Powrtouch freedom problems

Presumably you have a different van rather than replacing your existing mover. How much grunt is there in your battery? Is it a smaller capacity than your previous van?

New van (to us - but only a year old), new fully charged 105 AH battery fitted after it failed badly the first time I used it showing similar symptoms to when the battery failed on the last van.  I assumed the battery had not been as well looked after as the rest of the van, simply because they were first timers.  But the new battery failed similarly the first time it was used.  Even after standing on a site hookup for three days (and on return home on an Oxford Products Oximiser battery charger / conditioner for 24 hours) the damned thing still failed to operate properly.  

Second trip away - identical problems.  

Still waiting for a response from powrtouch.  

It was really a question of whether this particular model seemed to give more problems than say the Evolution.  It was deemed suitable for the van by three installers - we simply went for the one who could do it at home the quickest as we are unable to get it off the drive without the assistance of one.  

If the mover fails to meet the spec (weight of caravan, slope etc), as it sounds like it does, the law is on your side.  You can reject it as unfit for purpose.  The onus is on the supplier so just remind them of your rights.  It really is not a discussion point and you should not be 'fighting' powertorch, they should just sort it out. Tell them you want it replaced as a matter of urgency.

But the new battery failed similarly the first time it was used. 

Sounds like it is a battery problem rather than a motor mover one.

Have you got it all working yet?

It's definitely not a battery problem - the one that "failed" to operate the first time around was checked by the local guy who I retrieved it from a couple of days later - voltage OK, 93 % capacity before recharging.  It seems to be a combination of undersized cabling and excessive length of cable because of the location of the battery (in centre of van, as current Baileys are) relative to the control box etc.  So I calculate it needs to be 12mm diameter (35 mm2 or better 40 mm2) to cope with the additional length.  So, who is responsible?  Powrwheel for providing electrical installation kit not suitable for this van, or the fitter for not recognising that larger diameter cabling is required and providing it, even at extra cost because of stupidly expensive cabling?  At the moment I am still waiting for definitive responses, rather than just "oh, it looks as if it is this, we need to check in more detail."

Watch this space.

However if anyone is installing any form of motor mover to a Bailey Discovery, I suggest (admittedly on my own calculations - yet to be proven) that 12.7 mm diameter (40 mm2 cross sectional area) battery cable is used.  The resistance of 2.5 metres 12.7 mm diam cable is less than the resistance of the 1.5 (16mm2 cross sectional area) supplied as standard by Powrwheel.

Since the majority of caravans seem to have their battery box somewhere near the front corner of the van and axles are more or less in the middle, the distance between battery and mover on any caravan wouldn't differ by more than a couple of feet, I'm surprised that this is an issue. Your caravan isn't exceptionally long and would, I'd have thought been within normal installation parameters. Have Powertouch skimped on the provision of the kit since earlier models? You can bet that the bean-counters have said "we can save £12.97 by fitting thinner cable" but hopefully the engineers have over-ruled them.

We have a Bailey with the battery mounted in a box that is in the middl of the van,and the connections for the motor mover in the bed locker in front of the axle,

We have not (so far)had any problems with the power touch mover even at one time when the battery was not fully charged

Update.  Because we have got fed up with the lack of response from anyone, I went ahead and ordered 40mm2 cable plus connections.  On return from the last short trip, I stripped out the wiring fitted by the installer, and refitted as per instructions this time.  It sort of worked, inasmuch as it was possible to move it off our drive without stalling, and without additional shoulders to assist on two out of three trials, using two different fully charged batteries.  However, there was virtually no "going away" gear in it so lighter than if loaded for even a short trip.  And there is no way this would get 1500kg up a 25% slope - so definitely not fit for purpose.

So - stroppy letters due to supplier and powrtouch in process of being drawn up.  

Watch this space

Update - hopefully the final one.  After another short trip away, we had the setup checked out by a local powrtouch installer this morning and were given the the all clear.  Not having installed anything in a D4-2 he was surprised that such large cable was required, but after moving it around with him inside checking voltages etc, he gave it the thumbs up. 

So, if you have a D4-2, and presumably this will also apply to the larger Discoverys, then using 40 mm2 (12.7 mm diameter) battery cable, direct to the battery and avoiding the Bailey installed connecting blocks works far more reliably, to the point of being usable, than connecting to the Bailey connecting blocks.