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Hiya

Does anyone use a winch to get their van up the drive.  We're just about to burn through another (!) clutch.  Which winch would you recommend?

A motormover on your caravan would move your caravan e.g on this site they have a couple to read about :

http://www.chichester-caravans.co.uk/caravan-movers.htm

As somebody who uses winches a lot, I wouldnt recommend any winch that the average caravan owner might purchase. Im thinking primarily of the handwinches offered by towsure etc, or the cheap "over the towball" electric winches offered on ebay etc.

As a perhaps silly option, being unsure of the layout and incline of your drive I have two suggestions both of which may be impractical

1. Reverse up rather than drive up, Reverse gear is often a lower ratio than 1st (if you have a proper 4x4, use the low ratio in the transfer box)

2. tow the van up your driveway with a towrope and the car on level ground.

When I got my new van I also got a winch, as I didn't want to burn the clutch out on the car.

I was very dissapointed with it and have only used it once or twice. (don't tell the other half she will only say I told you so.)

I ended up swaping the car for a 4x4 Jeep Cherokee and although an expensive solution wouldn't go back.

Good luck

http://www.winchsolutions.co.uk/winches_newspecheet4.htm

This is the winch I bought and use. It has a reverse gear so it controls the speed of the van going back down the drive as well as bringin it up.

I have a winch and it does pull my van uphill into my drive. However I find it hard work so I have just invested in a Reich caravan mover best thing I ever did.

I now move the van up a 1 in 5 slope then between two pebble dashed walls with about 2in to spare each side and then a 180 degree turn into my back garden it does all this with ease.

John

Dear John

We don't mind a bit of hard work!  What sort of winch have you got as it does seem to work.  We are thinking about the electric one on Towsure for about £139.00.  Do you think this would be any good?  We haven't got to go around any corrners just straight up a long drive.  What does the winch hook onto? 

Scuba - thanks for the info on a motor mover but it would actually be worth more than our caravan!!!

i think the one you have in mind would do the job

what i did with mine was to fix two 15mm rawlbolts into the concrete and bolt the winch to it

i then removed it when i was not using it

regards

John

hi i have the winch from towsure cost £139.00 brand new in a box,i dont need it now

only want £60 for it.dont know if this woud help you as i live in oxford .but am in brean sands in 3 weeks time,

.

I am in same boat as you and was going to get powrtouch fitted but  £900?

I am going to try one of these first not too expensive really and ,if it does the job all well and good if not well should get something back by selling it locally so i won't lose a load of money worth the gamble I think!

http://www.technologyinthehome.com/Items/pw007? 

We've just had a powertouch fitted to our van, it's the heavy duty version & cost £900 fitted with a 5 year parts & labour warranty. I had my doubts about it before getting home, it works a treat, it's not fast but it's very good & money well spent IMO. It'll come off this van onto the next if & when we change.

Obviously if a winch is your desire then that's up to you, owever, my mate uses a winch to pull his boat up the beach, it's one that fits onto his tow ball. He was demonstrating it to another mate the other week & it failed. Whether it burned out or broke I don't know but due to it being out of warranty he's stuck. He's e stuck if he relied on the winch to draw his van up the drive too.

BB   

We used a winch when we first started caravanning years ago.We didn't have any problems and it did the job.BUT We now have a mover fitted and it's great. If your winch is going to cost £139 why not think about putting the money towards a recondition Powertouch Mover.I know its a few hundred pounds dearer but they are worth every penny. You can also use it on site to turn your caravan to face whichever way you want and hitching up is a doddle.I know everybody's circumstances are different but they are worth giving serious thought.

'I am going to try one of these first not too expensive really and ,if it does the job all well and good if not well should get something back by selling it locally so i won't lose a load of money worth the gamble I think!'

I've got a motor mover (rhyno - £775 if fitted yourself) but fancy one of those winches for uprooting unwanted trees and shrubs in the garden.  At £30 you can't go far wrong.  For moving van you need to make sure it reverses in case you end up with it stopped with a fully tensioned cable.