Alko tow hitch... does it need a special tow ball on the car?

[Matthew_374540478]

Hi, saw an old caravan listed on preloved today which has had an alko tow hitch put on it for safety... my question is does that need a special sort of tow ball on my car? Mine is standard...

Thanks!

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi, in theory no as all towballs are 50mm the alko hitch will fit all balls. HOWEVER wether a alko hitch has enoough clearance between the hitch and the body work of the car is another story providing there is a least 25mm of clearance once the hitch is fitted on to the ball it should be ok.

if not alko do a ball that sits farther out from the tow bar mount giving more room.

the main thing about using an old ball with the alko is that is has to be absolutly clean with no sign of damage, grease or rust as this WILL contaminate the friction pads.

ok colin

 

[JTQ]

If the Al-Ko tow hitch is one of the AKS ones that has the stabilising function then it MUST only be used with the special towball or a Swan neck type.

Download the document: "Correct Use of Towballs" from this AL-KO web site:

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/support-aks.asp
It is unsafe to use a standard ISO towball.

They all use 50mm balls but that's not the problem; the issues lay with having sufficient clearances both static and articulating.

 

[ValA.]

As John states, we had to replace our standard towball when we got a caravan with an ALKO hitch. You can buy a bolt-on Alko towball for not very much on ebay. If you look at them you will see they have a narrow neck immediately below the towball. If the ball is painted black then sand off the paint coating with a very very fine abrasive paper.

 

[Sproket]

This is the AL-KO Towball guide

This is very informative CARE & MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR AL-KO CHASSIS AND COMPONENTS

 

[Stephen_374341239]

Hi Mathew

You can get the AL-KO tow ball from E bay very cheaply and fit it yourself.

Just go to E Bay web sit type in AL-KO towball.

 

[Matthew_374540478]

Thanks everybody, I'll investigate on Ebay! :0)

 

[baggy2508]

Matthew.

If you go to most caravan dealers you will get the alko towball from them.

Regards John.