Al-ko ATC

[VonRyan]

Hi,

has any one got a caravan with this system fitted, I read a report in Which Caravan which stated a very good piece of kit and well worth the money.

I have a S6 Burgendy with Al-ko AK3200 stabiliser fitted and all the normal precautions are taken prior to going out,tyre pressures, loading etc,etc and the van is very stable and towed by a Sorento, but sometimes the old white van man comes past and I notice the twitch, but not much more. I am thinking of purchasing the ATC system but at £400 its a fair lump of cash and Al-ko state that the unit can be removed and refitted to another similar van which is about 4 hrs labour.

So before I part with any hard cash can any one give any advice.

Many thanks

Rob

 

[Lutz]

I don't have the AlKo ATC but the LEAS system which is basically the same. All I can say is that it is absolutely uncanny. I have tried it out on a deserted car park, deliberately getting the caravan to snake by doing sudden sawing movements at the steering wheel, such as one would encounter when trying to avoid an unexpected hazard. Within fractions of a second the brakes are applied on the caravan, pulling it straight again.

 

[oldievanner]

If you are getting a twitch as vans & lorries pass you would be better off fitting alko shock absorbers.The difference before and after a 40 ton artic goes past you has to be experienced.The difference is amazing.

 

[VonRyan]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the advice but the motor mover prevents having shockers fitted. Pain I know and a lot cheaper but its a no go

Thanks Rob

 

[Chrisbee]

Hi Rob

I have ATC on my new Pageant and my first outing is on Thursday. I'll let you know how I get on. By the way, I also have Al-Ko shock absorbers, a bit belt and braces I know but better safe than sorry.

Chrisbee

 

[Iain]

I have ATC and shock absorbers on my new Bailey. So far I have only towed it home, but that was on a windy day on an exposed road with open fileds on one side and the North Sea on the other.

Suffice to say the 'van didn't twitch once, whether it was the ATC or the shocks (or towing at a ratio of 75%) who knows.

We will have the 'van out in anger on Friday when we head down to Edinburgh. Will have a better idea of the on road performance after that.

 

[Lutz]

Just like seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, ESP, ABS and most other safety related equipment you'll never appreciate the benefit of an electronic stabiliser under normal driving conditions and, even if the worst should happen, it's still unlikely that you will ever be able to make a direct comparison between what would actually have happened if it had not been fitted. Would you ever have known whether would have been badly injured in an accident if you hadn't been wearing a seat belt? One can only surmise. It's impossible to make an accurate assessment in individual cases but overall it has been proved that they all provide added protection and that goes for the electronic stabiliser, too.