Breakaway.

[Lee_5117471]

Have I spotted the deliberate mistake in the November Mag?

Page 125 shows the Misterbushy L200 Warrior hitched up with the breakaway cable wrapped around the towball an clipped to itself?

Am I wrong in thinking this is illegal?

The warrior looks to be a great leisure alternative to the shogun but I would be worried that it would be banned from sites because it could be classed as a commercial vehicle.

 

[Damian]

Lee, no its not illegal, if there is no other attachment point, BUT it is preferable to use a dedicated anchor point, like a pigtail, to avoid the cable jumping off the ball if the worst happens.

 

[Val & Frank]

I think I just read this is ilegal in some continental countries ?? Netherlands I think.

Val & Frank

 

[WatsonJohnG]

What I find amazing is that Alko say that the clip type of fasten should not be clipped directly but threaded through an "eyelet" etc on the towbar and hooked back onto itself.Not many towbars have an eyelet big enough for the clip to pass through and so it is common practice to loop round the towball.

The carabiner type can be hooked on directly to an "eyelet"etc.

So we have caravans at

 

[Damian]

John, I agree with you on this point.

AlKo really should put a better clip on the breakaway cable.

As I read it, the current clip "may fail to apply the handbrake" if attached directly to an anchor point, so knowing that, why fit it?

I have removed the original clip and fitted a carabiner type and feel much more comfortable about it actually working should the worst happen.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

John, I agree with you on this point.

AlKo really should put a better clip on the breakaway cable.

As I read it, the current clip "may fail to apply the handbrake" if attached directly to an anchor point, so knowing that, why fit it?

I have removed the original clip and fitted a carabiner type and feel much more comfortable about it actually working should the worst happen.

Me too

 

[Litespeed]

How often have we ever seen caravans disconnect from the tow car?? I travel thousands of miles every year and have never ever seen it. Is there anybody out there who have had it happen to them?

My Espace had a removable tow hitch so I had a small loop welded to the tow bar assembly.....only because I am a paranoid caravanner! Its better to be safe than sorry. but then if the caravan does detach at least you and your own family are safe!!!....very selfish veiw but we all look after numer 1!

 

[WatsonJohnG]

I nearly missed the Pied Piper of Hamelin when a caravan from Holland became detached as it was leaving the site at Hamelin one Sunday morning.

Fortunately a German caravaner arrived and with Teutonic efficiency had a way of making it work.

What neither of us could understand was why the Dutchman had placed a nylon stocking over the towball before hitching up.

The languages could not converge sufficiently to find a way of making him talk.

I had it happen to my trailer once but on a Cheshire downhill lane .There is still the imprint of the towball in the front of the trailer.

 

[Icemaker]

I read in one of the mags the other day that it is now illegal in holland to have the snatch cable wrapped around your tow bar, my brink detachable bar has no pig tail or other means of attachment for the cable so i have to wrap it around the hitch and back on to itself.

The item did have a picture of a detachable towbar with an attachment clamped to the swan neck which then had the breakaway cable attached to it, this was said to be ok?. now maybee its just me but if the clamp is attached to the swan neck and the towbar becomes detached then its made no difference what so ever appart from the fact that you would be classed as legal in holland. sounds a bit double dutch to me.

not too sure on the legalities of welding parts on to tow bars but if your car comes under an age where it needs to have a "type approved" towbar then you may be commiting a crime by attaching something that is not type approved for that vehicle, possibly worth checking lightspeed as your insurance would find this out if the unfortunate should happen.

 

[vi]

Hi

Can anyone tell me what to do if we have a towbar and fitting which doesn't allow the cable to be clipped on. We are going to Holland with the caravan soon and I simply don't know what to do? It sounds as if a carabiner clip may be the answer but can someone tell me what this is, where to get one and how to fit it onto the cable. Where will it then clip on to the tow fitting?

Sorry to be so obtuse,

Vi

 

[rob_jax]

Hi,

Working in Rotterdam, I asked my friends in the office and they replied that it has ALWAYS been the law in Holland to fix the breakaway cable to a fixed point.

Apparently the Dutch police are now taking an interest in this at certain ports - notably Europoort and Hoek van Holland - it's an immediate Euro 30 fine.

So if you are going to Holland you MUST attach the breakaway cable to a fixed point.

This may mean that you need to change the ALKO cable for the "proper" type - we have a detachable tow bar - so looping around the tow ball is a no no - so we have the ALKO carabiner.

If you don't have a fixed point, there are plates you can bolt onto a swan neck tow bar - these allow you to clip the carabiner to the plate. I have a picture of this on my Eriba Amiga web-site

www.eriba-amiga.co.uk/images/projects/pic_dutch_swanneck.jpg

Regards, Robert

 

[Guest]

It is curious that AlKo seem to speak with 2 voices on this. Their web page states clearly that the majority of their breakaway cables are designed to be looped around the towbar, although they do offer an alternative that is designed to fix directly to the towbar eyelet. Ironically no UK manufacturer, or even general European manufacturer seems to supply this type. Finally the following quote was taken from their webpage tonight and it was highlighted in bold type suggesting that it is important. Possibly the Dutch authorities should read it.

"It is important to note, that AL-KO still recommends wherever possible, the breakaway cable is looped once around the towball and clipped back onto itself to form a noose."

 

[Litespeed]

As a note never bolt anything to a towbar as this usually involes drilling holes. Drilling in the wrong place could lead to disastrous consequences.

The only real safe way is to get a small loop or Pig Tail welded to the towbar.

 

[rob_jax]

Hi,

Interesting point raised by Scotch Lad, the standard ALKO cable is designed to be looped back and clipped on to itself - that's how it's designed to be used.

In the UK, this can be legally attached to the car by either looping over the tow ball, or looping through a fixed point. The ALKO UK site shows it being looped back over the two ball - which is fine for the UK.

In Holland, only looping through the fixed point is legal - and if your fixed point is too small to pass the standard ALKO clip - then you can either fit a shackle or upgrade the brakeaway cable to use the ALKO carabiner.

Robert

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Litespeed,

The image of the bolt-on brakeaway attachment clearly shows that this does not involve drilling of the tow bar.

And your idea of welding on a eye or pig-tail will invalidate the type approval for the tow bar - as would cutting an extra hole - without a testing and approval programme how would you know that the weld was strong enough for purpose?

So that's why the Dutch have this bolt-on bracket (for tow bars that don't have a suitable fixed point) - it doesn't involve any modification to the tow bar at all - so type approval and insurance retain validity.

Robert

 

[Guest]

I know I may be splitting hairs and digressing slightly, but isn't there a clause in the big book of EU rules that states that if something is legal in one EU country, it should be accepted by all the others, especially on a visit?

I was also just curious to know why the Dutch seem to have diverged from everybody else in Europe on this relatively small point. They are usually slap bang in the middle of the pack. Or do they have an excessive number of caravans parting company from the tow vehicle?

I also cannot quite see any connection between this and detacheable towbars. These are usually made to a very high standard and the actual connection is probably stronger than other parts of the tow bar assembly. I have one and I do admit the first couple of trips I was pulling and banging on it just to reassure myself it was all ok, it was, and has since then given me no more cause for concern than any other type of towhitch. In fact with 2 separate locking devices it is probably better.

 

[mike_5041102]

Rob, ref the Dutch type cable attachment bracket. I've tried using this type for bracket for many years but so far have never managed to connect the cable in such a way that I feel confident that it will stay put. Whatever I do the cable easily loosens so it could jump off the hook at any moment. My current hook is incorporated in a Twinny bike carrier mount so now I loop the cable around the Twinny bracket; this is more secure than the simple Dutch bracket.

Are you familiar with the Dutch website Handboek.nl? There under "Breekkabel'. you will find photos of the recommended connection method, perhaps you could 'borrow' a photo and add it to your Eriba site to show how the connection should be made (even though I don't like it).

 

[mike_5041102]

this is how the Dutch bracket is connected

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d44/656sqdn/caravan/
so nothing special there!

 

[rob_jax]

Thanks Mike,

Saves me taking another photo.

Robert

 

[BigAl1]

I've often wondered what would happen if the caravan became disconnected from the car at speed.

I'm sure that the breakaway cable would apply the caravan's brakes and the caravan would come to a halt within a few feet.

Not in a million years!!!!!

 

[Val & Frank]

Now Al don't be cynical.

You know as well as I do it's to prevent the van rolling backwards on a very steep hill should the caravan decide to go walk about. Which it would only do if you passed it's favorite site without stopping.

Val & Frank

 

[Guest]

I agree I also have never actually seen this done, maybe something for the motoring programmes to consider??

What I do believe though, is that if the hitch disconnects at least 75 kg of noseweight will have the towhitch on the ground immediately. This will gouge along until it hits something even more immoveable and then the van is likely to cartwheel. All this will happen in a few seconds especially if the outfit is running at 60 mph or more. So my reasoning is that within the time it takes for you to look in the rearview mirror, your lovely van is probably a pile of matchwood. Now if you are one of these people that keeps the jockey wheel slightly low, then you may be lucky in the the van will roll along until the breakaway cable does something.

 

[Lutz]

Do to a silly oversight on my part early on in my caravanning career, (I was called away in the middle of hitching up and, on returning, forgot to check that the coupling was properly locked), my caravan and car parted their ways once while negotiating a bend. Fortunately, it all happened at a relatively low speed (about 20mph). The coupling dropped on to the road surface and, together with the caravan brakes which were applied through the breakaway cable, the caravan was brought to a standstill when it hit the kerb on the other side of the road after about 20ft. Damage was limited to a bent coupling attachment bolt and severed breakaway and electrical cables but I was thankful that there was no other traffic or pedestrians in the vicinity.