Alko single axle problems

[Alan Jones]

Have any of you caravanners experienced Alko axle drop problems, where the tyres are almost touching the wheel arches? We own a 2015 Elddis Midhurst Premier Plus, bought from new. From new until 2019 we had it regularly serviced. From 2019 until 2024 it was only used on site where it is stored. No problems with the Alko chassis were noted. We had it serviced in 2024 by the same approved mobile servicing company who then discovered the problem. We get no response from Elddis or Alko. Our caravan has never been overloaded or driven over potholes.
A leading company that repairs Alko axles has refurbished 1700 of these axles over a 12 month period.
As most caravan manufacturers use Alko axles this problem must be a common issue.

 

[Mr Plodd]

It is certainly a well known issue. So is the response from Alko, that being that the caravan had been overloaded. A very clever response because there is no way of proving that it hasn't, at some point, been overloaded. No way on the planet you can prove a negative.
It needs someone to take up the cudgel on behalf of the large number of caravans, manufactured during a relatively short period of time.
Be nice if the clubs stepped up to the plate wouldn't it?

 

[RogerL]

Have any of you caravanners experienced Alko axle drop problems, where the tyres are almost touching the wheel arches? We own a 2015 Elddis Midhurst Premier Plus, bought from new. From new until 2019 we had it regularly serviced. From 2019 until 2024 it was only used on site where it is stored. No problems with the Alko chassis were noted. We had it serviced in 2024 by the same approved mobile servicing company who then discovered the problem. We get no response from Elddis or Alko. Our caravan has never been overloaded or driven over potholes.
A leading company that repairs Alko axles has refurbished 1700 of these axles over a 12 month period.
As most caravan manufacturers use Alko axles this problem must be a common issue.

One or two forum members have had this problem - some have had their existing axle refurbished by Fraser Brown in the Highlands http://www.fraserbrowneng.co.uk/index.php?c=al-ko-axle-repair while at least one had a brand-new axle fitted. Getting the caravan maker to foot the bill is like getting blood out of a stone!

Our 2013 Lunar Clubman presently has a "relaxed" axle which I'm keeping my eye on but have already lined up a local AWS workshop with experience of axle removal ready for when the inevitable time arrives.

 

[otherclive]

I had an axle slump on one side. The caravan was five years old at the time. I eventually decided to opt for a new axle as opposed to having Fraser Brown refurbish it. I investigated the fitting of an uprated axle but met resistance from Swift and Alko. Cost of a new axle inclusive of brake assemblies was born by me, but my dealer Tilshead Caravans, took charge of the whole job. What was most surprising is that even though I provided photos of the axle identification labels Alko still required a number of physical dimensions to be measured before accepting on order. It surprised me how poor the configuration control was by Swift and Alko. Put bluntly they did not have the necessary information to hand to allow easy ordering. Here’s my thread on the issue.

There’s another axle one by KJF 400 on a very new caravan, but he hasn’t come back an updated the Forum on any outcome, but his thread is also below.

I have a "Relaxed Axle"

According to the quaint phraseology used to describe a suspension fault, I have what is called "relaxed axle" This basically means that the offside is 25mm lower than the near side, and accordingly tyre -wheel arch clearance is reduced. Alko no longer recondition or repair axles so its a whole...

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AL-KO IRS axle failure on 9 month old Swift Sprite Alpine 4 caravan

I bought a brand new Swift Sprite Alpine 4 caravan from Glossop Caravans in October 2022 I have used it twice once in May to go down to Corfu where we have some apartment's and stay for the summer and once when we returned at the end of September . We only need to take the basics for the trip...

forums.practicalcaravan.com

 

[ProfJohnL]

Have any of you caravanners experienced Alko axle drop problems, where the tyres are almost touching the wheel arches? We own a 2015 Elddis Midhurst Premier Plus, bought from new. From new until 2019 we had it regularly serviced. From 2019 until 2024 it was only used on site where it is stored. No problems with the Alko chassis were noted. We had it serviced in 2024 by the same approved mobile servicing company who then discovered the problem. We get no response from Elddis or Alko. Our caravan has never been overloaded or driven over potholes.
A leading company that repairs Alko axles has refurbished 1700 of these axles over a 12 month period.
As most caravan manufacturers use Alko axles this problem must be a common issue.

I can fully understand your dismay at the situation, and whilst it is a known type of failure, If it was genuinely as high as 1700 per year needing "refurbishment" I'm pretty sure we would have heard of many more caravans suffering this failure. As it is we get to hear a of two maybe three per year. This could be explained by the the fact these axles are used on many different types of trailer, and those being refurbished might not all have had collapsed suspensions. However this does not diminish the inconvenience and the annoyance you must be feeling.

Unfortunately this is not an unknown occurrence, and as you have seen already both the caravan and the chassis manufacturer 's resist such claims and always seem to blame the customer.

You tell us you bought the caravan new in 2015 That is now 9 years ago and sadly that means both the manufacturers warranty and your rights under the Consumer Rights Act (coincidentally also introduced in 2015) are considerably expired, which means any cost for repairs or replacement will fall upon your self.

I'm sorry.

 

[otherclive]

One or two forum members have had this problem - some have had their existing axle refurbished by Fraser Brown in the Highlands http://www.fraserbrowneng.co.uk/index.php?c=al-ko-axle-repair while at least one had a brand-new axle fitted. Getting the caravan maker to foot the bill is like getting blood out of a stone!

Our 2013 Lunar Clubman presently has a "relaxed" axle which I'm keeping my eye on but have already lined up a local AWS workshop with experience of axle removal ready for when the inevitable time arrives.

I’ve been a member of this Forum since 2009 and have never read a report of a PC member having their axle repaired by Fraser Brown. Do you have a link please?

 

[Dustydog]

I’ve been a member of this Forum since 2009 and have never read a report of a PC member having their axle repaired by Fraser Brown. Do you have a link please?

Did you ever use your grease nipples to lube the shaft?
There’s no mention on any of my AWS reports. Need to look closer tomorrow. Al-ko say grease every 20k km or annually.

 

[RogerL]

I’ve been a member of this Forum since 2009 and have never read a report of a PC member having their axle repaired by Fraser Brown. Do you have a link please?

No I can't link the thread - maybe it was another caravan forum.

The workshop I've used in Langley Mill, Derbyshire for major work have done axle replacement before.

 

[Mr Plodd]

Did you ever use your grease nipples to lube the shaft?
There’s no mention on any of my AWS reports. Need to look closer tomorrow. Al-ko say grease every 20k km or annually.

The "suspension" is octagonal rubber lengths like liquorice string running the length of the axle tube. I cannot envisage grease being injected into that area doing tge rubber much good can you?

 

[Hutch]

The "suspension" is octagonal rubber lengths like liquorice string running the length of the axle tube. I cannot envisage grease being injected into that area doing tge rubber much good can you?

It is the axle support bearings that are lubricated, not the rubber bushes.

 

[Buckman]

There are numerous reports of the axle failing all over the Internet. Here is a good read. https://worldwidewalkies.blog/2018/02/10/bailey-alko-axle-problem/

 

[otherclive]

There are numerous reports of the axle failing all over the Internet. Here is a good read. https://worldwidewalkies.blog/2018/02/10/bailey-alko-axle-problem/

I know that Baileys had a spate of problems on newer caravans, and that one owner after a long engagement eventually succeeded in his complaint. But at that time it did not seem to be affecting other makes, which seems strange given I would have expected Alkos rubber compound to have been used across makes. So it may have been a Bailey induced problem. The blog above is Intersting. However there has been a recent case on a Sprite reported on this forum where the caravan was only 9 months old. See #4. But unfortunately there has been no follow up.

 

[Mr Plodd]

The issue was that Bailey used squared off wheel boxes, rather than ones with a curved top, so there was less initial clearance from new between the top of the tyre and the wheel box, so LESS room available to "absorb" the droop in the suspension.

 

[otherclive]

The issue was that Bailey used squared off wheel boxes, rather than ones with a curved top, so there was less initial clearance from new between the top of the tyre and the wheel box, so LESS room available to "absorb" the droop in the suspension.

So in that period Bailey didn’t do too well. Tyre-clearance issues, and wheels falling off. It’s not as if caravans were a new concept😱

 

[Mr Plodd]

So in that period Bailey didn’t do too well. Tyre-clearance issues, and wheels falling off. It’s not as if caravans were a new concept😱

Those two issues were many years apart and were caused by faults in components "bought in" from other suppliers so clearly not a "construction" issue.

Words currently being bandied about, such as "cracking ABS panels" and "only 12 month warranty" do, I believe, apply to another, different caravan manufacturer? Along with "broken panoramic windows" and "bodywork separating from chassis" ?

Glass houses and stones ?

 

[otherclive]

Those two issues were many years apart and were caused by faults in components "bought in" from other suppliers so clearly not a "construction" issue.

Words currently being bandied about, such as "cracking ABS panels" and "only 12 month warranty" do, I believe, apply to another, different caravan manufacturer? Along with "broken panoramic windows" and "bodywork separating from chassis" ?

Glass houses and stones ?

It was Bailey who constructed the square wheel boxes. Bailey takes design authority for the complete caravan. What does it say about their development regime? And YES another well known make hasn’t been without its problems. My 2005 Series 5 Bordeaux gave nine years of sterling service, along with its replacement front and rear panels 😱

 

[Mr Plodd]

Bailey takes design authority for the complete caravan. What does it say about their development regime? And YES another well known make hasn’t been without its problems. My 2005 Series 5 gave nine years of sterling service, along with its replacement front and rear panels 😱

A company approaches a supplier, and provides them with a particular specification for a component. If that supplier then fails to comply with that specification who is at fault? The customer, or the supplier?

If you buy a Ford, and a tyre fails for whatever reason, is that the fault of Ford, or the tyre manufacturer

Bailey don't make caravan axles, they, along with the majority of caravan makers buy them from Alko, like fridges from Dometic, heaters from Truma/Alde etc. Faults on those items cannot realistically be blamed on the caravan manufacturer even though it is they who must re tify tge fault.

 

[otherclive]

A company approaches a supplier, and provides them with a particular specification for a component. If that supplier then fails to comply with that specification who is at fault? The customer, or the supplier?

If you buy a Ford, and a tyre fails for whatever reason, is that the fault of Ford, or the tyre manufacturer

Bailey don't make caravan axles, they, along with the majority of caravan makers buy them from Alko, like fridges from Dometic, heaters from Truma/Alde etc. Faults on those items cannot realistically be blamed on the caravan manufacturer even though it is they who must re tify tge fault.

Having spent my career working with and procuring complex systems I am well aware of how procurement works, But wheels falling off, suspension dropping, panel cracks, floor or side detachment to my mind are far more important than the odd glitch on a fridge, and fall within the remit of the caravan maker’s development and quality process.

 

[Mr Plodd]

"Working with", and "procuring" is nothing to do with the initial product specification.
A development process is exactly that, a process, and it takes time, and practical usage, to achieve it. You work out what's needed, apply a spec and hopefully that works. If issues show up you alter/improve the spec.

Companies buy items in having issued a specification, and sometimes the supplied items fail to meet that spec. Hardly the fault of the specifying customer is it? ABS Panel cracks, panoramic window failings, dropping floors etc are not issues that have affected Bailey, so it's disingenuous to include such failings in a blanket criticism of that particular manufacturer.

 

[RogerL]

A company approaches a supplier, and provides them with a particular specification for a component. If that supplier then fails to comply with that specification who is at fault? The customer, or the supplier?

If you buy a Ford, and a tyre fails for whatever reason, is that the fault of Ford, or the tyre manufacturer

Bailey don't make caravan axles, they, along with the majority of caravan makers buy them from Alko, like fridges from Dometic, heaters from Truma/Alde etc. Faults on those items cannot realistically be blamed on the caravan manufacturer even though it is they who must re tify tge fault.

Consumer law doesn't allow the buck to be passed down the chain - the seller is responsible to the consumer - under commercial law the seller may have redress against the product manufacturer and in turn the product manufacturer may have redress against the component supplier.

The fact that caravan makers don't carry out endurance testing, unlike most car makers, leaves them open to debacles of faulty products and/or faulty design.

 

[otherclive]

"Working with", and "procuring" is nothing to do with the initial product specification.
A development process is exactly that, a process, and it takes time, and practical usage, to achieve it. You work out what's needed, apply a spec and hopefully that works. If issues show up you alter/improve the spec.

Companies buy items in having issued a specification, and sometimes the supplied items fail to meet that spec. Hardly the fault of the specifying customer is it? ABS Panel cracks, panoramic window failings, dropping floors etc are not issues that have affected Bailey, so it's disingenuous to include such failings in a blanket criticism of that particular manufacturer.

You haven’t read my post #16 properly. My Bailey had replacement front and rear panels between years 1 and 2 so I’m not being disingenuous. In my experience many procurements start with the initial customer product specification being issued to a would be supplier, or suppliers. But there again defence and aero are a bit different to the caravan and motorhome industry, so I will not add any further drift to this thread.

 

[Dustydog]

Al-ko chose to become a quality manufacturer of trailer chassis.
Until a few years ago their only competitor was BWP who supplied Elddis, most other caravan manufacturers choosing Al-ko. All the design , testing , certification is done by Al-ko not Bailey etc. What came first the chicken or the egg? Al-ko sell chassis of various sizes ,loads. Bailey choose. Who designs the chassis Al-ko.

The caravan ladder chassis come in various lengths and axle loadings. If you watch the videos Swift and Bailey can be seen constructing a chassis to suit the caravan being made. Basically it’s a Meccano kit.
I always viewed a caravan as part self build part bought in bits . And then assembled into a whole “unit”. The various habitation equipment often comes with the makers own guarantee. So what?
As Roger pointed out consumer law CRA 2015 allows you to direct your claim against the seller.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Unfortunately whilst ideal research and development process should include extensive and realistic testing, and even when companies have genuinely tried to make it realistic, even the best can be sometimes be caught out.

As Mr Plod suggests the truly honorable companies will take end user complaint seriously, and feed it back into the development process to try to prevent the problem from recurring. When such a failing has occurred the best companies will hold up their hands and put right with the minimum of fuss.

For example look at caravan movers. If there was a way to show how mechanically reliable each brand of mover is , I suspect (but can't prove) that most of the brands have similar level of reliability but there may one or two brands who are notably worse than the rest.

Of the brands with similar mechanical reliability, the public's perception of the brands can vary considerably, based on the quality of their after sales performance when dealing with the end user.

There is one brand who is frequently praised, not because their products have been super reliable, but their after sales service has been excelemporary, and the users problem has been sorted quickly - happy customers who trust the company.

By comparison a company who drags its feet and makes the customer work hard to get their mover repaired, will seem less trustworthy to the public.

The perception (but not necessarily the truth) is the good company has a more reliable product.

It's how companies deal with problems that can make significant differences to the public's perception. We have seen similar comparisons with insurers.

In respect of suspension collapse, The physical evidence is the suspension has relieved, and that can only mean the applied load has exceeded the components strength. But what end users cannot prove is if the design was inadequate for the stated load, or if the components used were to the correct specification, or whether the assembly process was defective in some manner which compromised the suspensions capability. And of course in some cases the end user may have actually overloaded caravan.

 

[RogerL]

Whilst no-one can disprove Alko's claims that failing axles have been overloaded, because any evidence is long gone, I wonder how much safety margin these axles actually have? It's normal for any engineering structure prototype to be tested to destruction with a suitably reduced limit applied to subsequent production.

Now I'd suggest that Alko axles should have at least 10% safety margin, preferably more like 30% - not to allow owners to exceed their rating but to cope with any inadvertent overload without failing - so I'd suggest that a 1500kg rated axle should cope with a 150 kg overload without failing - but 150kg is exceeding the user payload by 100% on some caravans.

Alko axles have their own rating plate - I've not heard of any owner/dealer discovering that the axle fitted is lower rated than the caravan's MTPLM so I think we can eliminate the suggestion that caravan makers are under-specifying axles - leaving just design fault, product fault or overloading as the cause of these issues - since overloading would have to be gross to exceed the safety margin then a civil case in court against Alko should succeed that "on the balance of probability" that a faulty product is the cause.

But it's probably a brave person who takes on Alko in court.

 

[otherclive]

Whilst no-one can disprove Alko's claims that failing axles have been overloaded, because any evidence is long gone, I wonder how much safety margin these axles actually have? It's normal for any engineering structure prototype to be tested to destruction with a suitably reduced limit applied to subsequent production.

Now I'd suggest that Alko axles should have at least 10% safety margin, preferably more like 30% - not to allow owners to exceed their rating but to cope with any inadvertent overload without failing - so I'd suggest that a 1500kg rated axle should cope with a 150 kg overload without failing - but 150kg is exceeding the user payload by 100% on some caravans.

Alko axles have their own rating plate - I've not heard of any owner/dealer discovering that the axle fitted is lower rated than the caravan's MTPLM so I think we can eliminate the suggestion that caravan makers are under-specifying axles - leaving just design fault, product fault or overloading as the cause of these issues - since overloading would have to be gross to exceed the safety margin then a civil case in court against Alko should succeed that "on the balance of probability" that a faulty product is the cause.

But it's probably a brave person who takes on Alko in court.

I inadvertently overloaded a 1000kg MTPLM caravan to 1240-50kg as weighed near Brecon during its first trip out. Needless to say the trip home was cautious, but fortunately I had fitted higher load index trailer specific tyres that were okay at the overload weight. On arrival home I got underneath and inspected the running gear and all was fine, no visual indication of a reduced gap between the tyre and caravan.
Intended to submit for Woosie membership on account of that faux pas. 😱