If you haven’t already heard of the incredibly ingenious device that is known as a caravan motor mover, then now is as good a time as any to educate yourself.

On the following page, you will find all you could ever want to and need to know about caravan motor movers and so much more. As well as explaining what they are, we will also look at 4 different models and give a comprehensive buying guide to help you find the right one for you and your vehicle.

Anyway, let’s have a look at which caravan motor movers are best.

Best Caravan Motor Movers To Buy

Now the next one on our list is a product from one of the leading names in the small motor mover market. This is the company, who specialise in this useful accessory, and this is their flagship mover, featuring a very easy to wind manual-engagement drive system.

Compared to previous models from the company, the features a fully upgraded casing for e inner parts. This means that it especially stands out as a caravan mover you can use virtually at any point. The rollers are constructed from aluminium and allow for incredibly smooth functioning, completely durable and capable of efficient dip.

All from the touch of a button, you can change the direction start and stop the mover. As the battery in the actual unit is rechargeable, you need to keep an eye on the diagnostics set into the handset, which offers separate values for both. Thanks to Emove’s own soft start/stop technology with this motor mover you have the right tool to manoeuvre your single axle caravan with greater accuracy than many others on the market and while benefiting from shockproof

From the manufacturer, the next on our list is the maneuvering system for caravans. Which gives you a powerful and simple to use tool for moving your caravan when you don’t want to have to navigate and carefully (or frustratingly) use your car or another vehicle to do it.

Although there is not a lot said about this online really, one good to note the aspect of this particular model is the fact that it comes with a full 3-year guarantee from the manufacturer.

Last, but certainly not least…not by a long chalk – is the Apollo caravan mover from Royal. Although on the pricier side of things, it does offer you a very powerful and versatile solution to the predicament you are faced on uneven ground or when you have to park your caravan in a tight spot.

It features an easy to use winding system with rollers that can simply be engaged when you are using it and disengaged when you are not. They attach to a side each of the caravan.

This is a 350 watts 12 volts model from Happybuy. This has been designed to handle a maximum vehicle load of 5000lbs and maximum jockey wheel load of 600lbs. As well as enabling you to manoeuvre your caravan easily forwards and backwards, it also has a brake that will automatically engage. It means that this is as safe as it is responsive and robust.

The clamp for this motor mover is adjustable to make for an easier and more precise fit to the size and height of your vehicle. It also features a rubber wheel designed to provide extra traction on rougher surfaces. This is a very versatile accessory to own because it will not only help you to move your caravan but can be used as a horsebox mover and boats.

What is a Caravan Motor Mover?

It is a 12 volt motorised or manually controlled device that can be used to move your caravan. You clamp it onto the chassis of your caravan, connecting it to rollers that are attached to the caravan wheels which move it in virtually any direction, normally operated using a handset.

The majority of them get their power from your leisure battery and come in a wide variety of different motor sizes relevant to your caravan’s weight.

Why Would You Use One?

To manoeuvre your caravan into a preferred position, whether you are hitching it up, parking into a touring pitch, storage or your driveway WITHOUT using your car.

They also enable you to move your caravan closer to your car when you are hitching up and to align a wheel lock receptor precisely to make it easier to insert a locking barrel for your caravan’s wheels.

Things to Consider When Buying

Now we’ve looked at some, you might want to or need to use one and looked at a selection of 4 great models; we feel like we can’t leave things there with regards to this subject. This is why we are going to take some time to look at some important things you need to consider and a little bit more regarding the choosing and buying between the various models out there.

They Are Not Cheap

It is important to note, that while these are great additions to your caravan arsenal of accessories, they are not necessarily an essential piece of equipment. Their price tags are in dependant to an extent on the size and weight of the kind of caravans they were designed to manoeuvre.

The general rule of thumb is that the larger the caravan, the more powerful the motor mover required; which in turns means, the more money it will cost to invest in one. Although some of the most expensive models involve the exchanging of 2 grand or more for the privilege, even the most basic of motor movers is still going to set you back around the £700 to £800.

Battery Power Required

Another aspect of motor movers you have to consider is the fact that they rely on taking a lot of power from your caravan battery, particularly if you are trying to move your caravan onto uneven or rough terrain. This is also true if you are trying to move your caravan down or up a gradient. Many installation companies suggest owners upgrade their caravan battery to a 110Ah to better cope with the greater amount of usage. This obviously adds to the initial cost of the mover and installation charges.

They Come With Additional Weight

The majority of can typically add around 35 to 70 kg to the overall weight, reducing your vehicle’s ground clearance by 40 to 60 mm. As a result, this will reduce the payload your caravan is capable of handling and decrease its fuel economy when being towed.

They Are Not Very Fast

With regards to many motor mover models out there, the heading is a bit of an understatement, to say the least. They are very slow-moving, which is okay over a short distance; but if you are busy and don’t want to waste a lot of time, it can be frustrating.

How To Tell If It Has Been Installed to a High Standard

If you have bought your caravan and are having your motor mover installed by a specialist installation company, there are quick and easy checks you can perform to ensure that fitting one has been executed to a high and very professional standard. Such as:

• The cabling underneath the caravan should all be tidy and neatly secured to the underside without slipping out.
• Trunking is used for protecting the cables form all kinds of damage and repair, especially if they run past any apertures in the van.
• All holes in the floor have been drilled and filled with silicone and kept to a bare minimum.
• Cable lengths have been kept similar, to prevent differentials in power supply to the two or four motors.
• All electrical control units have been installed neatly and are either under a couch, in a cupboard or locker.

Understanding Actuation

Actuation is a phrase you will come across when looking further into motor movers and it refers to the process of placing the drive rollers of the mover onto the tyre. This is generally achieved in a couple of different ways:

• Automatically by the press of a button on the caravan motor movers remote control and this will cause the rollers to move and come into contact with the tyre tread.
• By far the best mover systems are the ones that only require you to lever on one side, where a crossbar connects and activates the actuation on the opposite side.

Is Ground Clearance Really a Problem With Motor Movers?

Understandably, as you may have already known or just learned from this page, most motor movers are installed underneath the chassis of your caravan, which means the ground clearance is reduced, and by a lot. With some motor mover and caravan combinations, there may only be a few small inches of ground clearance. This, in turn, makes kerbs and speed bumps dangerous to travel over and when contact is made at a reasonable speed it may damage not just the mover but the actual caravan chassis.

Before purchasing a mover, you can check the maximum depth it is going to hang below the chassis. This will help you determine more accurately the amount of ground clearance. As recommended by caravanning enthusiasts and industry experts alike have advised that 150 mm of ground clearance. So, any motor movers you are interested in with a ground clearance less than this figure.

Reconditioned Caravan Movers

One way you can save some money when you want to invest in caravan motor movers is by investing in reconditioned models. Reconditioned caravan movers, like other reconditioned items, are models that have been refurbished in some way. Although this may mean that they’ve been used extensively and repaired, it could also mean that they have just suffered from aesthetic damages and are being sold as reconditioned as a result.

The issue with trying to find them, however, is that they are not normally advertised on the manufacturer’s websites. If you are interested in buying reconditioned caravan movers, then, the best advice we can offer you here at Caravan Helper is to phone up the bigger motor mover suppliers and ask if they supply reconditioned models. The worst that will happen is that you will be told no. You could even check with local caravan showrooms and retailers who stock accessories.

In Summary

There you have it, you now know a great deal more about them than you ever thought possible. This should be more than enough to help you decide first and foremost if they are even something you want to consider for your tourer. Many people get by fine without them.

However, if you do decide your life would be easier and more enjoyable if you had a caravan motor mover in it, we have given you a fine amount of information to help you find the best one.

After some more towing tips? Check out our articles on caravan towing covers, hitch covers and number plate tape.