Do i need a stabilizer??

[stuart_374360286]

I am new to caravaning and have just purchased my first van, a 2005 sprite musketeer and tow with a Saab 93 1.9 150 saloon.

Many people have suggested i should be using a stabilizer but currently my van does not have one fitted.

Is it safer to have one fitted, if so what type would best suit this outfit?

Any advise appriciated.

 

[Damian]

Stuart, whilst it is now commonly accepted that stabilisers are good to have, they are not absolutely necessary.

The main safety factors are weight distribution and sensible towing speeds dependent on weather and road conditions.

Having said that, personally I would not tow without one!!

What is best, there are two main types, the older blade type and the newer hitch integrated type.

With the blade type you have to have a plate fitted to the car to accept the blade, which then rests in a cup attached to the A frame of the van, which means having to fit the blade and set it up each time you want to use it.

With the hitch integrated type you need nothing, the dampers are within the hitch and clamp to the towball as you hitch up, just a simple locking lever to push down.

I have tried both types and the hitch integrated type is the better of the two as far as I am concerned.

 

[stuart_374360286]

Thanks, i think i would be happier with one fitted, what make/model would you reccomend for my Van? Is this a DIY job or best to have professionally fitted?

 

[Damian]

Stuart, the Al-Ko 3004 is popular for the hitch integrated type.

Fitting is reasonably straight forward as long as you follow the instructions, especially regarding the inner bolt from the hitch head as this one locks the hitch damper in place.

In the box of bits you get with the stabiliser should be a drift for that bolt which you use to knock the bolt out but retain the damper in the process, the bolt is then put back in withthe new hitch, knocking the drift out and still retaining the damper.

If you lose the damper end, it is a fiddle catching the damper on the return from fully compressed.

 

[GrahamSouthBrum]

Hi Stuart,

Having a properly loaded caravan you should not need to use a stabliser, but to use one is like having a belt & bracers.

Personally I have used one in all the time I have been towing (21 years), but just because you are using a stabliser you must still make sure that your van is loaded correctly & your nose weight is correct for your car.

 

[stuart_374360286]

thank you both for taking the time, i looked today at a 3004 and think i will go with that.

 

[JTQ]

Calling most of them "stabilisers" surely contravenes the Trade Descriptions Act 1968?

They are not stabilisers but simply dampers, not that that is a bad thing. The point I am making is that they don't cure any inherent instability just reduce its amplitude build up. In fairness there was one that did stabilise, the Trapezium and its clones but that had its own problems and would not meet current towbar legislation.

They improve ride comfort and are well worth having but as others have said don't use them to disguise a wrongly loaded unit.

 

[Damian]

I think you will find that the Al-Ko type are not called stabilisers, but hitch dampers.

 

[JTQ]

Not according to their UK website Damian!

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/support-aks.asp
"AKS Stabilisers" Follow link.

Academic I know but so misleading, no wonder we have "newbies" actually believing they stabilise.

 

[rob_jax]

Fitting a tow-coupling stabiliser is a great idea - they increase the resistance of the car and caravan to fish-tailing.

And I have no trouble calling products like the AL-KO AKS 1300 or 3004 a stabiliser - they are a passive stabilising device, resisting rotational movement around the tow-ball. Active stabilising devices like the AL-KO ATC or the (now obsolete) "Straight-liner" apply a restorative force to actively counteract this same movement.

Robert

 

[Lutz]

The AlKo AKS and its Winterhoff counterpart do not reduce amplitude build-up as JTQ suggests but they increase the threshold point at which instability occurs. However, once this threshold point is exceeded, frictional stabilisers do nothing to help regain stability. Only electronic stabilisers, like the AlKo ATC, BPW IDC or LEAS systems, are able to actually reduce the amplitude.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi all

like rob_jax I have no problem calling any device a stabiliser if it helps, in fact I use both types a alko 1300 that was fitted to the van when I bought it and the old scott blade I have had for years. yes I know some disapprove of using both types but it works for me so to hell with it?.

having just returned from devon up the M5&M1 in near gailforce side winds with hgvs and other vans swaying about at least mine was stable not even a twitch luckily no vans on their side (unlike last trip) but it was a reminder that you just dont know what the weather is going to be like 3 weeks in advance, so its 2 belts, a pair of braces, and a roll of string for good measure.

years ago I had one of the straight liners and found it to be a top rate bit of kit, it is of course vital that the van is well balanced, tyres at correct pressure,correct nose weight ect and it is much better to avoid a snake in the first place rather than try to correct it when it happens?? if a stabiliser improves the threshhold then it is not really worth omitting one is it??.

colin

 

[Lutz]

Of course, two (frictional or viscous) stabilisers (or dampers or whatever you want to call them) will raise the threshold value even higher than one, but do so by stiffening the joint between car and caravan further. This, however, obviously increases the forces transmitted through the towbar into the car underbody. At some stage, these forces can be so high that eventually potential failure of body sheet metal can occur.

As electronic stabilisers do not work on the principle of stiffening the joint, only these can be safely used together with frictional or viscous ones. In fact, the two complement each other ideally.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

like I said some will disapprove and and give good reasons for doing so BUT it works for me!!.

not wanting to get into technical discussions too deeply the extra 25kg or so rotational force exerted on the ball in my view will make little difference to a well fitted and designed tow bar and fixings, and the benifits outweigh any misgivings aired on there long term use.

of course electonic sabilisation fiited to new cars is a better solution and if one has new car money fine but for the rest of us with older cars and vans this is not an option.

colin

 

[Lutz]

Of course two conventional stabilisers will work better than one, but you will never know of the potential damage that they can do to the underbody of your car until it is too late. You probably won't even notice the damage in the early stages unless you regularly inspect the car's towbar attachment points underneath.

The electronic stabilisers that you can fit to the caravan can be fitted to older models, too, so there is no need to buy a new car or caravan.