Before purchasing my folding camper, I had concerns that it would be difficult to move around. Although the lighter folding campers are easy to move around, I have a Pennine Pathfinder, which is approximately 1,000kg. That’s why I began to research motor movers for folding campers.
In this blog post, I’m going through all you need to know about folding camper motor movers. If you have one of the larger folding campers, you’ll definitely need a motor mover. Even if you have a smaller folding camper, a motor mover can be unbelievably useful.
Looking to purchase a motor mover? We’ve created a guide to the best motor movers that money can buy. Read it here to make sure you purchase the perfect motor mover for your requirements.
What Is A Folding Camper Motor Mover?
A motor mover is an electronic device you fit to your folding camper. With this device, you can manoeuvre your folding camper with a handheld control or smartphone app. This makes moving your folding camper so much easier. You’ll struggle no longer moving your folding camper into position on your drive or at sites.
Once a motor mover is fitted to your folding camper, moving it onsite will be significantly easier. You simply have to use the handheld remote or smartphone app to move your folding camper into position on site.
If you’re travelling alone or as part of a small group, a motor mover makes a big difference. The heavier folding campers are practically impossible to move without a motor mover, if you’re an average person in a small group. I’ve found that my motor mover has made a massive difference to how much I’ve enjoyed travelling with my folding camper.
Do I Need A Motor Mover For My Folding Camper?
Whether you need a motor mover for your folding camper or not depends on several factors. After experiencing the joys of using a motor mover, I would personally invest in one even if I purchase a lighter folding camper in the future. A motor mover makes life much easier both at home and on campsites, so it’s certainly worthwhile investing in one.
It’s easy to let the stress get to you when you’re on-site with your folding camper, struggling to manoeuver it into position. You never know what kind of pitch you’ll have until you arrive on-site. You could end up having to manoeuver your folding camper into a really difficult position.
Even when you are at home, you may have to move your folding camper into an awkward position. If you store your folding camper in a tight or awkward position, a motor mover can be life-changing.
A motor mover helps you perform precision manoeuvers that would be difficult without using one. When moving your folding camper by hand, it’s super difficult and stressful to move it into a specific position. With a motor mover, you have complete control over where you move your folding camper. If your folding camper isn’t in position perfectly, you can easily move it again with your motor mover.
Looking to purchase a motor mover? We’ve created a guide to the best motor movers that money can buy. Read it here to make sure you purchase the perfect motor mover for your requirements.
How Fast Is A Motor Mover?
A motor mover isn’t going to move your folding camper at 80 kilometres per hour. A motor mover will move your camper fairly slowly. I would estimate that my motor mover moves my folding camper at around 1/2 walking pace. Of course, the speed with which a motor mover travels will differ according to several factors such as:
- The weight of your folding camper
- The weight of your motor mover
- The battery you choose
- The type of motor mover you use
The slow speed of a motor mover is advantageous for the most part. A motor mover enables slow and precise manoeuvering, which is exactly what you want on occasions where you are trying to precisely move your folding camper.
It’s easy to damage your folding camper when you are moving it manually. With a folding camper motor mover, you will have much more control over your folding camper’s movements. You can move your folding camper with confidence, which you can’t do when you’re manually moving it and can’t really see what you’re doing. With the remote control app or device, you can walk freely around your folding camper to see exactly where you’re moving it. Obviously, you can’t do this when you’re manually moving it.
How Does A Folding Camper Motor Mover Work?
Using a motor mover is incredibly simple. You’ll figure out how to use it straight away when you have yours installed, but here’s a little overview of how they work.
The remote control or app that you use is linked to the computer system inside your motor mover. The link is established via radio waves. Using the remote control or app, you can fully control the motor mover and move your folding camper into position.
The remote control or app that accompanies your motor mover might look complicated, but it’s more simple than you think. There are a series of directional buttons that move your camper in the direction you want it to move. It’s worth playing around with the motor mover once it’s fitted to your folding camper. Although motor movers come with instructions, there are plenty of YouTube videos out there that give your visual guidance.
This is a helpful video that demonstrates how you can use Powrtouch motor mover on a caravan. A motor mover attached to your folding camper would work in a similar way, so it gives you a rough idea of how one works.
You will need a battery to power your motor mover. I recommend using a 12v leisure battery, although the battery you require might differ according to different manufacturers. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s guidance on batteries to use very carefully. Using the wrong battery can damage your motor mover!
Looking to purchase a motor mover? We’ve created a guide to the best motor movers that money can buy. Read it here to make sure you purchase the perfect motor mover for your requirements.
Where Are Motor Movers Fitted On A Folding Camper?
The motor movers on a folding camper are fitted to the camper’s chassis directly next to the wheels. While this is what enables full control over how the folding camper moves, you have to be careful when you have motor movers fitted.
Motor movers have to face the elements, as water and dirt are sprayed straight onto them from the tyres. This means they become dirty quickly and can suffer corrosion. It’s important to keep this in mind and regularly clean the motor movers after travelling.
Because of where motor movers are fitted, there’s also the potential for damage due to speed bumps and potholes. Again, try and keep this in mind when you are travelling to avoid any damage to the motor movers.
What To Consider When Choosing A Motor Mover
Alongside ground clearance, there’s plenty of other factors to consider when installing motor movers.
Weight. Motor movers are heavy. A single-axle motor mover kit can weight approximately 30kg. This is an important consideration when choosing and installing motor movers because your folding camper can end up being very heavy! If your folding camper is heavy as it is, you don’t want to make it too heavy by using motor movers.
Battery requirements. To power your motor movers, you’ll need an adequate leisure battery. The battery you require might end up costing you around $150, so you need to factor this cost in. The battery you choose will also be fairly large and weigh a lot, so you need to consider this too!
Budget. Motor movers can differ greatly in price. With that in mind, you must set a budget before you take a look at your options. If you don’t, you can end up spending way too much on motor movers.
Looking to purchase a motor mover? We’ve created a guide to the best motor movers that money can buy. Read it here to make sure you purchase the perfect motor mover for your requirements.
Here are some of my favourite caravan and RV essentials
Thanks for reading this blog post. I hope you’ve found it super useful and that you’re loving your tourer as much as I love mine! Here are some blog posts I’ve written with my recommendations for gear and certain essentials you’ll need as a caravan or RV owner. These posts do contain affiliate links, so I’ll earn a small commission if you purchase anything. But honestly, all of the essentials I’ve recommended below are things I actually use myself! These are essentials I think all caravan and motorhome owners should have, and I never recommend anything I haven’t tried and tested.
Caravan insurance: Caravan insurance is absolutely crucial for protecting your precious tourer, even if it isn’t a legal requirement! I use Caravan Guard myself and would wholeheartedly recommend them to everyone, including my family and friends. All my interactions with them have been great when I’ve needed help, and they’re reasonable too. Specialist cover for folding campers and trailer tents. Caravan Guard gives you cover for storm, theft, accidental damage or vandalism under their touring caravan insurance policy. Get a quote today.
Low-wattage kettles: Wherever you’re travelling, and if you love a cuppa as much as I do, a low-wattage kettle is an absolute must. You can’t use standard power-hogging kettles on sites or you’ll blow the fuses — especially if you’re travelling in Europe. So these are some of my favourite low-wattage kettles designed for caravans and motorhomes. I’ve tried all of the kettles I recommend and think they’re all brilliant in different ways, so you’d be happy with any of them.
Portable heaters: A portable heater that doesn’t consume a ton of power is something I can’t go without when I’m touring. If you’re like me and you tour any time of the year, no matter the weather, a portable heater for your awning is a must. I’ve written a post with some of my favourite awning heaters — all of which I’ve used. I’ve picked these considering criterion such as power consumption, portability, and safety features. They’re all excellent, as well as reasonably priced!