Brilliant idea or a non-starter? (2 Viewers)

Apr 9, 2013
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From the attached photo you'll see how my very first attempt at parking on a beach ended up, namely with the front wheels buried up to the rims. :roflmto:

It got me thinking about the benefits of four wheel drive in these occasions and as the rear wheels were on firm ground, reversing out would have been easy with RWD.

Given that four wheel drive vans are rare and expensive, I wondered if a couple of caravan motor movers driving the back wheels would be a useful card to have up one's sleeve to play on occasions like these.

Any thoughts?

(Having just seen the price of them I realised that I could pay for a lot of recovery services for the same money! Still, it's the viability of the concept that I'm curious about).
 

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sean n maggie

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Apr 29, 2014
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they would add a lot of weight to the back axle,,,but lighten the front end a lot ( YOUR WALLET)..:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

hilldweller

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I wondered if a couple of caravan motor movers driving the back wheels would be a useful card to have up one's sleeve to play on occasions like these.

Pretty good lateral thinking there, I don't know it it would work.

We carry lengths of plastic grid as used to reinforce grass runways. These have got us out of trouble in the past.

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Sep 3, 2013
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I like your lateral thinking approach.:thumb:

Purely as a means of assistance, your idea has potential.

However, there's the weight issue to consider and also that you're carrying around the devices only for the very occasional useage they'd receive.

But for motorhomers who venture 'off piste' a lot or even for the occasional wet / boggy site, then your idea has merit.

However, would a motor mover have enough torque and speed to work effectively in this type of application? I've no idea, but I see no reason why it wouldn't be possible to create a version that could.
 

Chris

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Call me old fashioned, but I would reverse up to the beach front, thereby leaving my front wheels on hard ground.:thumb:
 

DBK

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Ignoring the cost issue I suspect a caravan mover would not have enough grip on the tyre or enough power to pull out a bogged in MH.

Cheaper to reverse onto the beach. :Smile:

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voyager 1

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I have a couple of bread trays cut down they don`t take up much room but they have come in handy more than once .I always survey the ground first before venturing on to it i put the trays down and park the front wheels on them stops my van sinking into soft ground .
 

scotjimland

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It's an idea.. but having had a caravan mover, I doubt it would work.. mine would hardly pull the skin off a rice pudding never mind a 3.5ton motorhome out of the ground.. touring caravans are about 1 - 1.5 ton..

so a non starter from me.. this Dragon won't be investing .. :roflmto:

as an emergency tool, a hand turfer or electric winch would be cheaper and more useful .

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timdownieuk
Apr 9, 2013
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It's an idea.. but having had a caravan mover, I doubt it would work.. mine would hardly pull the skin off a rice pudding never mind a 3.5ton motorhome out of the ground.. touring caravans are about 1 - 1.5 ton..

so a non starter from me.. this Dragon won't be investing .. :roflmto:

as an emergency tool, a hand turfer or electric winch would be cheaper and more useful .

Ah ha! The voice of experience. That's what I was hoping for. To be honest, it was the answer I kind of expected but good to know that I don't need to waste my money that way at least.::bigsmile:
 

Allanm

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Get one of these!:ROFLMAO:

We saw this van on a beach aire in Southern Brittany a few weeks ago. I was impressed, if any of us got stuck we could call on his 4 wheel drive and front winch to pull us out.

We went for a walk past a nearby campsite, and the van was now parked in there!

Wimp. Fancy having a go anywhere camper and staying on a site with tarmac roads.....

Allan
 

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Vincemacca

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Snow Chains

I carry a set of snow chains to get the van out of the soft stuff. Never used them so I've no idea how good they will be. Has anyone ever tried this ?
Seemed like a good idea and they'd be useful in the snow also !
Vince

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TheBig1

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snow chains are crap on soft sand or sticky mud, as there is nothing to grip. you need to use something to spread the weight of the driven wheels over a larger area. the base of plastic bread trays work very well and can be sourced free if you ask at a bakery. they always have damaged or stained ones that they cant use again:thumb:
 

Vincemacca

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Snow Chains

snow chains are crap on soft sand or sticky mud, as there is nothing to grip. you need to use something to spread the weight of the driven wheels over a larger area. the base of plastic bread trays work very well and can be sourced free if you ask at a bakery. they always have damaged or stained ones that they cant use again:thumb:

like the idea ...got the mats but you have to keep moving them. Thought the chains may be good - one day I will give them a go
 

funflair

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I think the motor mover would be a bit too low gearing, too much clutch slipping trying to keep up with it without trying to push against the movers which would just make the front wheels dig in more.

If you want four wheel drive get a RWD twin wheeler with a diff lock:thumb:.

Took ours into a wet field at Whitby last weekend and drove straight in and pitched up no problems, most others came in behind the tractor, hydraulic jacks are a good get you out of the mud card as long as you can find something to chuck under the wheels once you get them in the air.

Martin
 

oldun

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Caravan movers move the caravan at very low speed. If you used them in conjunction with the engine you would have difficulty controlling the speed. of the two devices.

If you used them separately the I cannot imagine that they would provide enough power to move a vehicle with one axle embedded in the soil/sand.
 

Wildman

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snow chains rely on solid ground to get a grip on useless in soft sand and mud will just dig you deeper quicker.
 
Apr 27, 2008
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The rear wheel drive of the Mercedes base vehicle is a great help sometimes. When I was in France in May/June I saw a largish MH with a 4x4 as a toad, only a little Jimny but it would probably help a bit if the MH wasn't too deeply entrenched.

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