Alko jacking brackets

[GUMPY]

What did I do wrong, or are they made of cheese?

Arrived at van, Elddis 554, to check it over and found a flat tyre, it has a duff valve.
The surface underneath the van is scalpings so coarse but loose surface.

Removed the spare from its holder.
Steadys were down, handbrake on, I chocked the other wheel. Loosened wheel nuts, jacked the van up using Alko side jack, removed the wheel.

Now we come to the exciting bit.
As I was fitting the spare I felt the van move and the spare was then jammed in the wheel arch. Jacking bracket bent at 45deg.
Panic ensued, step son arrived with trolly jack, I then jacked the van back up and fitted the wheel.

I feel perhaps I should have wound the steadies down after jacking the first time but they were wound down before the tyre went flat so should have been tight.

Oh and it started to pour with rain halfway through ☔

My dilemma is now do I fit the same again just on the one side or do I go for the uprated ones from a breakers at double the cost and do both sides.

Part of me says just leave it and call the breakdown services if I ever need to change a wheel.

 

[otherclive]

I would have put some blocks around nosewheel or hitched to car. Plus as I started to lift I would raise the opposite steadies and lower those on my side. Keep doing it incrementally until the wheel is removed. Then do the reverse on the way down. Jack base would have been positioned on a hard poly chopping board to spread the weight.

PS edit. I always used sidelift plus L shaped brackets when I stopped carrying a trolley jack around. Even used side lift in storage or on drive.

 

[Buckman]

We would have called the breakdown company as after all, that is why we are paying them.

 

[borderbilly]

I wouldn't have used the steadies, just hitch to car.

 

[GUMPY]

Some points.
I don't think the breakdown covers it when in storage and not attached to the car.
It faces an 8ft bund, goes in and out on the mover so no chance of getting the car into the 2ft gap at the front.

Still I've ordered some reinforced points as the 2x800kg is a bit close to the 1600kg* that the van is when in storage.

* 1500kg when on the move.

 

[GUMPY]

Jack base would have been positioned on a hard poly chopping board to spread the weight.

This I should have done😟

 

[Hutch]

The old lightweight brackets are well known to bend over, I think Dusty Dog has a photo. There is an Uprated type. I bought a KoJack scissor jack and brackets, much stronger. My present caravan has the heavy weight Alko brackets which are identical to the KoJack ones.
AlKo

 

[GUMPY]

Oddly @Hutch eBay link is to the very set that I bought😎

 

[Buckman]

Some points.
I don't think the breakdown covers it when in storage and not attached to the car.
It faces an 8ft bund, goes in and out on the mover so no chance of getting the car into the 2ft gap at the front.

Still I've ordered some reinforced points as the 2x800kg is a bit close to the 1600kg* that the van is when in storage.

* 1500kg when on the move.

Mayday covered ours when in storage and not attached to the car. No issue.

 

[Hutch]

We would have called the breakdown company as after all, that is why we are paying them.

I would rather change the wheel myself, rather than wait a couple of hours, but if health issues dictate, otherwise , that fine.

 

[otherclive]

I would rather change the wheel myself, rather than wait a couple of hours, but if health issues dictate, otherwise , that fine.

The RAC have been getting some bad press recently. One 80 year old leaving hospital after cancer treatment phoned for assistance late morning. In the end by mid afternoon he got a Uber home, his wife followed home around 6pm and left car at hospital. Next day she was offered a six hour time window, but by then her son had driven over and resolved the problem. Another one was a mum and child left for hours in a dark industrial area.

Our granddaughter had a puncture on a construction site she was visiting near to Llandovery and was told it would be several hours before assistance would attend. As the site was closing at 5pm and no further updates from the RAC one of the workers fixed her tyre with a noodle plug and it held pressure and no leakage so she drove home. Similarly she had an exhaust failure out there on a remote road and attendance was going to be some hours. When the agent did attend three hours later he removed the failed end box and she drove home.

The common thread here being that all the incidents involved elderly and/ or vulnerable people in less than ideal areas.

 

[Hutch]

Fred Drift,
When I had to call Mayday in the summer, to get my car home , due to a locked on Electronic hand break, the recovery truck had to come 20 miles from Northampton to Toddington, in Bedfordshire, 2 1/2, hours before he got to us, as he wouldn't come down the M1, during rush hour.

 

[Buckman]

I would rather change the wheel myself, rather than wait a couple of hours, but if health issues dictate, otherwise , that fine.

Never had to wait hours and generally only about 30-45 minutes. Only time we had to wait hours was when the car broke down and they needed a low loader.

 

[Hutch]

Never had to wait hours and generally only about 30-45 minutes. Only time we had to wait hours was when the car broke down and they needed a low loader.

That is what I required, a low loader, obviously Mayday don't have their own, fleet of them and contract out.

I will start a new thread, rather than Hijack this one.

 

[borderbilly]

Fred Drift,
When I had to call Mayday in the summer, to get my car home , due to a locked on Electronic hand break, the recovery truck had to come 20 miles from Northampton to Toddington, in Bedfordshire, 2 1/2, hours before he got to us, as he wouldn't come down the M1, during rush hour.

Fred can't resist 😆

 

[otherclive]

Fred can't resist 😆

Horse has left the stable already.

 

[Buckman]

Fred can't resist 😆

Are you the newly appointed moderator?

 

[borderbilly]

Are you the newly appointed moderator?

No, if i was, id have to keep myself in check

 

[IanB1485]

I have the kojack bottle jack and lifting points on my caravan , they don't look like they would twist and buckle, but I won't know until the caravan twists. I also have a Vevor electric scissor jack and once a caravan twisted as it was lifted and the foot of the jack was bent out of shape, I have now reinforced the foot with 3mm steel plate and also place a larger 2mm steel plate under the jack to stop it digging it on soft/uneven ground. I also chock the other wheel(s) when lifting caravans.Once lifted I don't trust jacks( particularly hydraulic ones) so also place a stack of wooden blocks (old joists ) under the axle , as a safety measure . You can never be too careful when lifting up a caravan.

 

[Beardy]

I also chock the other wheel(s) when lifting caravans.

So you jack it up without it being hitched to a vehicle? I'd be interested to know if there is a safe way to do this.

 

[Hutch]

When I recently jacked my van up to remove the wheels to replace the tyres,
I leveled the van, handbrake on, chocked the opposite wheel, set the jockey wheel across the front and chocked it. Set the stays just above the ground whilst jacking the van enough for the wheel to clear the ground, axle stands under the van and lowered the stays.
Removed the wheel, fitted the spare. Lowered the van back onto the wheel.

Repetted on the other side, but left the van on two axle stands, the side Wind up jack and my KoJack scissor jack, under the axle, ( It also fits fits the AlKo heavy weight, jack points)
Since then I have bought a Halfords 3 tonne trolly jack.

 

[otherclive]

So you jack it up without it being hitched to a vehicle? I'd be interested to know if there is a safe way to do this.

Re #2, I did it either in storage on grass/ gravel, and on the concrete drive of the house. Only to change tyres though. Take one wheel off, put spare on it and lower. Go to other side lift until wheel rotated. Place axke stand then remove wheel. Take wheels for new tyres and reverse procedure.

 

[IanB1485]

@Beardy , Yes all the time , often they are in storage facilities. Hutch's method is good , the only difference is I use 300L x250W x 60-75mm thick blocks of wood rather than axle stands. Also I don't rely on the steadies.During the lift , just as the wheel lifts off the ground I give the caravan a good sideways shove to test the stability of the jack , before further lifting the wheel and placing the safety blocks under the axle.