ATC activation

[Buckman]

If the ATC on a caravan is activated and brakes the caravan, should the brake lights come on as after all the caravan will probably slow down the towing vehicle briefly?
I guess most of us do not want another vehicle to run into the rear of the caravan although they should not be travelling that close.

 

[otherclive]

No. Although if you search PC there are those who might think that it does. The effect is very transient and only a slight braking is used to correct incipient instability. Alko ATC link below.

http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs

 

[Simple_Life]

No. Although if you search PC there are those who might think that it does. The effect is very transient and only a slight braking is used to correct incipient instability. Alko ATC link below.

]http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs

http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs[/quote
I've had the ATC activate on the motorway, brilliant piece of kit.

Outfit started snaking, ATC applied once, that didn't straighten it, then ATC applied again locking the caravan wheels, now that did straighten it!

Great experience to have had, my car even though I had no steering control in the snake never left lane 1, purely down to ATC, I for one will never buy a caravan without it.

 

[otherclive]

No. Although if you search PC there are those who might think that it does. The effect is very transient and only a slight braking is used to correct incipient instability. Alko ATC link below.

]http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs

http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs[/quote
I've had the ATC activate on the motorway, brilliant piece of kit.

Outfit started snaking, ATC applied once, that didn't straighten it, then ATC applied again locking the caravan wheels, now that did straighten it!

Great experience to have had, my car even though I had no steering control in the snake never left lane 1, purely down to ATC, I for one will never buy a caravan without it.

Was that with the Insignia pulling the Coachman? Normally ATC cuts in such that most drivers hardly feel it working. Strange why your went into such snake though, but good that ATC corrected it.

 

[Hutch]

I had my ATC activate on A Coachman 560 /4 whilst being towed by my Santa fe, , just passed an HGV at stupidly 65 mph, the van gave three huge swings over maybe 2 seconds maybe three. The ATC activated pulled the van straight slowed us to about 55mph, in about 5 seconds, and released,

The silence in the car was Immense , as SL said , never buy a van with out the system or similar. .

 

[Buckman]

I didn't think that the lights would be activated but needed to check so thanks for the confirmation. The ATC will activate on a bumpy road even if travelling at 30mph. This has happened to us twice at the same spot which is the road from Brean to the motorway.

 

[DaveA1]

I didn't think that the lights would be activated but needed to check so thanks for the confirmation. The ATC will activate on a bumpy road even if travelling at 30mph. This has happened to us twice at the same spot which is the road from Brean to the motorway.

That's the only time mine has activated, at a set of road works, over a temperey filled trench. it was a good tug, certainly noticed it.

 

[Simple_Life]

No. Although if you search PC there are those who might think that it does. The effect is very transient and only a slight braking is used to correct incipient instability. Alko ATC link below.

]http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs

http://www.alko-tech.com/uk/faqs[/quote
I've had the ATC activate on the motorway, brilliant piece of kit.

Outfit started snaking, ATC applied once, that didn't straighten it, then ATC applied again locking the caravan wheels, now that did straighten it!

Great experience to have had, my car even though I had no steering control in the snake never left lane 1, purely down to ATC, I for one will never buy a caravan without it.

Was that with the Insignia pulling the Coachman? Normally ATC cuts in such that most drivers hardly feel it working. Strange why your went into such snake though, but good that ATC corrected it.

Yes it was the sigi.

Never happened before, well previous year, caravan is only 2.

We travel down to Cornwall every year, same day,time and load, wife, little dog and me.

We had just come out of roadworks and Im thinking a combination of adverse camber plus a little too heavy right foot was to blame.

Atc really slammed the brakes on, probably still a skid mark there!

 

[ProfJohnL]

If the ATC on a caravan is activated and brakes the caravan, should the brake lights come on as after all the caravan will probably slow down the towing vehicle briefly?
I guess most of us do not want another vehicle to run into the rear of the caravan although they should not be travelling that close.

The ATC system only applies the caravan brakes, it has no connection with the road lighting system.

 

[Craigyoung]

So that could become a funny situation if someone did run into the back of you whilst ATC was in activation mode as if no brake lights appear the car behind won't break and if he has dash Cam footage what happens then cos when a wagon reaches it's maximum speed going downhill and retarder kicks in there brake lights come on ?!

 

[Hutch]

So that could become a funny situation if someone did run into the back of you whilst ATC was in activation mode as if no brake lights appear the car behind won't break and if he has dash Cam footage what happens then cos when a wagon reaches it's maximum speed going downhill and retarder kicks in there brake lights come on ?!

If the driver behind hit you then they are too close ! There fault, ATC or not.

 

[otherclive]

So that could become a funny situation if someone did run into the back of you whilst ATC was in activation mode as if no brake lights appear the car behind won't break and if he has dash Cam footage what happens then cos when a wagon reaches it's maximum speed going downhill and retarder kicks in there brake lights come on ?!

Well the car has a choice brake, swerve or hit. If you didn’t have ATC it would see a snaking van and hopefully brake. Most activation of ATC only involves a slight retardation and the car behind should not be that close so as to hit you. No different to if you take foot off throttle to ease out of a snake, or just drop down a gear.
The two descriptions of more extreme snaking incidents described in this thread should have alerted following vehicles that something ahead wasn’t going too well. Dash cam or no dash cam.

 

[Icaru5]

Sorry guys, but there seems to be a misconception not only here, but generally that without exception, if you run into the back of the car in front, then your are at fault.

 

[Simple_Life]

Sorry guys, but there seems to be a misconception not only here, but generally that without exception, if you run into the back of the car in front, then your are at fault.

An exception from prosecution of when the car behind can run into the back of a vehicle in front, is if the vehicle in front braked without due reason.

Don't ask I just know really geeky stuff !
:woohoo:

 

[JTQ]

The ATC should have been set up to only partially apply the van's brakes; from memory I recall 40% ?
Therefore hearing that the van's brakes locked up and tore off enough rubber to leave long lasting tracks on the motorway hints it needs qualified attention.
Al-Ko UK installed ours and rough roads tight roundabouts and even bumpy rally fields can cause a momentary intervention, but nothing that would cause a following vehicle to plough into the back. Here I would have thought seeing the caravan start off snaking would be sufficient to warn anyone close they need allow more room? Afteral a "snake" is not an instant thing it takes time to develop, the frequency being in seconds rather than milli seconds.
Whilst technically no great challenge for Al-KO to integrate a brake light warning system it is undoubtedly an added complication. IMO I find it easy to understand why they chose to keep their product sigularly focused on doing its intended task, at as cheap a price point as they could.

 

[otherclive]

The ATC should have been set up to only partially apply the van's brakes; from memory I recall 40% ?
Therefore hearing that the van's brakes locked up and tore off enough rubber to leave long lasting tracks on the motorway hints it needs qualified attention.
Al-Ko UK installed ours and rough roads tight roundabouts and even bumpy rally fields can cause a momentary intervention, but nothing that would cause a following vehicle to plough into the back. Here I would have thought seeing the caravan start off snaking would be sufficient to warn anyone close they need allow more room? Afteral a "snake" is not an instant thing it takes time to develop, the frequency being in seconds rather than milli seconds.
Whilst technically no great challenge for Al-KO to integrate a brake light warning system it is undoubtedly an added complication. IMO I find it easy to understand why they chose to keep their product sigularly focused on doing its intended task, at as cheap a price point as they could.

Perhaps the “skid mark” referred to earlier wasn’t on the road surface

 

[ProfJohnL]

Sorry guys, but there seems to be a misconception not only here, but generally that without exception, if you run into the back of the car in front, then your are at fault.

An exception from prosecution of when the car behind can run into the back of a vehicle in front, is if the vehicle in front braked without due reason.

Don't ask I just know really geeky stuff !
:woohoo:

ATC only retards the progress of an out fit it doesn't reverse it. :huh:

 

[ProfJohnL]

... IMO I find it easy to understand why they chose to keep their product sigularly focused on doing its intended task, at as cheap a price point as they could.

On the contrary, commercial practice is to push a price as high as the market will accept.

 

[Gafferbill]

......I agree with JTQ.

ATC is not a braking system......it is an outfit stability system that utilises the caravan brakes to introduce a rearward tension on the coupling in order to dampen down any swaying.
The locking up of the caravan brakes induced by ATC activation is a fault requiring attention.
The system does not require brake lights to operate because correct operation should only produce gradual deceleration.

 

[Hutch]

When my ATC activated , the deceleration I experienced was not gradual, it was very rapid and released rapidly when the snake finished all over and done with probably within 3 seconds from activation to released, The snaking was most likely caused by my bad loading of the caravan, too much weight behind the axle under the bed.

 

[otherclive]

... IMO I find it easy to understand why they chose to keep their product sigularly focused on doing its intended task, at as cheap a price point as they could.

On the contrary, commercial practice is to push a price as high as the market will accept.

My lecturer at LBS made the point that you price the goods or services at the highest point likely to achieve a sale.

 

[JTQ]

... IMO I find it easy to understand why they chose to keep their product sigularly focused on doing its intended task, at as cheap a price point as they could.

On the contrary, commercial practice is to push a price as high as the market will accept.

My lecturer at LBS made the point that you price the goods or services at the highest point likely to achieve a sale.

I can't understand the Prof's use of "contrary", there is nothing conflicting about pricing a product at as low a price as you can, albeit the maximum the market can bear.
It is dead easy to complicate products, the brilliance here is the crude simplicity, just adequate to do the task and so important the ability that gives to sell profitably at a price where it finds a market.

 

[otherclive]

... IMO I find it easy to understand why they chose to keep their product sigularly focused on doing its intended task, at as cheap a price point as they could.

On the contrary, commercial practice is to push a price as high as the market will accept.

My lecturer at LBS made the point that you price the goods or services at the highest point likely to achieve a sale.

I can't understand the Prof's use of "contrary", there is nothing conflicting about pricing a product at as low a price as you can, albeit the maximum the market can bear.
It is dead easy to complicate products, the brilliance here is the crude simplicity, just adequate to do the task and so important the ability that gives to sell profitably at a price where it finds a market.

That’s a bit contradictory. Pricing it as low as you can then saying at the maximum the market can bear doesn’t synch. You price at what you think is the level that the market will bear to maximise the profit. It’s profit that funds business in all its respects. Without profits businesses don’t survive long.

 

[Hutch]

Look at Heinz, threaten to take "Salad cream " off the market, sales went through the roof. Clever, marketing.
Can you imagine the same happening if Say Bailey or Coachman said the same, I doubt it.

 

[Icaru5]

Look at Heinz, threaten to take "Salad cream " off the market, sales went through the roof. Clever, marketing.
Can you imagine the same happening if Say Bailey or Coachman said the same, I doubt it.

I honestly didn’t know that Bailey or Coachman made Salad Cream Hutch. I’ll have to keep my eyes open for those ! :evil: