If you tow a caravan or camper trailer you soon get exposed to the difficulties of reversing into a tight spot. If you are one of the lucky ones, it comes naturally, and you attract the envy of all those other campers around you who have difficulty with this issue. However, it doesn't matter how good you are with reversing a rig, sooner or later you will find an instance where you need to do some manual handling; and depending on your age and fitness, and the weight of your caravan it can be a very strenuous exercise. Throw in an incline and a bit of rough terrain and just watch the blood pressure rise!
Fear not - there is help. A series of little helpers known as caravan movers, or trailer trolleys, or trailer tractors are available (for a price), to reduce the load on the body. This article will look at several of them, and suggest some points to bear in mind when selecting one or the other.
12 Volt Lithium Battery
To start with, there are two main modes for movers, manual or motorised; and within those two groups there are variations. There is quite a large price differential too between manual and motorised.
Manual movers generally operate on the jockey wheel. One type consists of what looks like a normal jockey wheel but in fact has dual modes. Flick a lever one way and its acts as the normal wind-up mechanism for the jockey wheel. Flick the lever the other way and the winding of the handle now drives the jockey wheel and thus the caravan or trailer. Another type of manual mover is a modified jockey wheel. It incorporates a lever-ratchet driven mechanism. You operate the lever like a pump handle to move the rig in one direction or another. In both of these models, steering is executed by pointing the jockey wheel in the direction you want to go. If any inclines or rough surface is involved though, be prepared for some hard work.
Motorised movers either work by driving the main caravan wheels themselves or by substituting for the jockey wheel. They are 12 volt DC powered with some having on-board batteries and some using your caravan battery as the power source. On some models steering is achieved by moving a 'rudder post', whereas in others it is achieved by selective motor control (there are usually two motors, drive one forward and one reverse and you can turn in a circle). Most models have a wireless remote so you can stand back and avoid driving your caravan over your feet!
Now, what are the pros and cons?
Manual movers are generally inexpensive but still require a degree of effort to move a caravan. Of course the heavier the caravan and the more hostile the terrain, the harder it becomes. They are not fixtures. They can be removed from the caravan when travelling and they are relatively easy to engage and disengage.
Motorised movers are obviously more expensive but are much more capable. The models that drive the main caravan wheels are permanent fixtures and may require a degree of welding or bolting to the chassis. The wheel engagement can be actuated either manually or power driven. As a permanent structure they may be susceptible to water and stone damage.
The motorised movers that take the place of the jockey wheel are many in design and price. Some have batteries on board whilst others have power take-off from the caravan battery. Some have a single driving wheel; others have two wheels. They are all portable fixtures and are easily removed for travelling, so the water or stone damage issue does not come into the equation.
My particular choice is a neat little device made in Denmark that looks like a miniature tank (without the canon). It has an on-board lithium battery and dual planetary geared motors that make moving my camper trailer a breeze. It has a lifetime before recharge of 30 minutes and can handle numerous types of surface and reasonable inclines. It will even charge from the built-in solar panel. Happily I can leave the back ointment behind!
So there you have it, spare the back and get a mover for those tricky spots. Be the envy of the other campers as they drive back and forth trying to get their 'van in the right spot. To find out more and see some photographs of various models visit the website shown in the resource box below.
