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Hi

We keep our caravan in a storage yard and we have to reverse the caravan uphill to get it in its parking space.  This obviously causes the caravan breaks to engage making it very difficult to reverse, causing the clutch to burn on our car.

Does anyone know of a way to stop the caravan breaks from working so that we can reverse much easier, the car has no problem towing up hills with the caravan so is not a provlem there.

Any help would be grateful.

Hmmm, not sure then.

We have a 2007 Bailey Ranger weight of van is 1298kg our car can tow 1800kg so dont think it is a problem with the car van weight ratio.

We def have a problem reversing uphill, no problem reversing on a slight incline when on camping site, only on the quite steep hill in our storage yard. Clutch is def burning (smell is awful)

Any other suggestions???

If the brakes were on you would struggle to move it at all, most cars have quite a high reverse gear (a bit like being nearly in 2nd going forwards) so the car works harder when reversing up hill. In the situation you describe its quite normal to smell the clutch burning, however be careful it doesn't burn out altogether. The best way is to get it over with as quick as poss to avoid burning the clutch too much, however that is tricky with the van on!!

Sounds like a job for a motor mover. Probably cheaper than a new clutch and a lot easier.

I reverse our Ranger MTPLM up our steeply sloping curving drive on the back of my Pug 406. The clutch does smell a bit sometimes. It seems worse when the van and car are at a sharp angle to each other. As Legsdown says, it seems to put the brake on when you stop and you have to push hard to release it. It does come off though.

Quote: Originally posted by mickeyb on 04/9/2009

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There is a very simple solution to this quite common problem. It's not really good caravanning etiquette but it works. With the hitch head extended place a small block of wood cut to the same length as the visible section of the draw bar onto the drawbar butting up against the A frame at one end and the hitch head at the other. you will have to release and push back the rubber boot that covers the draw bar to do this. Now when you reverse the block will prevent the damper from pushing in and so brakes will become disabled. As long as the automatic system works on level ground then there is nothing mechanically wrong, it's just the fact that you are reversing uphill and the van wants to go forward (Gravity) operating the over run. This system is some 8 or 9 hundred quid cheaper than a mover ..........Mick

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You are absolutely right Mick, though in our case it would only be 6 hundred quid cheaper! (E-Go, self-fitted) But for us, in our early seventies and with my arthritic shoulder and neck, a mover was a must. However, your solution is very good, a bit like reverting to the old-fashioned stop one used to apply with the earlier braking systems.

Pete

That's going back a way, Pete.  Our first van had one of those; a detent lever I think it was called. Ruddy pain. OH had to hold lever in place whilst I started to reverse, then step back out of the way.  Any loss of "push" and the lever disengaged, starting the process all over again.

If they hadn't progressed away from that arrangement, I think the motor mover companies would have made a fortune.  Mind you, we are in our 70's and do have a mover. With a total of 3 inch clearance between high gates I wouldn't like to push the van in (too heavy). I wouldn't like to reverse it in with the car either with that clearance; although the van has to go in towhitch first so as to clear house window anyway.

As already pointed out, a mover is much better than early clutch failure, and about the same cost. So, two clutch replacements and you have spent double the cost of a mover.

Bertie.

Quote: Originally posted by The 2 Tops on 05/9/2009

That's going back a way, Pete.  Our first van had one of those; a detent lever I think it was called. Ruddy pain. OH had to hold lever in place whilst I started to reverse, then step back out of the way.  Any loss of "push" and the lever disengaged, starting the process all over again.

If they hadn't progressed away from that arrangement, I think the motor mover companies would have made a fortune.  Mind you, we are in our 70's and do have a mover. With a total of 3 inch clearance between high gates I wouldn't like to push the van in (too heavy). I wouldn't like to reverse it in with the car either with that clearance; although the van has to go in towhitch first so as to clear house window anyway.

As already pointed out, a mover is much better than early clutch failure, and about the same cost. So, two clutch replacements and you have spent double the cost of a mover.

Bertie.

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We are forgetting that the brake shoes collapse in reverse, they will come on briefly then after another shove backwards the shoes collapse away from the drum, braking for the first time going forwards again slides the shoes back into position. There can still be slight friction but the main problem is the higher reverse gear, stick a towball on the front bumper and it will be fine!!!