Readers of the Calderlogue may recall a mention of our meeting and chatting to a Brit couple with a Triton on the way south in early September and the improvements made to their van, one of which really impressed me. As I didn't get their names I don't know if they have since joined the forum (I gave them an Eribafolk business card) but, to date, as I haven't seen any posts regarding their modifications, I have decided to start the ball rolling. The items we discussed were:

1. A hand-sized piece of tread that had peeled off one of their van tyres as they moved it two days before setting off for France. The rubber had stuck to the tarmac surface of their drive. Moral: check tyres well before you set off and observe replacement dates irrespective of wear.

2. A modification to the spare wheel carrier - I'm not certain what this was (sorry), and

3. A protective sleeve fitted to the Reich motor movers to keep road muck out of them while towing. It was this that really impressed me.

Due to the design of the Eriba, the movers have to be fitted behind the wheels and hence they are constantly subjected to spray, mud and stones that are thrown up from the road while towing and this can't be good for them. The roller units on my Reich 'Move Control' certainly have a collection of gravel in them but so far I have not investigated how to remove the plastic covers to clean them out. Infinitely better would be a means of preventing the muck getting in in the first place.

What the gentleman had done was to make two simple covers that fixed over the movers and were retained in place by wire hooks and spring clips. (Unfortunately I didn't take pictures but my recollection is that the sleeves were made out of plastic damp proof course material.) It was a brilliantly simple solution and extremely well-executed.

By coincidence, on a site in the Dordogne, the Dutch chap next to us had fitted plastic bags over his mover (non Eriba) and that is the only other time that I have noticed such protection in use.

So, one of my next projects will be to clean out my roller housings and make up a couple of easily removable covers that I can slip on and off as required.

Has anyone else done this and if so, a) how do you remove the plastic shrouds from the 'Move Control' for cleaning, b) what did you use for the covers and c) how are they fixed in place? Any photographs would be appreciated.

As I have a lot of other priority jobs to attend to, this will be low on the list but I'd like to finalise a design over the next few months. If I can come up with something workable, I will of course do a full 'How to....' article for the archives.

If the gentleman I met at the Aire does read this, then please post details so we can credit you with the idea and design concept.

Not being one of the "motor mover" brigade I can only guess at the size of protective covers you would need but would a cheap plastic drawstring toiletry bag on each side do the trick? They are quite hard wearing.
We bought a few some years ago from Wilkinsons (cost around 99p each) and we carry them in the Eriba with the intention of using them as levelling devices (partially filled with sand or dirt) for the external table, outdoor cooker etc. We've never used them .
One other point. Some Eriba owners have managed to fit motor movers in front of the road wheels without fouling the forward facing dampers on the Eriba. However, I still think its a good idea to cover them when not in use.
Randa

Quote: Aaron Calder wrote in post #1

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Has anyone else done this...

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Zitat

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Quote pepe Le Pew :- I'm right behind you.

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What, to pick them up off the hard shoulder when they drop off?

Thanks for the thoughts, guys. I was forgetting that it's only the rollers that are in line with the tyres and that the motors are mounted inside the chassis so the problem is not as serious as I'd initially thought.

I can, however, see lots of gravel inside the roller covers on my van but I can't see how to get it out as the access slot is very narrow, hence my query about removing the plastic shrouds. Interestingly, my mover is the 'Move Control' but the handset is the same as the one shown in John's link for the economy version - not that that matters - it works fine.

To answer Andy's point, I've just tried a piece of plastic DPC around the shroud and at 0.54mm thick, the reduction of clearance between tyre and roller unit is insignificant. The plastic needs to be 9" (230mm) wide but the only piece I have is 4" (100mm).

While on holiday I saw a chap parked near to us use his mover (not a Reich and the caravan was a Dutch Biod) and his was much simpler to operate. Whereas I have to struggle to wind the rollers onto the tyres (until the green bar shows), he gave one half turn of the wheelbrace and his mover was engaged. It had a 'teardrop' indicator like those bright green ones you see on lorry wheel nuts to indicate when it was off and on.

I still think that some sort of protective shroud is a good idea as without it the gravel in the roller housings will only build up until it interferes with mover operation.

I'll give it some more thought.

The decision to fit a mover is not just about one's ability or inability to manoeuvre a caravan, it's about physical health, strength, age, personal preferences and, let's face it, finance.

Being a technological Luddite is all well and good but to my mind at least it makes absolutely no sense at all to risk personal injury moving a tonne of caravan manually if, like me, you have had a heart bypass or like my wife had knee replacement surgery.

Our caravan came with a mover already fitted and although I do occasionally reverse into a pitch and hitch/unhitch without using it, 95% of the time we use the mover and frankly I couldn't give a stuff what other people on the campsite think when I do it. If we ever do change our van, fitting a mover will be the first consideration.

It is all too easy to injure oneself when hauling on heavy weights on slippery and often uneven surfaces. Too many of my friends have ruptured themselves or done serious damage to their backs or musculature while engaged in physical activity for me to want to join their ranks.

Thanks, Mick.

I'll have a look tomorrow.