee. This could be extended to 5 years for an extra £99, as can the guarantee on the Reich caravan motor mover.

→ 2 CommentsTags: ··

Rhyno Caravan Motor Mover

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Rhyno Caravan Mover

Rhyno Caravan Motor Movers are an all-British parts product manufactured by a small family business based in the Coventry area of England, UK. Rhyno report that there caravan movers and can be fitted by the user if they have a little mechanical knowledge as the kit has only 12 bolts to tighten and only three tools needed to complete the job. As a DIY project this can save you a good deal of money and Rhyno claim that it can be fitted in less than two and a half hours. It’s no wonder that about 70-80% of customers who bought the Rhyno mover are said to have fitted it themselves.

A word of caution though about this self fitted path, if something goes wrong with the mover the 5 year warranty will be for parts alone and you will have to pay for any postage of the unit back to the manufacturer for repair or replacement. If however it’s fitted by one of the recognised Rhyno fitters the 5 year warranty is an onsite warranty and a fitter will come to you to repair or replace. Just something you may want to consider when working out the price comparison.

Edit: Eric left a comment about contacting Rhyno about this, (see below) in general he says Rhyno UK will come to your home a fix repairs under the 5Year Warranty, and furthermore they have a lifetime gaurantee on one of their models. Now this is good new but check yourself with Rhyno, I know i will for my next Purchase. Karl

At only 28mm the Rhyno caravan mover protrudes very little from underneath your caravan giving a very good ground clearance. This is something to remember when faced with speed bumps, kerbs, potholes or bumpy fields, all should pose little threat to the mover under your caravan.
A twin-axle model is available and when this Rhyno caravan mover invokes a turn, one wheel will be driven forward like normal however the opposite wheel is stepped in the reverse direction. These opposite driven wheels help the turn the twin-axle caravan tighter and will easily return to fully automatic when a forward turn is needed.

There are two minor criticisms of the Rhyno caravan mover, one with the handset and the other with cross actuation (this is the ability to engage/disengage the caravan mover from a single side). The handset unfortunately doesn’t have any of the buttons marked for some reason, making its operation a little difficult when you first use the unit. After using for a time you will soon remember what buttons does what, or you could mark them yourself in someway. However it has a good range and also has a cable connection if required. The lack of an actuator poses more direct problems if you park your caravan in a tight space up against a wall.

Ryhno have said that the lack of cross actuation is due to the two rutted steel rollers being too heavy for some of their older customers to deploy. If these customers were to slip while applying the rollers, the springing wrench could be dangerous. Rhyno however have been reported to say that the unit can be left engaged in storage without risk to the tyres, you should check this with them if this is an issue for your caravan when parked.

If considering the Rhyno caravan motor mover you should remeber the issue with cross actuation and check with Rhyno that it is still save to leave the unit engaged when parked.

→ 2 CommentsTags: ··

General Problems with Caravan Motor Movers

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover, Powrtouch Caravan Mover, Purpleline Caravan Mover, Reich Caravan Mover, Rhyno Caravan Mover, Truma Caravan Mover

On the whole caravan motor movers are pretty reliable machines, but occasionally you may have a problem. This is a list of the more common problems and possible quick fixes. Remember unless you know what you are doing and comfortable working with this sort of equipment please don’t try, get a qualified fitter to do any work needed.

1. When you press the control the caravan mover will either, start then stop, or run then stop then runs again and will do this continually, this is commonly caused by signal loss. The first thing to do with any electrical problem, is charge the battery, don’t assume that it’s new so has a full charge or the caravan charger takes care of it. Charge it fully with a proper battery charger. If that doesn’t cure it change the batteries in the handset. If it still does the same then chances are the signal is being interfered with from something like the battery, the charger or some other caravan system. Unless you know what you are doing take it to a fitter to have it checked over for loss of signal

2. A ticking noise coming from the rollers is nothing to worry about and is only a little bit of play between the rollers end and the bearings it runs in. It may be possible to stop the ticking simply by inserting a washer as a spacer to remove the play but this should be done by a fitter. But again this is not necessary as the noise will not cause any harm.

3. The mover works when not engaged but refuses to move the van when engaged. Again the first thing you should consider is that the battery does not have enough power to move your caravan. It may have enough power to turn the lights on, but not enough to run the caravan mover. If you’ve charged the battery and tried another battery and it still does the same then it may be a relay on the circuit board, you will need a new control panel for this one.

4. When pressing the forward button your caravan only moves on one side. Disengage the rollers and press the turn button for the side that didn’t move, if the motor runs then engage the roller only on that wheel and try again. If the motor runs but the van doesn’t move the gearbox has broken. If however the motor doesn’t run its either a bad or dirty cable connection somewhere usually at the control box.

5. When trying to engage the roller, it goes solid & won’t engage, or goes very stiff but does engage with a struggle. The bar on the back end of the engagement nut has bent, a new end is needed.

These are all generic problems with caravan motor movers that are easy to solve and fix. If you come across something a little more troubling the best thing to do would be to contact your local fitter to have a look at it for you, but remember to save you money check the obvious first, is your battery fully charged and working?

→ 11 CommentsTags: ·

Caravan Motor Mover Site Outage

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover

Just a quick post to say sorry to anyone who visited caravan motor mover in the past day or two. I tried to update the site with the easy one button install you find on the dashboard and seemed to break the website. It all seems back now so once again sorry to have wasted anyone’s time.

→ No CommentsTags: ·

The Benefits of Fitting a Caravan Motor Movers

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover

Now we know what a caravan motor mover is it’s time to discuss the benefits of motorised caravan movers. These are just a few of the benefits you will come across once you’ve fitted the unit to your van, I’m sure there will be plenty others that you could think of. Why not leave your positive comments about caravan motor movers below.

7 Benifits of Fitting a Caravan Motor Mover

  • Motorised caravan movers makes shifting single or double axle caravans as simple and effortless as pushing a button or a bar.
  • Reduces the need for help of neighbours, friends or other family members and will stop back aches from pushing and pulling.
  • Caravan movers operate on most surfaces effortlessly, even muddy grass, uneven ground, gravel drives and sloping pitches.
  • The maximum speed of most caravan motor movers is around 30cm per second, up or down hill, there’s no danger your caravan will run away from you, down a slope for example.
  • Caravan motor movers make hitching up far less stressful, when the caravan can be moved to your car under complete control. This not only saves you time when leaving your pitch but when hitching up on your drive also, tight manoeuvring will no longer be a problem
  • Parking your caravan on the drive with a motorised caravan mover will help reduce wasted drive space as you can manoeuvre up to cm away from walls, fences or hedgerows without any trouble.
  • Caravan motor mover units are only clamped to the caravan chassis, requiring no drilling. This helps prevent weaken the structure of your caravan and allows the unit to be removed and swapped to your next new caravan.

→ No CommentsTags: ··

Reich Caravan Motor Mover

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover, Powrtouch Caravan Mover, Purpleline Caravan Mover, Reich Caravan Mover, Rhyno Caravan Mover

Reich offer two models of their caravan mover, the RK Mover for single axel caravans and the RK Twin Mover for, yes you’ve guessed it, twin axel caravans.

The RK Mover is advertised as the caravan motor mover for price-conscious users of both single and twin axel caravans. Their products have been around for a while and are well-proven in the market place as being simple and safe caravan movers.

Both of the Reich caravan motor movers models are operated by a simple control lever that easily engages and disengaging the long life Alu-friction rollers. The rollers provide friction with a unique, patented, wear and abrasion resistant surface for the best traction, which have proven to work under the worst conditions.


The internal SOFTSTART and SOFTSTOP electronics on these models will provide precise movement and greater control on any ground and will safely stop your caravan, even on a slope. This means you will not see your caravan lurch forwards or backwards as you press the button but more importantly it won’t bounce forward towards your car when you stop, making hitching your caravan easy and safe.

The RK Mover for single axle caravans is suitable for all caravans up to 2,000 kg with the twin axle model suitable for caravans up to 2,500kg. The power to drive your caravan wheels is provided from central motors fixed between the caravan’s chassis.

Problems

Like all things in life nothing is perfect and the RK mover is no different. If you look at something long enough you can spot potential problems so in the interest of fullness here is a list of potential problems with the Reich caravan movers.

Units are considered large and bulky in comparison to others on the market. They are the lowest hanging of all the movers, so ground clearance problems have to be taken into consideration.

The motors are some distance from the gears that drive the wheels putting strain on both the motors and the operating gears. To much wear would reduce the life span of the unit.

Engaging the rollers requires pushing a lever onto a bar on the ends of the unit, then lifting a safety knob and pushing the rollers, with the lever, onto the tyre. This must be done for each tyre, and for some people this may take some effort to do. However they also make a comfort model which replaces the lever device with a 19mm nut and it engages both wheels at the same time from either side. With an electric drill the rollers can be engaged easily once again.

The rollers are on the ends of 2 foot steel tubes coming from the motors swivel joints, making replacements expensive.

The RK Twin mover is fitted in such a way that under-slung spare wheel carrier has to be removed, so you’ll have to put the spare elsewhere.

A final point to make about the Reich caravan motor mover is that is comes with a 3 year guarantee. Not the longest guarantee out there but still.

→ No CommentsTags: ··

Purpleline Caravan Mover Video

July 8th, 2009 · Caravan Motor Mover, Motorised Caravan Mover, Purpleline Caravan Mover

The video below is designed to sell the Purpleline Enduro caravan motor mover but in fact it does a good should of explaining some of the key features you should consider when looking to buy your own caravan mover. It starts by giving you a basic introduction to what a caravan motor mover is, how it works and why they are beneficial to all caravan enthusiasts. It describes how the unit is powered by your caravan leisure battery and allows directional control for easy manoeuvring in tight spots. It then goes on to discuss the torque and why low gearing is important to caravan movers and tells us why having a wireless remote control is not only safer but more convenient to have.

The video goes on to discuss other features such as cross actuation and discuss the benefits of the engaging mechanism. Each manufacturer will have a similar type of engaging mechanism but it’s good to see one in action and have some show you what it all actually means.

The video takes about 6.5 minutes but is well worth a watch and you could stop watch at about 6mins as the rest is just music and some footage of a moving caravan.

If you like the video or have any other links to a video that could be helpfull in choosing a caravan motor mover then please leave a comment below. If you like this site then why not give us a bookmark in one of the links below, thanks!

→ No CommentsTags: ····