a friend of ours is thinking of buying a caravan, but not reall good with reversing, i remember seing someting something some where that lets you move a van with out having the car hooked up, any one remember or know what its called?
Hi Milo.There is agadget that wil let you park your van without the tug(car).It is elextric and hooks on to your vans a frame or to the jockey wheel.I would not be surprised if a motorised mover is on the market.I am sure that some of our more travelled "Old Mates" may have more info.Cheers.Ibbo.
Hi Milo there is another gadget that bolts to the chassis of the van and drives pushes the van with electric rollers on the wheels of the van it folds up up the way when not needed
The remote controlled caravan/trailer mover that makes moving easy for both Australian and European caravans. The base model is suitable for moving laden single axle trailers up to 2,500kg or twin axle trailers up to 2,000kg on a hard, level surface while the Model 6 All Wheel Drive unit is capable of moving up to 3,500kg laden twin axle vans on a hard, level surface.
It's for anyone who has ever had difficulty hooking up their caravan, horse float or trailer to the tow ball and great for parking in narrow areas or cornered driveways. It will also save many a sore back!
The Powrtouch can easily move and position your caravan or trailer in any direction (even 360o with single axle vans) on a level surface as well as wet or uneven terrain. However the performance of the unit will be affected by the grade or slope of the surface over which you are travelling. This means that a lighter caravan will handle a much steeper grade than a heavier caravan.
The Powrtouch operates through the use of a hand held remote control unit which communicates by radio signal with a receiver unit mounted inside the caravan. You have precise control of the movements and are able to move the caravan/trailer right onto the tow ball of your vehicle. Braking is instant with the press of a button. (Please note that the remote handset will not operate any Powrtouch. It is tuned into the unit which can only be done from inside the caravan.)
The base unit utilizes two 12 volt motors with reduction gearboxes mounted on a lightweight metal frame that clamps to your chassis and, with the cam operated lock, operates the drive wheels onto your caravan/trailer tyres. Engaging the rollers is almost effortless using the special extension bar. A Powrbar engages both drive wheels simultaneously so that the rollers can be engaged or disengaged from either side of your caravan. This is particularly useful when there is limited access to one side of your van.
The All Wheel Drive unit drives all four wheels of the caravan and may be required where a twin axle caravan is used on a steep slope, turning uphill or on uneven ground (where the drive wheels may lift off the ground). The All Wheel Drive unit is comprised of two Powrtouch units which are positioned both in front and behind the caravan wheels and which are wired to work simultaneously.
The fitting of the Powrtouch does not require any welding or drilling of the chassis in most instances, making fitting simple. If you are outside of the Sydney Metropolitan area, ask your local caravan repairer or mechanic to install it if you don't have technical abilities. Installation takes about 3 hours and the unit comes complete with instructions. If you need any assistance we are only a phone call away.
The Powractuator is a 12volt linear actuator that replaces the over-lock CAM system for engaging and disengaging the rollers to the tyres. As some existing parts are removed the new Powractuator does not add any weight to the existing Powrtouch Mover.
The drive rollers can be positioned on or off the tyres by a simple press of a switch.
Should you have a battery failure when the rollers are located on the tyre they can be removed by turning a small shaft by hand (9mm Hex) or with a battery operated tool (not supplied).
Please contact ACR Caravan Repairs for further information.Note: The performance of the unit is directly affected by the grade or slope of the surface over which you are travelling due to the effect of gravity. This means a lighter weight trailer will handle a much steeper grade than a heavier trailer. However it must be remembered that no two surface conditions and grade are identical. Therefore, we can only give you a general idea or estimate as to expected performance under your unique circumstances. When moving over grass, gravel or other non-paved type surfaces, your particular soil conditions will affect the performance of your Powrproduct under those conditions.
Milo its easy , look in the land rover bit on ebay and find a ball pull all one bit that you can bolt on the bumper bar at the front ,$60 bucks posted.. Makes puting the van where you want easy.. works best with bull bars....Bob
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Land Rover Discovery Chipped TD5 Manual ,Air Springs, Anti Sway. T.C. Auto level. Van, Roadstar 21.6 Voyager 4000 all sola powered.
a friend of ours is thinking of buying a caravan, but not reall good with reversing, i remember seing someting something some where that lets you move a van with out having the car hooked up, any one remember or know what its called?
Gday yes I have some info . Tell your friend to learn to reverse . There will always be situations were you must be able to reverse when hooked up . Sorry but I have no time for people that buy a van and have no idea what the hell they are doing . There are places that run training courses in towing which include reversing .
Yes I agree Rolly that there are houses that are difficult to park a van at . But for any other reason people need to learn to reverse there van . I have watched some really good reversing and some real shockers , have offered to help and been told to piss off I know what Im doing , and then after hitting a tree in the next site nearly backed into a creek . I just walked away with no comment . We all need to learn no one can reverse a van straight off it needs lots of practice .
Well, Mick, you've no doubt read my thoughts on the lack of driver competence and what I believe to be a desperate need for more thorough training and testing of all motor vehicle drivers.
The present situation is altogether too lackadaisical and ineffective.
And we, as a community, are paying very heavily for it in dollar terms, but more importantly in personal grief and social disruption.
The real trouble arises from the "head in the sand" attitudes of the general public and "it won't happen to me" unrealistic optimism.
Combined this with youthful inability to think consequentially and the older drivers' refusal to accept that, as circumstances change, they need to learn more suitable driving behaviours, and you have the current recipe that is cooking up a daily toll of motoring disasters.
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Old age and treachery will overcome youth and enthusiasm any day.......
Gday Yes Rolly I have read your thoughts and I agree with you on all points . The couldnt careless or worse the know it all attitudes a recipe for the accidents we see and read about every day .
RE >>> QLD LICEINCE TEST>>>> General forum .....A few pages back ,,,,bring it on
The front tow bar mount is a god send as to parking in a home yard/driveway /etc. Iv;e been doing this for the last 35yrs .
Jocky wheel moving systemns only good on hard surface , other wise they sink in soft areas.on sloping area this is the only braking device unless you can use the h/brakr at the same time & that becomes a handfull ,
Best way is the correct way , on the car . Dont see truck drivers using other methods . The biggest mistake most make is using too much steering lock,& jackknifing it to far .
Once you understand the basics of how its done its quite easy. Just access the parking area , calculate & apply , the less movements the better,
Ive seen some shockers my self ,even had to park a few as well. once learnt you have it for life . I learnt as soon as i could sit on a tractor seat, Dont want to think back that far ,
Good luck.
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Be your self; there's no body better qualified ! "I came into this world with nothing , I still have most of it"
Milo a lot that has been said before me sort of sums it up albeit some a bit harshly, your freind should really be able to reverse the van competently as at some point he/she will end up in a dead end road and will have no alternative but to back out, we've all done it
there are courses at some tafe colleges and caravan sales yards that offer a toedipping experience in the management of caravanning but very basic,
your freind should just go to an empty lot and just plain do it, practice, practice then practice some more
I was one of the lucky ones, I was brought up in a farm environment then went on to trucks, heavy plant and then semi's, reversing for me and a lot of others is second nature but it took years to accomplish and even then if things arent going my way I can still stuff it with the best of them
I think it was two Bob who placed a very good thread which is in line with this post, it was to do with watching the trailer/caravan in the mirrors, I cant recall it exactly but if you can Two bob would you mind repeating it for our younger players
There is a motorised hand tug for moving the van into a tight spot in the yard at home. I can't remember what it's called, but a friend of mine in WA used it to tuck the van into his yard. Otherwise he could back the 18ft, dual axle van anywhere. His yard was just a bit squeazy. I think he bought it at a boat trailer place in Rockingham. He even showed me how it worked. Reversing anything is a matter of practice, practice, practice. Even I can reverse my 20 footer by mirrors and good judgement. I persist and practice until I get it right. Some parks have staff who will guide you in, some park the van for you, others have drive throughs, others have generous sites, and others don't. I've had offers from chivalrous gentlemen to park my van, and at one park it took 3 blokes twenty minutes to stuff up what I started with confidence. They meant well. I just believe if I'm towing a van I have to back a van, so I've persisted with practice. If I can do it, anyone can.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
If your friend is having difficulty going backwards, maybe if the tug is suitable fit a front tow hitch in some van parks it's certainly easier to push it in rather that reverse. Mate has one on his patrol and how easy it makes it to get it right first up. Be sure to ask if it is suitable for models with airbags as they have sensors in the front bumper bar that could be effected
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Pets are welcome but children must be leashed at all times
Hmmm some people can't park cars let alone vans....
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KIA Sorento CRDi EX ( Ebony black) with 5 hex chrome plated tire air valve covers, Coramal Sunsheild, Elcheapo GPS, First Aid Kit, full KIA toolkit & Yellow lenses on the Foglights......
