Sinc said:This will be my first winter with a caravan and I wondered what thoughts people have about leaving it on axle stands.
I'll be replacing the tyres and it will be easier to take the wheels away for a while.
Thanks in advance.
Years ago I jacked my then Caravan whilst attached to the towball. The bathroom door wouldn't shut as I think the body twisted. Anyone else had that?Raywood said:I assume the axle stands should go where the chassis manufacturer suggest you jack the caravan up, so there could be a problem there. Once you have one side on an axle stand then the caravan brakes are useless as you raise the other side so presumably you would need the car attached for absolute safety.
EH52ARH said:So all these dealers with caravans sitting around for say 4 months at a time, never notice them turning wheels or putting on winter wheels.hmy:
Damian-Moderator said:EH52ARH said:So all these dealers with caravans sitting around for say 4 months at a time, never notice them turning wheels or putting on winter wheels.hmy:
With radial ply tyres there is no need to keep turning the wheels when in storage as radials do not suffer the same problem that crossply tyres did.
It is suggested by various pundits that raising the van on axle stands for prolonged storage allows the axle rubber suspension to rest and that it could prolong the life of the axle.
The problems come where the Insurance requirements insist on wheel locks being fitted, which if using the Al-Ko locks is no real problem but other types may be more problematic.
As far as winter wheels are concerned and the Insurance requirement of wheel locks, it would be very unusual for a prospective thief to have the exact right wheels on their transport to replace winter wheels, so that makes fitting of wheel locks rather redundant.
otherclive said:Damian-Moderator said:EH52ARH said:So all these dealers with caravans sitting around for say 4 months at a time, never notice them turning wheels or putting on winter wheels.hmy:
With radial ply tyres there is no need to keep turning the wheels when in storage as radials do not suffer the same problem that crossply tyres did.
It is suggested by various pundits that raising the van on axle stands for prolonged storage allows the axle rubber suspension to rest and that it could prolong the life of the axle.
The problems come where the Insurance requirements insist on wheel locks being fitted, which if using the Al-Ko locks is no real problem but other types may be more problematic.
As far as winter wheels are concerned and the Insurance requirement of wheel locks, it would be very unusual for a prospective thief to have the exact right wheels on their transport to replace winter wheels, so that makes fitting of wheel locks rather redundant.
When I used winter wheels they had a metal shroud with a barrel lock. When I contacted the CC insurance they were okay with that at that time. However I’ve not used them fir neigh on 10 years. Too much hassle and I live in the hope that one day we can just hitch up and off!
Dustydog said:Years ago I jacked my then Caravan whilst attached to the towball. The bathroom door wouldn't shut as I think the body twisted. Anyone else had that?Raywood said:I assume the axle stands should go where the chassis manufacturer suggest you jack the caravan up, so there could be a problem there. Once you have one side on an axle stand then the caravan brakes are useless as you raise the other side so presumably you would need the car attached for absolute safety.
The Al-ko jacking points are very weak. Personally I'd use the axle itself.
EH52ARH said:Hutch ,it was mineDustydog said:Years ago I jacked my then Caravan whilst attached to the towball. The bathroom door wouldn't shut as I think the body twisted. Anyone else had that?Raywood said:I assume the axle stands should go where the chassis manufacturer suggest you jack the caravan up, so there could be a problem there. Once you have one side on an axle stand then the caravan brakes are useless as you raise the other side so presumably you would need the car attached for absolute safety.
The Al-ko jacking points are very weak. Personally I'd use the axle itself.[/quote
Dusty Dog, the new Alko jacking points are better than the old ones, which are very weak. I would not like to jack a caravan on the old ones , they would fold up, I think someone has a photo.
https://www.practicalcaravan.com/forum/equipment-accessories/46855-how-do-you-level-a-twin-axle-van?start=20#387115