Just been to pick up the in laws caravan today and im soooo jealous. We both bought Bailey rangers, us a 5 berth and them a 4. However, we didnt bother having a motor mover fitted, thought as we were young pushing the caravan would be a doddle . They decided to have one fitted and now im wishing we had added one too. Took our van to spend the night on the in laws drive and it was a nightmare to get on . Went to put their caravan on the drive today and didnt even break out in a sweat, just like having a big remote controlled caravan. Its an absolutely awesome piece of kit I must say. OH said I could buy him one for his birthday in september if I wanted too
We wouldn't even consider caravanning without our motor mover and with the modern caravan forever getting heavier, I'd say it was THE most essential bit of kit after the barbecue!
I think there will definately be one fitted over the winter months while we dont need to use the van. The kids thought it was great watching the caravan move without anyone touching it. We told them it was magic and you just had to talk to it lol
Personally, I wouldn't have one, and haven't needed one in over 40 years of caravanning. However, it's a free choice, so no problems there.
The difficulty comes when people use it as a substitute for reversing skills. I'm sure that doesn't apply to any of you good people.
As for moving it by hand, we just don't - that's what the car is for. We wouldn't be physically up to that these days, but we have an 1800 kg caravan, and never move it a single inch by hand. Apart from the money, I just couldn't bring myself to drag all that extra weight around. Payload is too precious.
Speaking about reversing skills ! you can get a towball attachment for the front of your car. It screws in. Front towball video Used to have one on the MOD landrovers, so easy and no extra weight
We bought our Swift caravan last year with a motor mover already fitted and to say it has been a God send is an under statement. My husband is disabled and the mover makes it effortless getting the caravan into position both when we bring it home and when we are setting up on the camp site.
One bit of caution though, after hitching the caravan up to come home last year we did drive away leaving the control unit for the mover on the boot of the car, woops. Consequently it fell off and It cost us 60 quid to get a replacement . We have attached a lanyard to the new control unit which enables us to hang it around our necks when in use.
The difficulty would be that at some point you will meet someone who is not allowed to reverse, for example a school bus. Then you have to back up. There's no excuse, if you can't do it, then learn. It's all part of being able to drive.
Jim
We have one to put our caravan in the back garden. Althouth we used to do this perfectly successfully by reversing, the car caused too much damage to our front lawn. It also enabled us to position the caravan across the end of a pitch was was hedged on three sides in Holland recently. This would have been impossible to have achieved by reversing with the car.
We have one - we actually wouldn't have thought of adding one ourselves but the caravan came with one and its totally brilliant. We had totally underestimated the difficulty of the getting the caravan on to the drive and into the correct position without a mover. However, I don't know if its a bravado thing but OH always tries to avoid using it when we arrive on site - he has to have a go at reversing onto the pitch and he can do it fine, but you can't get that inch perfect position like you can with the mover. I had to laugh when recently he was reversing onto a tricky pitch and the warden leant in to me and said out of the side of his mouth ' why doesn't he just use the bloody mover' - boys will be boys!!
we've had one fitted about 6 years ago on our old van then got it fitted on this van one of the best things bought, why struggle when you don;t have too
We have just got one after years of not, hubby now has MS and I couldn't be without it now, our drive is very crooked and sharp and although we had to push it in by hand ( not enough room to use the car ) we could never get it flush against the wall on the back of the drive,and as things have changed hand moving is not an option now, and having the MM now is amazing !!! We can get that van into the tight space within minutes, no sweat just a few buttons it's a blooming marvel, couldn't be without it, if we didn't have it, we would have to give up caravanning.
------------- "I'm a fool for my dogs"
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The road can be tough and rough,but what you put in you get back 10 x more.
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Topic: got to have one!!
. They decided to have one fitted and now im wishing we had added one too. Took our van to spend the night on the in laws drive and it was a nightmare to get on 
. Went to put their caravan on the drive today and didnt even break out in a sweat, just like having a big remote controlled caravan. Its an absolutely awesome piece of kit I must say. OH said I could buy him one for his birthday in september if I wanted too 
. We have attached a lanyard to the new control unit which enables us to hang it around our necks when in use. 
