This friction increases the rolling resistance, which means its harder to navigate and steer the caravan. Electrical roller engagement is a convenient feature and can be essential for someone with mobility difficulties. It's important to find out what facilities are available to manually engage and disengage the rollers in case the battery or engagement motor fails. If DIY-fitting a motor mover, try to run cabling through existing holes or drop-out vents to avoid drilling more holes in your caravan. Seal around any cable holes with mastic sealant to prevent water ingress. As discussed above, a larger and wider wheel will displace the weight of the caravan to perform ‘better’ on soft ground. Therefore, personally, I prefer a solid wheel. You can get premium products such as the Kartt, but expect to pay a premium price.

You can upgrade some e-go units retrospectively, eg, transform a two-unit system into an all-wheel drive four-unit system, thus future-proofing it should you get a bigger caravan. Recently I had to swap them as one day I opened the gate and I could hear a crunching sound. The wheel was literally disintegrating with each rotation. Typically companies offer the cross actuation bar (see Ease of Use below) as standard. You will pay extra for electrical engagement of the drive rollers on to the wheels, so do compare like with like and look at the technical specification when considering different cost options. Reich has some of the strongest movers on the market. You can control some via a smartphone app, just in case you can't find the remote control. All you would need to do is have a fixing either in your garage or in the ground and bobs your uncle and you problem would be solved and you could do it yourself whilst she who must be obeyed puts the kettle on.

New motor movers from Powrtouch

Brushless DC motors used in some movers create far more torque than traditional motors with carbon brushes. Truma’s XT is one unit that uses this technology. The method of attachment of mover to caravan chassis varies with different makes and each caravan varies, even if with the same chassis. The wheel size may be different, so a mover supplier may not always be able to predict what ground clearance you'll have. Some movers can be supplied with special tyres to help where softer ground is to be encountered but they're not always successful depending on your exact conditions. Some companies offer to demonstrate at your home or sell on a sale or return basis.

A motor mover with a quoted maximum caravan weight of 1,800kg may only be capable of moving a 1,200kg caravan on a one-in-four slope. Recent improvements Budget price movers are available but there are many corners that can be cut to reduce costs. Some use a less powerful motor or roller construction, which gives poorer performance, particularly when the tyres are wet and cold. A cheaper cost may also be reflected in poor availability of spares and after sales service, along with a short warranty period. Overall an inferior design may give rise to poor ground clearance and increasing susceptibility to corrosion through a poor paint finish.

Things to consider when using a motor mover

If you do accidentally hit a speed bump, for instance, with this plastic wheel, as reported to me by one of our guests, expect it to break. In addition, bear in mind that while you will save money with a manual-actuation mover, you should buy carefully. Moving up— The corrosion-resistant tube can take heavier noseweights and sustain greater lateral forces. At its highest point, the tube and wheel extend to 790 mm long (excluding the handle) to make it easier to reach. And, its long winding handle should help get it out of the way of some handbrakes.

Engagement to the tyres can be manual using a wrench, or automatic using a remote handset. A mover with manual engagement can engage both sides of the caravan from one side. It is easy to use for most caravan owners, with just a single movement. Operational Performance: Since commencement of production, our Optitec Wireless Remote Controlled Wheel has seen many applications including: Boat Trailers 3000kg, Tandem Caravans of 3500kg Most manual systems offer a facility referred to as cross-actuation where the rollers on both sides engage simultaneously by operation from just one side. This is more convenient and is essential if you wish to store your caravan alongside a wall, as it's not recommended to keep a roller pressed against the tyre over a long period of time. The downside of operating both rollers from one side is the extra effort required. The fitting of a cross-actuation bar also increases weight.

Help & Support

The signal from your remote is received by the control unit and this tells the mover rollers which way to turn. The compact, but powerful, motor turns a series of gears, which maximise the torque and dictate the speed at which your caravan will move. These gears drive the metal rollers, which are pressed into the tyre tread and rotate the wheel. And you’re off! The result is an efficient and super-sensitive mover that can even trap an egg without breaking it and one that will manoeuvre straight, even if one or more wheels is going over obstacles. Advanced mover technology is also making new units much lighter. The e-go range is 28% lighter than comparable units, giving you greater usable payload.

They had obviously experienced this issue before, and they set it up before they even tried to move their caravan with the motor mover. Many caravan manufacturers and dealers appear to be going with this particular product. In terms of its performance, it does have a larger and wider rim than I see fitted to a lot of older caravans.The mover units take power from the leisure battery, while a small electronic con trol unit receives the signal from the remote control and tells each motor what to do to achieve the required motion. Under no circumstances should you try to power your movers by plugging your caravan into the mains (if you have a flat battery at home on the drive, for example). Doing this can cause irreparable damage to your control unit. Why do I need a mover?