Changing Al-Ko AKS 3004 stabiliser pads

[LizziePope]

Heard a groaning from the back of your car when towing your caravan? It's time to take a look at your stabiliser pads. Please click here for our step-by-step guide to checking, cleaning and changing them.

 

[DrZhivago]

I don't have stabilser pads and have never seen pictures of them before. They are so tiny, and acting on a ball of only 2" ! The lateral ones are about the size of a fingernail. I am surprised that they have any significant effect.

 

[Gafferbill]

Do they have any significant effect ?

 

[Jaydug]

It's a Winterhoff I have on my van and I find it tends to groan each time I hitch on unless I wipe the ball down with brake cleaner and a rag before-hand. I have a spare 50mm towball in the garage and occasionally I fit it into the hitch to check the pads. Once the hitch is locked the ball won't move by hand.

 

[camel]

How do you get a screwdriver on the screw which holds the back pad in place?, it's far easier to remove the front pad then put the screwdriver thorough the front screw hole to remove the rear screw,

 

[Hutch]

Hi camel, if you lift up the smallhitching on handle this will swing the rear pad backwards enough to get the screwdriver in, on the aks 3004 the pads are purley so there is no metal to metal contact front and back.

 

[camel]

Hutch,
I changed my pads the other week, ALKO's instructions on how to change they are not very informative, like when you remove the side pads you might remove the rubber 'O' ring at the same time and it will be split in two like mine was, so it's a good idea to buy the rings if you are changing the side pads,

 

[Hutch]

Too true I carry a box of "O" rings from Halfords, covers lots of eventuallaties water pump etc.

 

[camel]

Just looked at Halfords web site, a box full of 'O'rings for £8.00, just shows how we get ripped off with anything that says 'Caravan' I paid round about £3.00 for two for the hitch.