Optitec, however, says that with the use of
heavy duty rubber mats or similar, the unit will
work on soft surfaces such as mud, sand or
loose gravel.
Note: that flex was not a failure of the device –
the manufacturer specifically requires them to
be used when moving large, heavy rigs.
To test the Optitec on the Coronet, I made sure
that I had the required brackets to suit its 6in
drawbar. The bracket simply bolts to the
drawbar – it shouldn’t take more than five
minutes to fit – and the shaft of the Optitec
jockey wheel clamps to the bracket in the
same manner as a standard jockey wheel.
SLOW AND STEADY
At the direction of the remote control, the
Optitec moved the caravan at an expectedly
slow pace – it can travel up to 8m per minute
– but I found that it manoeuvred the large
caravan smoothly on concrete surfaces. Once
you develop some confidence and come to
grips with the remote control, it becomes very
easy to move a caravan in and out of tight
spaces – the unit is quite responsive to
incremental movements, and the remote
control will work from up to 80m away.
While it operated smoothly on concrete – and
I expect it would work well on hard, grassy
areas, too – the wheel tended to dig into
particularly loose gravel surfaces, due to the
downward force of the caravan’s ball weight.
The Optitec draws 12V power from the van’s
onboard battery, or other 12V source. While the
drawbar bracket (if required) is sold separately,
the power-supply leads are provided.
The 22kg Optitec offers height adjustment of
250mm and can, theoretically, permanently
replace the caravan’s standard jockey wheel.
It is rated to move up to 3500kg worth of boat
or trailer and support a maximum of 350kg
(‘ball weight’) on the shaft. Other features
include a built-in dynamic brake, steel gears,
over-temperature protection and over-current
and under-voltage protection.
I’m pretty good at reversing caravans but I
was able to manoeuvre the Coronet in ways I
could never safely do with my 4WD. For that
reason, knowing there are plenty of sites out
there with tight access, I reckon it’s worth
adding it permanently to the list of equipment
I take caravanning. And the fact it can be
mounted and removed as required, with no
permanent alteration to the van necessary,
makes it doubly attractive.
OPTITEC V3
RRP: $2395 (including GST and delivery)
+ MORE INFO