Alko Hitch Will It Fit My Towball In Australia

[Auspom]

G,Day Guys

Have just purchased a 99 Vanmaster Fanfare 2 Berth caravan and i am in the middle of having it shipped to Oz, the van has the red Alko Hitch but what i need to know is will it fit the ball on my car here in Australia.

I have a Hayman Reece heavy duty box type towbar rated to around 2300kgs with the removable tongue with the standard 50mm ball, will the Alko Hitch fit this ok as i heard someone over hear say that you need a Alko ball to accept the Alko Hitch ?, i did not think this was the case as i thought 50mm was the standard and the only thing that i would have to ensure is that the ball is perfectly dry.

Is there any such thing as an Alko ball and if so what is the difference.

Thanks

Tony

 

[WoodlandsCamper]

Yes - there is a specific Alko towball for 2-hole bolt-on type fittings. Swan neck type towballs are generally OK. The Alko hitch is chunkier and needs more space to move around on the ball during manouevering the outfit. An Alko towball has a reduced diameter neck directly under the ball itself to allow for this movement, and is taller. Go to this link for details.

http://www.nationalcaravan.co.uk/images/resources/alko_towball_guide_final_rev1.pdf

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tony,
The Alko hitch uses a 50mm ball but becuase of the extra bulk of the hitch head due to the friction anti snake pads, the standard EU configuration bolt on ball does not provide the necesary clearance for the hitch to fully articulate.

The Alko obolt on ball has an extended neck that gives the necessary clerances. See near the bottom of this link :-

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/edit/files/brochures/AL-KO%20Caravan%20Accessories%20Brochure%202009.pdf

The EU type swan neck or removable hitches usually provide enough clearance, but I don't know if these are available for Aussi cars.

 

[Auspom]

Thanks Woodlands & Prof

You have both made things much clearer and i fully understand, i will now be making some local enquiries as to where to obtain one of those balls here in Australia.

Tony