Has anyone experienced the caravan becoming detached from the car whilst towing? This happened to us this week on our first trip with our brand new van. We were not overloaded, the stabiliser was on correctly and we were only travelling at 20mph(fortunately). We were only 1/4 mile from home.
CARAVANS BECOMING DETACHED FROM TOWCARS
- Thread starter tricia1
- Start date
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Never had it myself.
But know of others,always the same reason!
It wasn't hitched in the first place.
Sorry Patricia, I guess it is your mistake through lack of experience!
But know of others,always the same reason!
It wasn't hitched in the first place.
Sorry Patricia, I guess it is your mistake through lack of experience!
cris - like me you have the tact of an airraid!!! LOL!!
No offence meant.
Hi Patricia - must have been an horendous experience. Presumably you had your safety wire attached to control the thing in such an event?
My wife laughs at me but I always double check the hitch before setting off and pull over after a mile of so on a safe stretch to check again.
I have had a trailer unhitch itself many years oga and I know I attached the thing properly. However when i looked at the thing properly it was full of muck and the handle was very stiff.
I think towing anything is a bit like cutting something - measure three times - cut once.
No offence meant.
Hi Patricia - must have been an horendous experience. Presumably you had your safety wire attached to control the thing in such an event?
My wife laughs at me but I always double check the hitch before setting off and pull over after a mile of so on a safe stretch to check again.
I have had a trailer unhitch itself many years oga and I know I attached the thing properly. However when i looked at the thing properly it was full of muck and the handle was very stiff.
I think towing anything is a bit like cutting something - measure three times - cut once.
Sorry Patricia. But like Clive says, check and check again.
If its a new van I'm pretty sure it will be 100% user error.
But it will not happen again ;-)
If its a new van I'm pretty sure it will be 100% user error.
But it will not happen again ;-)
Patricia
That must have been a bad thing to have happened to you.
I am not saying that you had not hitch up right but you can check if your hitch up right just by wined down your jockey wheel which should push the back end of the car up only do this a litter bit then do as you would nearly do.
I got show this on a towing cores by the Camp & Caravan.
Mark
That must have been a bad thing to have happened to you.
I am not saying that you had not hitch up right but you can check if your hitch up right just by wined down your jockey wheel which should push the back end of the car up only do this a litter bit then do as you would nearly do.
I got show this on a towing cores by the Camp & Caravan.
Mark
Now then chaps, are we saying that the only way that a caravan can come unhitched from the towball is if it isnt hitched up properly in the first place? I think that I would agree in probably 99% of the time but have heard of this happening before where, supposedly,the hitch came adrift on a new 'van not once, but twice! Is there someone out there that can actually back this up with knowledege/experience of the facts? Lutz maybe?
G
Guest
All tow hitches rely on a catch under the ball preventing it from becoming detached. The new Alko hitches have a button colour coded red or green which will indicate whether the hitch is correctly attached. I usually also heave up and down on the hitch a few times just to reassure myself.
I accept that if this is all done and the van still becomes detached then something has gone wrong somewhere. Mechanical failure of the hitch is a possibility, but needs to be on the end of the list. It is very unlikely. One possibility is that the hitch has only a limited degree of lateral and vertical movement, if it exceeds this for some road condition then it could be displaced, but again I have to admit not that common. I assume that failure of the ball itself was not an issue, cracks for instance?. Had it been damaged on a previous 'reversal'? Was it the ball connection that separated, or the hitch from the drawbar? That could be a lack of greasing issue.
One can only hope that the safety chain applied the van brakes and the van was not too damaged, and nobody hurt.
I accept that if this is all done and the van still becomes detached then something has gone wrong somewhere. Mechanical failure of the hitch is a possibility, but needs to be on the end of the list. It is very unlikely. One possibility is that the hitch has only a limited degree of lateral and vertical movement, if it exceeds this for some road condition then it could be displaced, but again I have to admit not that common. I assume that failure of the ball itself was not an issue, cracks for instance?. Had it been damaged on a previous 'reversal'? Was it the ball connection that separated, or the hitch from the drawbar? That could be a lack of greasing issue.
One can only hope that the safety chain applied the van brakes and the van was not too damaged, and nobody hurt.
An alternative reason that has not been mentioned is that the ball could be of the old 2ins. diameter and the hitch is the new 50mm. diameter. Also Scotch Lad it is unwise to grease a towball when using an Alko hitch as it will affect the pads in the stabilizer.
Don't say that he's coming to measure the height of my towball complete with towbar police !!!!That would be the same lutz who left for England today on a very long holiday?
Some people recommend a turn or two on the jockey wheel handle to see if the the ball is secure.
A good tug does it for me
A good tug does it for me
I think Patricia and all of us must be realistic here.
P says they were out with a brand new van,so I gues it would be a new tow hitch, so the cahnces of an old style sized ball is somewhat doubtfull.
No doubt the lady and her partner don't want to be driving about worried that the van will head off on its own every now and again.
Hitch assembly failure is a very very minimal risk. Your own fault or likes of dirt as clive said much more likely
P says they were out with a brand new van,so I gues it would be a new tow hitch, so the cahnces of an old style sized ball is somewhat doubtfull.
No doubt the lady and her partner don't want to be driving about worried that the van will head off on its own every now and again.
Hitch assembly failure is a very very minimal risk. Your own fault or likes of dirt as clive said much more likely
Patrica,
Wow what a experience,Was this your very first trip towing, or the first trip with a new van.
If this was your very first trip towing, when you have positioned the hitch above the towball lower the jockey wheel onto the ball until you hear a click and the button will appear. As others have mention always rewind the jockey wheel downwards to check whether the rear of your towing vehicle raises up slightly,this confirms that the hitch is correct.
If you had carried out this manover , and the hitch still detached itsef I would suggest contacting the dealer .
Roy.
Wow what a experience,Was this your very first trip towing, or the first trip with a new van.
If this was your very first trip towing, when you have positioned the hitch above the towball lower the jockey wheel onto the ball until you hear a click and the button will appear. As others have mention always rewind the jockey wheel downwards to check whether the rear of your towing vehicle raises up slightly,this confirms that the hitch is correct.
If you had carried out this manover , and the hitch still detached itsef I would suggest contacting the dealer .
Roy.
We have been towing for 20 years, throughut Britain, France and Spain. It is our third van with this type of hitch. The van was attached correctly, the hitchlock went on and the green button came up. We all have our own rituals when caravannning, the system was checked three times! The dealer is concerned and has been to out to see us. He has been very helpful.
Patricia.
More info changes the story!
An old contact had ball and hitch part company due to an over zealous mechanic using to much grease in cold weather so the little button showed green due to the stiffness of the grease.
Hopefuly it was one off, and good to see your dealer has taken your previous experience into account and sprung into action.
More info changes the story!
An old contact had ball and hitch part company due to an over zealous mechanic using to much grease in cold weather so the little button showed green due to the stiffness of the grease.
Hopefuly it was one off, and good to see your dealer has taken your previous experience into account and sprung into action.
Thank you. Tow ball same size etc as hitcklock, same make and not damaged. My husband spent two nights in hospital with neck injuries and we were only travelling slowly. I am very glad that we had not reached a busy road or worse still the motorway!!Patricia.
More info changes the story!
An old contact had ball and hitch part company due to an over zealous mechanic using to much grease in cold weather so the little button showed green due to the stiffness of the grease.
Hopefuly it was one off, and good to see your dealer has taken your previous experience into account and sprung into action.
Patricia,
Your additional tech info certanly opened my eyes, you have been caravanning a lot longer than myself, can imagen the shock what happened to you after all your travels.
If the explanation Cris has given is correct it is certainly a eye opener.
Two years agao i changed from a inline stabilizer to a alko 1300, which included alko towball as part of the kit.
Main reason I found that putting the inlin stabilizer locking pin down was getting very hard, Found the alko 1300 a lot easier to operate.Extra bonus is having a grease free towball.
I have seen on some sites people are still towing with the standard tow ball with alko stabilizers, and not with the correct alko towball which gives the alko towing hitch more
height clearance over the ball, expecialy when during a turning manoeuvre.
Roy
Your additional tech info certanly opened my eyes, you have been caravanning a lot longer than myself, can imagen the shock what happened to you after all your travels.
If the explanation Cris has given is correct it is certainly a eye opener.
Two years agao i changed from a inline stabilizer to a alko 1300, which included alko towball as part of the kit.
Main reason I found that putting the inlin stabilizer locking pin down was getting very hard, Found the alko 1300 a lot easier to operate.Extra bonus is having a grease free towball.
I have seen on some sites people are still towing with the standard tow ball with alko stabilizers, and not with the correct alko towball which gives the alko towing hitch more
height clearance over the ball, expecialy when during a turning manoeuvre.
Roy
G
Guest
I was not talking about the towball, but the bit behind it where it is attached to the drawbar has 2 greasing points. The actual hitch assembly has to revolve and move in and out as the caravan is eing towed.An alternative reason that has not been mentioned is that the ball could be of the old 2ins. diameter and the hitch is the new 50mm. diameter. Also Scotch Lad it is unwise to grease a towball when using an Alko hitch as it will affect the pads in the stabilizer.
I've seen that as well.
We met a guy in Brittany with a beautiful new Merc and new Tabbert caravan that he had collected the week before from Germany.
He had omitted to tell the towbar fitter in UK about the Alko hitch and the neck below the ball was severely gouged.
We could not persuade him to get Carefree to fly one out so he borrowed a file (from me) and filed the ball neck down!!!
An outfit costing lots of money and at risk for a
We met a guy in Brittany with a beautiful new Merc and new Tabbert caravan that he had collected the week before from Germany.
He had omitted to tell the towbar fitter in UK about the Alko hitch and the neck below the ball was severely gouged.
We could not persuade him to get Carefree to fly one out so he borrowed a file (from me) and filed the ball neck down!!!
An outfit costing lots of money and at risk for a
I once had the caravan come off the ball and was convinced I had checked very carefully as is my way.
I found that the ball that I had towed over 35,000 miles with was worn, considerable so on the pressure points. I also found that across the non worn surfaces it was at the minimum manufacturing tolerance, indicating it was originally at minimum spec.
I took a micrometer with me when buying the replacement. I found that all of the balls I measured at caravan and car accessory dealers were at minimum tolerance.
I had great difficult in finding one that was well into the specification. I found all those at a Land Rover Dealers were almost at maximum size. These were also not chrome plated, a process I felt was an unwise practice. However the Land Rover ones were priced
I found that the ball that I had towed over 35,000 miles with was worn, considerable so on the pressure points. I also found that across the non worn surfaces it was at the minimum manufacturing tolerance, indicating it was originally at minimum spec.
I took a micrometer with me when buying the replacement. I found that all of the balls I measured at caravan and car accessory dealers were at minimum tolerance.
I had great difficult in finding one that was well into the specification. I found all those at a Land Rover Dealers were almost at maximum size. These were also not chrome plated, a process I felt was an unwise practice. However the Land Rover ones were priced
Last August when the caravan decided to go its own way on the M4 in Berkshire. No other vehicle was involved, the caravan parked its self just about on the hard shoulder. It was found to be a defective hitch, (Recovery unable to connect to own hitch) no damage was found on the caravan apart from the jockey wheel and hitch. My speed at the time was about 50-55mph. Caravan was checked before leaving home and again at the Reading Services.
JTQ that's very interesting.
We are changing the X-Trail on 1st March for another X-Trail so I will after reading your posting replace the 3 year old towball with the new one that came with the Senator.
Thanks for that.
We are changing the X-Trail on 1st March for another X-Trail so I will after reading your posting replace the 3 year old towball with the new one that came with the Senator.
Thanks for that.
So, we can assume that the hitch can come adrift for other reasons other than not connecting to the towball properly then. A lesson for us all I think.
Agreed.
Surely this would be a VERY useful bit of research for PC Mag to cover.
The comments from all (especially W(JohnG) and JTQ) are most thought provoking and helpful.
Only one question to John - why did you lend him a file if you knew what the silly plonker was going to do?
Having had Land Rover factory fitted tow bar and hitch for the last decade now seems a bit of a relief following what JTQ says.
When I had a trailer come loose it was when using a Citroen BX with a goodness knows what spec aftermarket tow bar and hitch.
Time to get the micrometer out methinks!
Many thanks JTQ.
Surely this would be a VERY useful bit of research for PC Mag to cover.
The comments from all (especially W(JohnG) and JTQ) are most thought provoking and helpful.
Only one question to John - why did you lend him a file if you knew what the silly plonker was going to do?
Having had Land Rover factory fitted tow bar and hitch for the last decade now seems a bit of a relief following what JTQ says.
When I had a trailer come loose it was when using a Citroen BX with a goodness knows what spec aftermarket tow bar and hitch.
Time to get the micrometer out methinks!
Many thanks JTQ.
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