Al-Ko tow hitch

[RegandPat]

I have just brought an old Jeep to tow the van but the van has a Al-Ko hitch and the Jeep has an old rusty ball standard.
I have given it a quick clean and hooked up, the little green button poped out and the Al-Ko lever slid down.
Now I know I should go and get a new ball but would it be okay just to try out the rig say 20 miles just to see how it handles.
What would you do ?
Reg

 

[dave8858]

Hi Reg and Pat

I thought if the button popped green it meant you were good to go. Maybe the towball on your Jeep is already an Alko one?
I'd be tempted to try it since it went green.

Regards

Dave

 

[RegandPat]

You may be right Dave, I think there is something about measurements some place.
My last car had a detachable swan neck, I was not to keen on it.

 

[forestgump]

when its on car wind down jocky wheel this should lift car if it comes off dont use but you should be able to lift the back end no probs.

 

[Gagakev]

Reg your own admission say's OLD Rusty Ball Standard.
For the sake of £20.00ish think I would change to an original Alko one, got mine off ebay recently. You will always get a differance of opinion on here but ultimatley its your decision. Good luck mate.

 

[Damian]

The Al_Ko hitch needs to be able to move around the ball without fouling anything, which is why they produced the extended neck towball.
Whilst it may lock on to the ball, the only time you will know if it is ok is when (if) it fouls and permanently damages the hitch,,,,then THAT is expensive.

 

[Lutz]

Like Damian says, it would be risky not to use a towball which allows the AlKo hitch to articulate properly and it could result in an expensive repair.

 

[RegandPat]

I have measured my tow ball and it is the wrong one so will pop down to tow sure tomorrow and get a ALKo one.
I tried to undo the bolts but with no luck so have sprayed some WD40 on and will give it a go later.

< Example of what a ALKO tow ball looks like, 60mm from middle of ball to neck.

 

[Gagakev]

Glad to hear your changing it Reg, better safe than sorry, hope the bolts free themselves, then throw them away and fit new.
Good luck.

 

[TonyG]

Glad to hear common sense has prevailed, why people try to bodge and repair is beyond me,

 

[xtrailman]

Perhaps the £25 for the ALKO ball has something to do with it?
You are allowed 1mm of wear, so if the ball is under 49mm change it.
On my 7 year old ball, i have measured virtually no wear.
Which confirms what the tow bar fitter told me.

 

[Lutz]

You are not allowed 1mm of wear. The regulations specify a 50h13 fit which equates to a minimum of 49.61mm.

 

[Dustydog]

You are not allowed 1mm of wear. The regulations specify a 50h13 fit which equates to a minimum of 49.61mm.

Lutz
I will not question your technical regulations but perhaps you can help me with this statement taken directly fromAl-ko's own website.[*]"The stabiliser is okay, but the towball has reached its lower limit of 49mm."

Do you think Al-Ko are wrong?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Lutz]

I was only quoting the dimensions laid down in EU Directive 94/20/EC. Without knowing the reasoning behind why AlKo should wish to deviate from this specification I can make no further comment other than their statement doesn't make sense to me.

 

[xtrailman]

You are not allowed 1mm of wear. The regulations specify a 50h13 fit which equates to a minimum of 49.61mm.

Yes you are.

Also confirmed by my professional tow bar fitter.

 

[Lutz]

You are not allowed 1mm of wear. The regulations specify a 50h13 fit which equates to a minimum of 49.61mm.

Yes you are.

Also confirmed by my professional tow bar fitter.

Where did he get his information from? I can find no documented reference to any permissible deviation from the dimension quoted in the regulations. Unless that is the case I can only assume the fitter's statement is incorrect.

 

[Dustydog]

Lutz
No disrepect my old dog but I'd rather listen to the Manufacturer, Al-Ko, here , rather than the EU Bureaucrats of whom I have absolutely no faith whatsoever.

Maybe the infamous Al-Ko can give us all a definitive answer please

 

[xtrailman]

I have no idea. (reply to post 15)
Why would i question his knowledge?
I asked him to check my towball for wear, its seven years old now.
Previously i had read some where that 1mm of wear was allowed.
but wanted a professionals assessment.
Unfortunately he didn't have anything to measure it accurately, so i bought something myself and measured it.
a vernier calliper from tool station.

 

[Lutz]

Lutz
No disrepect my old dog but I'd rather listen to the Manufacturer, Al-Ko, here , rather than the EU Bureaucrats of whom I have absolutely no faith whatsoever.

AlKo aren't above the law, so if 1mm wear were permissible, then there must be something to support their statement.

Why would i question his knowledge?

My experience is that people often have a habit of making claims that later turn out to be unfounded when asked to name the source of their information or to provide documentary evidence.

 

[Dustydog]

Lutz
Surely the leading manufacturer of tow balls hitches etc must know what they are doing?
If they are wrong then something is extremely remiss within the caravan industry.
It hardly inspires confidence.

 

[Lutz]

Lutz
Surely the leading manufacturer of tow balls hitches etc must know what they are doing?
If they are wrong then something is extremely remiss within the caravan industry.
It hardly inspires confidence.

As AlKo is a respected manufacturer, it is conceivable that they may have a good explanation, but 1mm wear sounds a lot to me and that is why I have doubts regarding their information, especially as the regulations say something different.

 

[xtrailman]

Why would i question his knowledge?

My experience is that people often have a habit of making claims that later turn out to be unfounded when asked to name the source of their information or to provide documentary evidence.

Thats true Lutz
Remember your claim that a caravan and towcar could stop quicker than a solo car?
I disagreed, and asked for your source, which i never did get.
Sometime later you did get some data, but from another test.
And yes you was wrong, the car and caravan did take longer to stop!

 

[Lutz]

Thats true Lutz
Remember your claim that a caravan and towcar could stop quicker than a solo car?
I disagreed, and asked for your source, which i never did get.
Sometime later you did get some data, but from another test.
And yes you was wrong, the car and caravan did take longer to stop!

I was away from home at the time that subject was raised so I was unable to name the report that made that claim. If I recall correctly, the braking distance for car + caravan was only longer in the wet and under certain loading conditions, but not in general. Whether this recollection is correct or not, the issue in question here is rather different. I have been able to quote documentary evidence that anyone can read to confirm that the legal minimum requirement for towball diameter is 49.61mm. Surely, an EU Directive that has been ratified by the UK government carries more weight than an information bulletin published by AlKo? As there is disagreement between their figure and the regulations, I would expect AlKo to give a good reason for deviating from the standards when quoting 49mm minimum. As they haven't I must assume that they have overlooked the requirements. We are all human and can make mistakes.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

Awe come on guys its only a tow ball for christ's sake

and parksy's wonders why I don't want to do technical stuff any more.
struth I can understand the alko stand point in a way as the pads have to grab the ball there must be a limit to when effeciency is lost 1mm seems fair but a european directive on the subject when alko hitches are not compulsory god they will be telling us the minimum paint thickness on the tow bars next!!! as if the ministery men will be stopping us on route now measuring all the tow balls.
mines not even a alko ball but a witter one came with the bar do I care "NOPE" what does it measure "no idea" I will test it tomorrow with my spirt level and let you know if you like. go on tell me it's dangerious not to have the """ alko ball well its only been in use 3years and doesn't foul anywhere, besides what about changing the ball every time you tow a different trailer yer right.

 

[Lutz]

The European Directive applies to all towballs, Colin, not just AlKo ones.
However, returning to Ray's original reply where he states that the wear after 7 years is negligible. I wouldn't have expected any different. Unless there was a manufacturing fault, the towball will probably still be within the 49.61mm minimum, let alone 49mm, so the regulations are really of no more than acedemic interest to the end user. They are primarily for the manufacturer, even though they apply throughout the life of the part.