Front Wheel Drive - Wheel Spinning! (1 Viewer)

[Hazz]

Hi all, I'm new here and was hoping for some advice. We've just bought a McLouis 690, it's on a fiat ducato so is front wheel drive. Unfortunately, our parking space for it is up a very narrow uphill lane, halfway up this we have to turn right to get it into the park & it's a tight fit & won't go in one go. Long story short, after our first outing in it, we managed to get it stuck across the whole lane wheel-spinning & we just can't get it back into our drive! We eventually managed to get it back out of the lane (phew) and we've had to leave it on the road for now.

Has anyone had any similar experience & what did you do? Is there anything anyone can recommend (apart from selling it & buying a rear-wheel drive!). Our last MH was a Hymercamp - rear wheel drive & we never had a problem.

Are there any good outdoor floor coverings/paint anyone can recommend?

PS apologies if this is in the wrong forum

 

[hilldweller]

If you reverse the you have effectively rear wheel drive.

FWD is a pain in the bum when it comes to grip.

One the roads they put shellgrip or similar where extra grip is needed.

 

[Hazz]

Thanks Brian - we tried that & nearly burned the clutch out! It's quite a steep hill & we backed it up, smoke filled the cab along with this incredible burning smell....

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[hilldweller]

Thanks Brian - we tried that & nearly burned the clutch out! It's quite a steep hill & we backed it up, smoke filled the cab along with this incredible burning smell....

OOOOOOOooooooEEEEEEEEEEErrrrrrrrrrrrr. Not good.

A bit odd because reverse is usually lower than first.

You are new here but if you look you'll find I've said many times "don't drive down hill on wet grass, you'll never get back up". FWD is just useless, more the weight is on the back wheels so lifting the front.

 

[Clickem]

Reversing up the hill will also add weight to the drive wheels. You should also look at your weight distribution and your tyre pressures

Perhaps a visit to a weighbridge would shed some light

 

[Hazz]

So why on earth are so many MHs FWD?! Yes we're trying to find a garage with a high enough PSI (80) to check whether the tyres might be over inflated (if only it could be that simple...)

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[chaser]

So why on earth are so many MHs FWD?! Yes we're trying to find a garage with a high enough PSI (80) to check whether the tyres might be over inflated (if only it could be that simple...)

You only need get your own tyre gauge probably less than a fiver at halfords or similar to check, always usefulto keep in the van

 

[SpeedyDux]

Wheelspinning is terrible but probably less costly than clutch slipping.

Not something I've tried personally but as a last resort winching the van up your drive is something you might look into.

 

[chaser]

Are you sure the brakes arnt binding

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[jockaneezer]

We had the same problem on a road in France but luckily managed to reverse back down the road. As for doing it in reverse, I'm sure I read something about manoeuvring turbo engined vehicles up inclines in reverse gear and due to the low reverse gearing and some turbo's power not being effective till the revs are up, you end up slipping the clutch and producing smoke/burning the clutch out. You often see tuggers suffering from this malady if they try backing into an uphill pitch on undulating camp sites. I think you're going to have to stick with roadside parking unless you can get a friendly farmer to tow you up ?

 

[DBK]

If you have a button like this one on the right on your dashboard give it a press. It may help. Otherwise, I can only suggest give the drive/road a good sweeping to remove any sand or grit there might be. It will be no encouragement at all I suspect to say we had a similar problem and the solution was to move house. There was a little bit more to it than that as we were already thinking of moving but when I borrowed a MH like the one we planned to buy and tried it on our drive the visit was, like you have experienced, marked by the smell of burning clutch. This convinced us to move. If that isn't practical you will need to look for somewhere to store it.

 

[filopastry]

Not 100% sure but I recon this is a question of weight transference. if I've got it right, you drive up a slope and have to turn tightly to the right and its during the "shunting" back and forth that you become stranded as the weight is taken off one wheel as the van is now side ways on to the slope and the wheel on the upper side starts to spin. If this is the case, and forgive me if I've got it wrong, but can you not drive up the hill, turn to the left and then reverse up what would be the right turn??

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[Boringfrog]

So why on earth are so many MHs FWD?! Yes we're trying to find a garage with a high enough PSI (80) to check whether the tyres might be over inflated (if only it could be that simple...)

80psi in the front, almost certainty overinflated.

 

[Hazz]

Chaser - I don't know about binding. But there was a slight burning smell from one of the rear wheels (before we burned the clutch) and we did wonder if the brake might be sticking on that wheel. I'll check out a tyre gauge thanks.
Jetlag - that's correct. Except the lane is narrow and it is not possible to turn left to reverse in, the lane is not much wider than the width of the van. We can't continue up the lane and back in either because it gets even narrower past our space.
John - thanks I'll look for that button later & give it a go if we have one. Moving house not really an option, I will be more inclined to sell the new MH and buy a RWD.
Boringfrog, the tyres say 80 on the side, not sure what they're inflated to currently but they seem pretty firm so may well be over inflated.

Thank you all for your replies

 

[DBK]

Just had a look at a McLouis 690 and it has an enormous overhang at the rear. I can only suggest make sure there is nothing heavy sitting at the back which can be moved or emptied.
I forgot to describe what the button is - it is the traction control. Not all have it but it will in theory prevent one wheel spinning but whether it will help in your specific circumstances I'm a bit doubtful. It works by applying the brake gently on the spinning wheel to stop it spinning.
If you do decide to change then a Mercedes Sprinter based vehicle with a proper torque convertor automatic would probably be a good buy. No clutch to burn out. Don't get a vehicle with a robotized automatic as some vehicles have. They do not do steep hills at slow speed well at all. I know, I've got one.

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[Steve N Tracy]

Make sure you have 2 people in the front an maybe get a neighbor in there as well, to get the weight on the front wheels.

 

[Hazz]

Hmm, it has a huge rear storage locker (full of heavy stuff, natch), a heavy table etc etc in the back & I got out of the front cab to try to direct the husband into the space. Worth a try of emptying the locker & getting a few heavies the front then! Thanks again

 

[hilldweller]

Hmm, it has a huge rear storage locker (full of heavy stuff, natch), a heavy table etc etc in the back & I got out of the front cab

There's not a lot in your favour here. To put it bluntly, you are are stuffed.

Pretty sad, of all the things to think about when buying, "can I get it home" really is right down the list.

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[davidbaldam]

Hi and welcome to FUN, you've more or less used up your free posts as a Read only member. It's well worth subscribing, only £12;00 per annum and as you have seen already you'll get that back in advice alone.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Do you have any moss on the drive, that is deadly for grip even in the dry.

 

[WynandJean]

Hi and welcome to FUN, you've more or less used up your free posts as a Read only member. It's well worth subscribing, only £12;00 per annum and as you have seen already you'll get that back in advice alone.

Isn't that £15?

Wyn

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[mustaphapint]

Sounds like some civil engineering might be required to widen the access to the property.

 

[sciac2001]

So why on earth are so many MHs FWD?!

I have asked this same question many times.
How could such running gear have been officially approved and homologised on the majority of motorhomes where most of the weight is always going to be at the rear. Not too safe either when your wheels start spinning and you find yourself sliding sideways across the hill as a result.
My next MH simply has to be RWD.

 

[tonyidle]

The problem isn't FWD per se - my Hymer B584 with little overhang has enough weight over the front wheels even on steep hills to prevent any problems with grip. The real problem is building motorhomes on medium-wheelbase chassis then adding an enormous overhang with (usually) a garage over it. Long wheelbase chassis would solve the overhang problem and although considerably less manoeuvrable would IMO be a better choice for a motorhome.

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[wingman]

Hello @Hazz and welcome to the forum.
This seems like a combination of things, all conspiring. The OP says that there's a heavy load (heavy table etc) in the rear garage and he mentions trying to get a service station that will pump tyres up to 80psi 'because that's the pressure printed on the tyre'. I thought that 80psi would be more likely a 'Do not exceed' figure and not the actual pressure requ'd?
Lower the tyre pressures to correct values and taking the junk out of the back should help enormously? Maybe change the wife for a heavier model too

Join our community and let us know the outcome. Best of luck.
James

 

[TheBig1]

drop the pressure to 65psi all round first to try out

if the drive is tarmac, you can add grip by pressure washing first, the adding a light coat of pea shingle which you bond to the surface by melting it with an industrial torch that can be hired

 

[DL42846]

just as a matter of interest what tires do you have on the MH. I had Conti Vanco Campers on my van and I had a similar problem when visiting the mother in-law. She lives up a narrow lane. I could just about get up there but the front wheels did spin. Since I changed tires It hasn't happened.

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[Margaritaman]

If you are returning from a long journey your clutch is going to be warm already. Perhaps leave you MH parked down on the road for an hour to let the clutch cool. This may give you a better chance at the hill.
Empty fresh and waste tanks and toilet to reduce weight

 

[DavidG58]

with a long over hang might you even have grounded?

look for sign of scrapes on the road, that might give the wheels something to think about if already struggling

I often ground mine and have to resort to using the air suspension to lift the rear, that would be an expensive solution for you, but might be cheaper than swapping

unless of course it doesn't help

 

[Bartyfixedit]

Drop the tyre pressures to 20psi on the front just to get on the drive. this will increase ground contact area and even the load between the wheels. If that doesn't work drop the pressure only on the one that doesn't spin. I say 20 psi, look at the tyre as you deflate it, you don't want it too low.

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