alko wheel clamps

[GrahamDerby]

Well now ive had enough of trying to fit these to my twin axle van. I can never seem to get both wheels lined up so end up jacking it up or whatever, and when its on leveling ramps on grass i got no chance.
Back to my trusty Nemisis, it may be bulky, it may be heavy, but its easy ,and with my dodgy hands its worth its weight in gold.
Alko back in the box.

 

[lishka]

It's only today I've been looking in to this!
I have just bought a twin axle Lunar and it has come with 2 alko wheel locks
The only way I can imagine getting one of these on is by jacking the van up before lowering the legs?
It also came with a alko side jack which I tried to use today but have found some mounting brackets that need mounting first? the only thing is the mounting place seems to be covered with the truma mover!
The only way forward I can see is to invest in a little 2 ton trolley jack? That will really help keep the weight of my outfit down!!
Any other suggestions would be great, Thanks.

 

[TonyG]

It's only today I've been looking in to this!
I have just bought a twin axle Lunar and it has come with 2 alko wheel locks
The only way I can imagine getting one of these on is by jacking the van up before lowering the legs?
It also came with a alko side jack which I tried to use today but have found some mounting brackets that need mounting first? the only thing is the mounting place seems to be covered with the truma mover!
The only way forward I can see is to invest in a little 2 ton trolley jack? That will really help keep the weight of my outfit down!!
Any other suggestions would be great, Thanks.

The only suggestion i can give is don't use them. i contacted our insurance company and told them i was not prepared to jack the van up. they said fine use one Alko and one normal wheel clamp. and it would not affect my policy, and i got that in writing... Alko seem to have cornered the market in designing totally impractical items, Spare wheel carrier and the Alko wheel clamp..

 

[Surfer]

We had the same issues as both of us suffer from arthritis and jacking up the caravan was out of the question. Our insurance company agreed that as long as we had one ALKO fitted and a wheel clamp we woudl still be entitled to the discount. Towergate Insurers have the same policy.
Contact your insurance company to find out if this is acceptable. They may agree and still offer a discount.

 

[JohnnyV]

There is an easy way to fit to a twin axle without jacking - simply lign up one wheel, fit the clamp to that wheel, then 'drag' the van until the other wheel lines up - in practise you are probably only moving the van an inch or two !
I mentioned this system to a caravan engineer - he reckons that puts a lot less stress on the suspension than jacking it up and then letting it down again with the wheels locked into place.
I have been using this system for a couple of years now (ever since someone on the forum suggested it) and have never had an issue.
Hope this helps
Jon

 

[Surfer]

There is an easy way to fit to a twin axle without jacking - simply lign up one wheel, fit the clamp to that wheel, then 'drag' the van until the other wheel lines up - in practise you are probably only moving the van an inch or two !
I mentioned this system to a caravan engineer - he reckons that puts a lot less stress on the suspension than jacking it up and then letting it down again with the wheels locked into place.
I have been using this system for a couple of years now (ever since someone on the forum suggested it) and have never had an issue.
Hope this helps
Jon

Doubt if that would work unless the caravan is on perfectly level ground. If it is up on levellers you probably will have an issue. Simpler for us IMHO to fit the wheel clamp. We also have the Delta TI. Have you had any issues with the front blinds?

 

[GrahamDerby]

There is an easy way to fit to a twin axle without jacking - simply lign up one wheel, fit the clamp to that wheel, then 'drag' the van until the other wheel lines up - in practise you are probably only moving the van an inch or two !
I mentioned this system to a caravan engineer - he reckons that puts a lot less stress on the suspension than jacking it up and then letting it down again with the wheels locked into place.
I have been using this system for a couple of years now (ever since someone on the forum suggested it) and have never had an issue.
Hope this helps
Jon

Doubt if that would work unless the caravan is on perfectly level ground. If it is up on levellers you probably will have an issue. Simpler for us IMHO to fit the wheel clamp. We also have the Delta TI. Have you had any issues with the front blinds?

At home my hitch is locked onto a post set in the drive. If you jack the van up , fit clamps and let van down the whole thing moves due to the suspention shifting .

 

[lishka]

Not sure I like the idea of 'dragging' !
Anyway my new £20 2 ton trolley jack has arrived today but really want some advice as to where it needs to go!
Remenber I have a twin axle with a truma mover mounted at the rear wheels.

 

[GrahamDerby]

My trolly jack came from Aldi and is narrow so fits between the axles. The problem is that as you jack the van up the jack moves in towards the centre of the van, not much but you have to have it on a flat hard surface.

 

[Dustydog]

Lishka and Graham
Be very caerful where you place the jack.
The Al-ko chassis has pre drilled holes to which you attach purpose made stiffening plates. The jack is then placed directly under these plates. They are readily available from Al-ko and dealers . DO NOT jack onto the chassis itself. You'll damage it !!
I assume BPW are similiar but check as I don't know first hand.
I often use the "drag "method for lining up the two locks. As I use one metre boards and the mover it doesn't do any harm or cause any problem. BUT the makers will say NO.

 

[RogerL]

DO NOT jack onto the chassis itself. You'll damage it !!

You'll probably find that most dealers and all mobile mechanics simply use a trolley jack under the longitudinal chassis members, not on the Alko jacking point. A few dealers use a hoist, avoiding the issue.
I've done so for nearly 30 years and never damaged the chassis.

 

[mto]

The only sensible way to fit wheel locks is by using a jack, dragging must induce stresses on the lock bolts, the wheels and the chassis, I would have thought. I do agree that the alko jack saupplied is not " user friendly" and am still looking for a practical alternetaive.

We also have a Delta TI and I assume that the problem with the front blinds is that they catch on the window seals. we have had that problem, along with many others, and our dealer resolved it, eventually, by fitting spacers, supplied by Lunar between the blinds and the wall of the van, also, at last, we have been supplied with curtain rail stops to stop the curtains sliding off the rails every time you move the van.

However, other ongoing problems we have is with cracking to the rear panel, chips and discolouration of the alloy wheels, radio reception, fit of the oven doors, fit of the window seals, discolouration of the door frame, which we are told is due to the bending of the section to form the frame??? and the list seems to go on.

NOT IMPRESSED!

 

[Dustydog]

DO NOT jack onto the chassis itself. You'll damage it !!

You'll probably find that most dealers and all mobile mechanics simply use a trolley jack under the longitudinal chassis members, not on the Alko jacking point. A few dealers use a hoist, avoiding the issue.
I've done so for nearly 30 years and never damaged the chassis.

Sorry Roger
I will have to take issue with your statement if only for the sake of any newbie or inexperiencded caravanner on here.
The Al-Ko chassis is not designed to support the weight of the caravan with a jack unless the stiffening plates have been fixed first.
I imagine Al-ko are pretty good at what they do and would not for one minute recommend something that was unneccessary. All my last three caravans have been fitted by me with the OME jacking plates.
The one time I needed a mobile engineer he placed his jack on the axle tube very close to the hub.
I doubt our Damien would jack up his customers caravans as you suggest.
For the sake of those who don't know see this:-
http://www.al-ko.co.uk/edit/files/handbooks/side-lift-jack-handbook.pdf

 

[RogerL]

I stand by what I posted - not as a recommendation but a statement of what happens in the real world.
Neither a dealer nor a mobile engineer can use the Alko jacking points if the caravan isn't fitted with them - now that's a huge number of caravans on the road.
It's also a fact that I've done it to my own caravans a couple of times a year for 3 decades without any damage - in my case I can't/won't use the axle end plate because I support that on wooden blocks to rest the suspension during the winter, as recommended by Alko.

 

[Parksy]

Jacking up a caravan with an AlKo chassis in any way other than that recommended by AlKo will invalidate any guarantee if damage occurs as a result of this malpractice.
Chassis rails can warp or twist because they are not designed to support the weight of the caravan unless AlKo designed jacking plates are fitted.
In cases where no chassis mounted jacking plates are fitted approved dealers and mobile technicians should follow the instructions laid down by the chassis manufacturer which prohibits jacking on chassis rails without the appropriate jacking plates.
If an individual decides to jack up their caravan in a manner other than that recommended by the chassis manufacturer they risk causing damage to the chassis rails.