Hi, getting ready to have our twin axle Hobby 650 transported from the dealers to the caravan site it is going to be on over the season. It is going to be in their storage yard and the site owners are going to bring it out of storage and onto a pitch each time we want to use it. (We don't have a towball on the car and they don't offer actual seasonal pitches). Our Hobby also comes with a Reich twin axle motor mover. Should the need ever arise can we safely use the motor mover to maneouvre the caravan from the storage compound to the pitch (couple of hundred yards and flat) or vice versa or is the mover really only for very short distances?
------------- real men shouldn't be crying into their beer, they should be drinking whisky.
I can't see a problem. We have moved ours quite a bit, but not as far as that, although I have seen people moving caravans to a different pitch just using their motor mover.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
It should be OK, I've used mine (Powrtouch on a single axle, and well within it's weight capacity) to shift van between bays in the storage yard, probably a 100yds, plus much shunting back and forth and aligning in the actual bays. Not a hint of a problem when doing so.
A few things to consider.
The leisure battery needs to be in good order, of sufficient capacity, and near fully charged, otherwise you risk the battery protection (undervoltage/battery discharged) circuit tripping out and leaving you stranded - the MMs put a heavy load on the battery and will severely test it's state of health! It'll likely take 15-20 minutes to travel that distance! Your remote control battery also needs to be in good order, because you'll have your finger on the buttons and operating it constantly during your move! There is a risk that the overheat protection on motors or controller may trip out with prolonged continuos use, that is more likely if you are nearing the max weight capacity of the MM - you will then have to wait some time (possibly 15-20 mins) for it to cool and reset before you can continue!
In the event of the MM failing for whatever reason, would your immobilised van be a total obstruction, both to being recovered by towing, and to general site movement?
In all likelihood, it'd be fine. People move vans some distance and up steepish inclines successfully, which is far more challenging.
But remember, you need to move the van back to storage, so battery will likely need a recharge before return trip, off grid use would probably be unwise!
As Monty mentions - the motors may overheat. If you check your motormover instructions it will probably advise that the mover should not be used continuously for more than 10 minutes or so.
On some seasonal sites with onsite storage usually a fellow seasonal member with a towbar will offer to help those without a towbar when the caravan needs moving to the storage area at the end of the season.
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Topic: Motor mover use
