ALKO towing ball

[phorbiuz_5071560]

Quick query if you don't mind?

I've just picked up my first brand new caravan - a Bailey Pageant Burgundy with an ALKO 3004 hitch. On pickup, my older style, greased up, towing ball was replaced for me as these ALKO's have to be dry and smooth for the friction stabilizer to work.

Problem is, the longer neck ALKO towball that they fitted is rusting already (they sand-papered the towball to get rid of any coatings etc).

What do others do? Do I have to use sandpaper every time I'm going to tow to clean it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lutz]

I just remove loose rust with a cloth as and when necessary and clean the ball properly with abrasives twice or three times a season. I find that perfectly adequate.

 

[rob_jax]

Phorbuiz,

Basically yes - although I wouldn't use sandpaper each time - you'll eventually under-size the tow-ball.

Something like a green scotchbrite pad (kitchen scourer type) will remove the thin layer of corrosion.

The ALKO stabiliser hitches have miniature brake pads inside them - to dampen out any swaying motion - so just like your car brakes the brake surface (tow-ball) should be clean and oil free.

That's why they removed the paint or plated surface - it'll just contaminate the ALKO pads - but a bit of fine rust won't hurt.

It's more important to keep it oil / grease free, so a quick wipe with a cloth (maybe with some meths or white spirit) to de-grease, and a wipe with a Scotchbrite if it's heavily rusted.

By the way - this is one of the reasons I have a detachable tow-ball - you can store the tow-ball somewhere where it does rust.

Robert

 

[Lutz]

Just a short comment on rob_jax's reply. The size tolerance on the towball is quite large. The standard specifies a 50h13 diameter. This translates to a tolerance of +0mm/-0.39mm. I think one would need to use a lot of sandpaper for a long time to remove enough material to be in danger of getting out of tolerance (unless, of course, the towball was on or very close to bottom limit in the first place).

 

[NorfolkMike]

I have a utility trailer and a caravan with an Alco head. I do not find it at all inconvienient to grease the ball when not using the caravan then de-grease it each time we do use it. that keeps the ball in good nick.

Lutz comment would worry me a little as this is the manufacturers tolerence and by definition could be near the bottom of the tolerence band when new.

Without wanting to be alarmist if the manufacturers tolerence on the ball is low and the tolerence on the head is high you don't need to be a bofin to work out the potential.

ttfn

 

[NorfolkMike]

I have a utility trailer and a caravan with an Alco head. I do not find it at all inconvienient to grease the ball when not using the caravan then de-grease it each time we do use it. that keeps the ball in good nick.

Lutz comment would worry me a little as this is the manufacturers tolerence and by definition could be near the bottom of the tolerence band when new.

Without wanting to be alarmist if the manufacturers tolerence on the ball is low and the tolerence on the head is high you don't need to be a bofin to work out the potential.

ttfn

 

[NorfolkMike]

I have a utility trailer and a caravan with an Alco head. I do not find it at all inconvienient to grease the ball when not using the caravan then de-grease it each time we do use it. that keeps the ball in good nick.

Lutz comment would worry me a little as this is the manufacturers tolerence and by definition could be near the bottom of the tolerence band when new.

Without wanting to be alarmist if the manufacturers tolerence on the ball is low and the tolerence on the head is high you don't need to be a bofin to work out the potential.

ttfn

 

[NorfolkMike]

three little fingers all in a row

ttfn

 

[Tankie]

I just use a handfull of 0000 grade wire wool, to clean my towball

Tankie

 

[Lutz]

I'm sorry if I've frightened anyone at the thought of what could happen if the towball diameter is below the permitted 49.61mm but you can be sure that the design of the coupling provides an adequate margin of safety. The neck size of the towbar immediately under the ball is specified as 29mm, so even allowing for adequate freedom of movement in all directions (these are specified in the standards, too), there will always, even under adverse tolerance conditions, be enough load bearing surface to prevent car and caravan from coming apart.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

There are the wear indicators on the Alko hitch as covered on another thread.

I use a Scotch Brit type cloth

 

[GrahamW]

This thread has confused me, why would you need to clean your tow ball.

If it is covered with a tow ball cover it should not rust, I have never had to clean or de-rust mine in 10 years and it is as clean now as it was the day it was fitted.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

The Alko friction stabiliser will creak and groan very much like the Scott type if the ball is contaminated by diesel fumes etc .

I had to change my pads within sight of the Spanish border one time as the noise was alarming.

Alko recommend cleaning with emery cloth but it has been mentionned several times on this site that emery is oily and perhaps not the best thing to use.

Its only a problem with friction hitches