Alko hitch looks like it's going to trash my towball again...

[Colinn]

Spent today getting ready for the new season and paid particular attention to the Alko hitch on my six year old caravan.

Last year, the hitch developed a "graunching" sound during manoeuvering which I put down to dirty pads. So (following advice on this forum) I attacked the hitch with brake cleaner, but it still looks pretty mangy.

I dropped the hitch on to a new towball and it's already scored it a bit, before I've even started towing! Not optimistic problem is solved. Are new pads the only answer? Any advice appreciated...

 

[wayne_5097681]

We had this problem when we first had are van,first thing we had to change was the tow ball. When we bought the tow bar they put a normal tow ball on and not an Alko, then we changed the side pads on the hitch which seemed to solve the problem. Oh and always make sure the tow ball is clean i do this with some emery paper.

 

[rob_jax]

Colinn,

When you cleaned the tow-ball, did you also clean inside the ALKO coupling ?

Most of the dirt, grit and crud ends up inside the coupling head - you'll need a couple of clean rags and some white spirit (or brake cleaner) to first "wash" the pads and then dry.

Robert

 

[ThePlotter]

Hi I think the answer may lay in the post from Wayne.Do you have the correct towball for your Alko hitch it has to be an Alko ball not an ordinary one,I am not sure exactly what the difference is just that they are different.Hope this helps.

 

[Colinn]

oh dear, looks like i have a problem then. It won't be easy to change because my towball is a very expensive-looking Mercedes detachable unit that was factory fitted. (The previous one was the same, but on a BMW car and I suspect the same manufacturer supplies both car firms as they look identical.

So does that mean that all caravans with Alko hitches need a special tow ball?? That would surely be the majority of modern ones, wouldn't it??

Rob, thanks for your tip, i gave the inside of the coupling a very thorough soaking.

 

[BeemerMal]

Colinn....My BMW detachable towball is compatable with the Al-Ko stabaliser. I checked this out with my caravan dealer when I bought the new caravan. My previous van had a Winterhoff stabaliser and this was ok as well.

I think you will find both the BMW and Mercedes swan neck detachable tow balls are compatable. Try emailing Al-Ko at:

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/alko-home.htm
Tell them the make and model of your car and which model Al-Ko stabaliser you have. I'm sure they will be able to advise accordingly.

 

[Colinn]

Colinn....My BMW detachable towball is compatable with the Al-Ko stabaliser. I checked this out with my caravan dealer when I bought the new caravan. My previous van had a Winterhoff stabaliser and this was ok as well.

I think you will find both the BMW and Mercedes swan neck detachable tow balls are compatable. Try emailing Al-Ko at:

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/alko-home.htm
Tell them the make and model of your car and which model Al-Ko stabaliser you have. I'm sure they will be able to advise accordingly.

that's a relief, ie, that the ball is compatible. looks like i'll have to concentrate my attention on the hitch...tks.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Colinn,

My E-class has the same detachable tow-ball (which is probably made by Bosal or Westfalia or one of the others).

These detachable balls are always ALKO compliant - they have a much longer neck that the official ALKO ball for the UK style flange plate tow-bars - the ugly one with the two bolts.

No squeaks or squeals, ever. Any crud that gets picked by up the tow-ball is transferred onto the surface of the ALKO pads - and these pads really can get dirty.

Robert

 

[Denise4]

I am reading this post with interest as we have just purchased a 3 yr old Shogun with a tow pack already fitted. There is no cover on the ball and it looks a bit rusty. We have a 2005 van with an alko hitch, how do we know that it will be ok with the towball. We are having a second set of electrics put on so If anything needs changing I could get it done them. Thankyou in advance. Denise

 

[Damian]

Denise,

The only difference between a standard towball and an AL-KO towball is the distance from the towball to the car.

To allow the hitch to move through about 22 degrees (If Iremember correctly) without fouling the rear of the car, AL-KO made the extended neck version.

It still has the industry standard 50mm ball.

With your towball, a good clean with some medium grade wet and dry followed by a good clean with brake cleaner or degreaser should work, as long as it is the extended neck version. If it is not, then you will have to change it to one.

 

[Denise4]

Thanks Damain, will have a look at it and see if it has the extended neck. If I have to change it it won't be a new towpack will it? or can you just change the ball? Denise

 

[BeemerMal]

Denise....Damian is right regarding cleaning the ball. Whatever you do DO NOT fit your Al-Ko stabaliser until you have given the ball a thorough clean - ensure you also remove any paint from the ball - it needs to be shining.

If you go to the Al-Ko website shown in my earlier post, go to their FAQ section and lookup towballs. It shows a diagram of the Al-Ko extended ball. Check this against the one you have fittied on your Shogun to see if you need to change it. Mal

 

[TrevorM]

Hi all,

I have read many threads on this site relating to problems with 'Al-Ko' and other similar 'ball-gripping' stabilisers. This makes me wonder whether this type of device has more 'downside' than 'upside' when compared to the traditional blade type stabiliser. I have used blade stabilisers since I started caravanning over twenty-five years ago and although I cover, perhaps, 2,500 miles towing each year, I have never needed any replacement parts, or experienced any problems with them.

As I see it (but with no personal experience of them), the pros of Al-Ko types are:

1. Ease of attachment / detachment.

2. No reduction of ground clearance.

3. Easier to fit on a Swan Neck hitch.

The cons are:

1. Cost!

2. Frequent need for pad / ball replacement, with associated maintenance costs.

3. Frequent graunching noises when towing and when manoeuvring on site.

Having been satisfied with my set up for so long, it would take a powerful argument to persuade me to part with the large slice of my pension necessary to convert to a 'ball gripper.' As with so many high tech. gadgets, I can not help but wonder if the success of the Al-Kos has been down to clever marketing.

Does anyone have 'hard facts' on the relative performances of the two types? I have heard many opinions expressed, but not seen results from any objective testing.

Enjoy your holidays.

Trevor M

 

[BeemerMal]

Trevor....I agree, I used a blade stabaliser for many years with no trouble at all. However the newer detachable towballs and swan necks are not suitable to fit a blade type stabaliser to.

I have also used an Al-Ko and Winterhoff 'ball-gripping' stabilisers now for 5 years with no issues at all. The key with these types is the friction pads can get contaminated with dirt and grease and the Ball MUST be properly cleaned. I calculate I used the Winterhoff for around 10,000 towing miles and my current Al-Ko 3004 has already covered 14,000 since 2005 and neither one had the pads changed.

If everyone follows the guidelines given by Al-Ko and Winterhoff these units should give many thousands of towing miles without problems. Mal

 

[Colinn]

That takes me back, Trevor. When I caravanned in the late 70s we had a Toyota Celica 2.0 litre towing an Eccles Elan.

We used what I think was a Carlight stabiliser, which had an adaptor plate fitting underneath the towball and a twin-leaf spring which hooked up by chain on to each side of the A-Bar.

I don't recall a single moment's concern about stability, but then again road conditions were different. Still like the idea of grease on a towball, but realise it's not practical with modern caravans and towballs. Stick with yours as long as you can...!!