Could anyone help us were new to this, we just bought our 2nd caravan and it's longer than our last one and our drive is not very wide so to reverse our caraven is a no go for me so we push the last van down the drive but with a steep drop down the drive we struggled with our first small 2 birth, now we have got this larger 2 birth i don't think me and the mrs will be able to hold the caravan back befor it roll off into our garden we only just managed the small van, as anyone got any info on how to put a van on a steep and not very wide drive without buying a caravan mover and not killing ourselfs ,
You are presumably using the handbrake to control it if it is downhill. Put a rope on it to. Tie the rope on your towbar and release the rope just enough.
If it's going in backwards then the handbrake won't work of course. I'd buy a small winch, even a smallish hand winch with a step-down gear on it would do the job. The type used to haul boats onto trailers would do the job. Depends on the size of the van and the rate of the slope how big a winch you need.
Get an attachment which will link the winch to your towbar so you can have a central static point at the top of the drive, or sink a short post into the drive. Safety is the big issue as if the van rolls backwards down a slope there's no way of stopping it. Hence I'd use a backup device - something as simple as a rope would do, just in case the winch fails. Let out slightly more rope than the winch cable.
Can I suggest that you have asked the wrong question in your circumstances. Take the words "without buying a caravan mover and not killing ourselfs" out of your question.
You have undertaken a risk assessment (although you may not appreciate that that is what you have done) and concluded that there is a risk
1. of the van falling off the drive and causing damage (costs to be incurred in calling someone out with a crane to lift the van onto a trailer to take it to a workshop)
2. Van rolling forward and causing injury to you and/or your wife and damage to the van. Did you read the recent post about a chap who was run over by his van after he tried rolling it up his drive?
So your answer is to invest in a caravan mover. Then you can you move it whilst keeping a safe distance from the van. Saves you repair costs and hospitalisation.
Be safe...caravanning is more enjoyable that way.
many movers will set you back about £1000 but have a look at the new E-GO for about £600
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
If you go the mover route (safest and easiest but expensive solution to your problem), sometimes caravan dealers offer a cheap supply & fit package so the more expensive movers are not always more expensive... Plus, if you like a bit of DIY, they often come up used on Ebay. Also consider using a mover means getting the van on and off the car tow hitch is alot more controlled. A damaged rear bumper is expensive to repair. Plus you can use the mover to get your van in the right place on site so no more reversing and potential clutch wear on your towcar. I tried all sorts of methods to move my Sterling Europa 540, but all were a bit of a faff. Now i have an electric actuated motor mover so i press a few buttons and the van is inch-perfect - an absolute joy to use. Cost a small fortune but no more sore backs or expensive car and van damage, plus it can be transferred to another van or taken off and sold in the future. Bite the bullet and all your manouvering worries will evaporate!
------------- Why am i doing this instead of camping??!!
Just reading this post and i have a similar problem. I have to push my van up hill and have seen the advice on the use of a winch. Is it possible to attach a hand winch cable to the rear of the van, say by putting a cable across from one side of the chassis the other and then the winch cable on the centre of that to pull the van, or would it put to much strain on the chaises members. Don'T really want to crawl all the way under the van to attach it to the axle, bearing in mind i also have the spare wheel carrier under the van. Thanks
Quote: Originally posted by meta1mickey on 12/7/2010
Just reading this post and i have a similar problem. I have to push my van up hill and have seen the advice on the use of a winch. Is it possible to attach a hand winch cable to the rear of the van, say by putting a cable across from one side of the chassis the other and then the winch cable on the centre of that to pull the van, or would it put to much strain on the chaises members. Don'T really want to crawl all the way under the van to attach it to the axle, bearing in mind i also have the spare wheel carrier under the van. Thanks
You run the risk of distorting the chassis. It's not designed to take load in that direction. If you're going to winch it then you really ought to attach at the hitch.
Thanks, really need to revers the van in, any suggestions, as a mover is out of reach atm as much as i would like one. if i use the hitch then the door would be away from the house and easier for people to gain access without me seeing. Its the only part i hate, having to wrestle with the van when i get back. If there was some way to pull it back in in reverse it would be a doddle, don't have the option of pushing it in with the car, not enough room. lol
Quote: Originally posted by meta1mickey on 12/7/2010
Just reading this post and i have a similar problem. I have to push my van up hill and have seen the advice on the use of a winch. Is it possible to attach a hand winch cable to the rear of the van, say by putting a cable across from one side of the chassis the other and then the winch cable on the centre of that to pull the van, or would it put to much strain on the chaises members. Don'T really want to crawl all the way under the van to attach it to the axle, bearing in mind i also have the spare wheel carrier under the van. Thanks
As has been pointed out you do run the risk of distorting the chassis, thereby invalidating any warranty, but you could attach a winch line using a bridle between the chassis members by the rear cross member as near to the floor as possible (very often the bolts that hold the floor in place are extra long so fitting a mounting point to these is a possibility).
Only use this method if your van is on hard ground (concrete or tarmac) never use it when your van is bogged down in a muddy field or pitch.
Another method would be to permanently fix a bridle to the (rear) axle with the V fixed to a convenient point on the center of the rear cross member which can be taken off and attached to your winch line as needed (again only use on hard ground)
------------- Caravanning is a way of getting a cheap holiday out of an expensive hobby
makes you think. The mover cost a few bob but the broken arm was for free. mmmm mover..broken arm....broken arm...mover...mmm
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Thanks all, as its an Al-ko chaises there is no cross member near the rear. Its not a new van and there is no warranty. 1989 Abbey 214 GT 2 birth. Did not want to risk ripping out the fixings at the rear, just wondered if anyone had used anything that would pull a van in reverse without distorting or destroying the chaises. using a hand winch will have to have a re think on this one. Thanks again for the help.
Motor movers aren't everyone's answer though. A) Some of us can't afford them. B) They are pretty heavy items and some smaller caravans don't have a huge spare loading capacity.
I used to use a powerwheel (Bigfoot style of thing) that fitted to the jockey wheel mount - not brilliant as it skidded if the drive was damp, but it cost about £150 off ebay and didn't have to be permanently fitted to the van. There may be someone near you who has one would be willing to let you try it to see if it worked for you. Depends a lot on the weight of the van, degree of the slope and the surface of the drive.
Yingyang you have a 2 berth caravan, sorry about that but a 2 birth caravan would be one where somebody had given birth in. Motor mover is the only way to go in your situation.
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Topic: parking a caravan
