JohnMW said:
Thank you for the advice and knowledge updates - I bow to the superior knowledge of the forum specialists who must rank close to Issac Newton on physics. In particular I have learnt that :-
Pneumatic Tyres don't bounce so shock absorbers are not really necessary but are available if you are fussy.
.....yes they do bounce but the relevant point is that when they are fitted to a caravan, then in the UK that caravan is almost certain to have rubber block suspension which has inherent suspension damping characteristics on its own.
Shock absorbers(dampers) are not essential with this rubber block suspension and used not to be fitted to save weight and cost.
They do offer some improvement however, so increasingly they are being fitted as standard.
JohnMW said:
EPS innovators have got it all wrong when it comes to dynamic braking, they should apply all the brakes equally on both sides for stability
.........not sure what electronic power steering has to do with it.
The Alko ATC system does not equally activate the caravan brakes to brake the outfit. The system utilises the caravan brakes to create a tensile force at the hitch point of the caravan to the towing vehicle. This tensile force dampens down the lateral forces present at this point during outfit instability and helps to bring the outfit back under control.
It is essential that the braking force is applied evenly to each wheel so as not to exaggerate and worsen those lateral forces.
JohnMW said:
Hitch dampers should keep the brakes off on engine overrun - mine come on often with a new damper - I will get my money back.
........your overrun caravan brakes should only come on when the vehicle brakes are applied or when engine braking is being used on a downhill decent.
They should not operate with simple engine overrun such as when just taking your foot off the accelerator.
JohnMW said:
Brake adjustment is only required once per year or 3,000 miles on overrun brakes and it is not necessary to know if they are working or need adjusting
.......you do need to know if they are working or if they need adjustment but they are unlikely to need attention more than once a year.
JohnMW said:
Automatic reversing is not really a good thing because they are complex but you can have if you are fussy.
.....you do not have a choice as this system if fitted to all UK caravans with overrun brakes.