alko tow hitch damaged.. help

[simon_374347150]

since taking delivery of my new caravan the hitch lock has come into contact with my towbar bracket on my jeep looks like when i have been reversing with quite a bit of lock it has cracked the side of the al-ko hitch as there is a chunk taken out from the bolts on the towbar is there a way of bringing my towbar further away from the towbar bracket and can i get replacement parts from al-ko

thanks

simon

 

[Stephen_374341239]

Hi there

You need to purchase a AL-KO Tow-Ball it give the right clearances.

 

[Lutz]

It sounds as though you have been reversing with the hitchlock in place. Depending on the design of the hitchlock this can be a problem even with the special AlKo towball fitted, that Stephen refers to. Better remove the hitchlock when towing.

 

[gary]

Although travelling with the Alko hitch lock in place is possible, it's not recommended on safety grounds should the van need disconnecting in a hurry!

Alko's extended neck towball only offers extra clearance 'under' the ball, it is identical in all other dimensions so will not help in front between ball and bracket. My hitch used to rub on the bumper protector and bend it, I used a 16mm spacer between bracket and ball to give the clearance to stop this happening.

 

[simon_374347150]

sorry for sounding stupid but how do you mean with hitch lock in place when reversing??

i think it hapenened because the towball is to close to the fixing bolts which have come into contact with the hitch on my van

also has anyone got advice on reversing up slight slopes because when doing this the brakes engage

ta!

 

[Dustydog]

Gary

Sorry if I have misunderstood you but my Alko extended ball is at least 10mm further away from the bracket than a standard ball. Isn't this done to give adequate clearance for the Alko stabiliser?

Cheers

Alan

 

[gary]

Maybe Alko have changed this fore/aft dimension then? I don't know how old my Alko ball is but it's exactly the same as standard between ball and bracket.

Thinking about it, the near new Alko cover I have goes almost right over the spacer? I did wonder why and this would explain it!

 

[Happy-Lappy]

Hi all,

Alan is correct in saying that you need to have the AlKo extended neck towball fitted, as this will give you the required clearance from the stabilizer.

I do not think Simon is towing with a Hitchlock in place, I think he is getting confused with the AlKo3004 Stabilizer, which is why Alan and myself have suggested the Extended neck towball.

As for the Brakes engaging whilst reversing, I recommend you to have these checked, as they are supposed to collapse when the reverse mechanism is activated,

best regards, Martin

 

[simon_374347150]

hi all many thanks for your responses

i have just been out and fitted a longer clearance towing ball

thanks

simon