Can any one help. We have been given a 1987 Eldis Mistral and have had a witter tow bar fitted to the car. We thought we'd just practice hitching up befor we set off on hols next week, but the tow ball wont go into the hitch as it looks too big??!! Are we doing something wrong or do we have to get a smaller tow ball fitted??
HELP!! Tow Ball too big?
- Thread starter Rebecca_5124519
- Start date
Hi Rebecca, there are basically two types of tow ball, one is a 'brass' colour, (which i think you have)
The other is a 'chrome' colour and slightly smaller, this type is usually used with the ALKO hitch, if you have a ALKO hitch, you will need the chrome coloured type!
Hope this helps.
Andrew.
The other is a 'chrome' colour and slightly smaller, this type is usually used with the ALKO hitch, if you have a ALKO hitch, you will need the chrome coloured type!
Hope this helps.
Andrew.
Just phoned a caravan place up and they said that all tow balls are the same size and always have been. Is he telling me porkies then!! You're right I have got a brass type. Can I fit a crome one on and do you know if there expensive? Thanks for the help bye the way!!
ALL TOWBALLS IN CURRENT USE ARE 52MM**** unless you have a one from USA or the '50's (2") which is highly unlikely
The gold coloured one is EC approved and the older type (silver) isn't. The Alko towball is an extended one which is used on the Alko Stabiliser hitch so it works properly (without going into detail)
Andrew is misleading you totally by stating current balls are a different diameter.
Hi Rebecca,
When you are about to lower your Caravan coupling head onto your car towball, you must first lift the handle up and keep it held up as you lower the coupling onto the towball making the connection the handle will click back to the horizontal position and you should see the red button replaced with a green button which is the safty facture to tell you that you are hitched correctly.
The info Andrew gave was incorrect all towballs are the same diameter The alum covered more suitable for ALKO hithches.
Royston
When you are about to lower your Caravan coupling head onto your car towball, you must first lift the handle up and keep it held up as you lower the coupling onto the towball making the connection the handle will click back to the horizontal position and you should see the red button replaced with a green button which is the safty facture to tell you that you are hitched correctly.
The info Andrew gave was incorrect all towballs are the same diameter The alum covered more suitable for ALKO hithches.
Royston
This much too important a matter to take any chances with. BEFORE GOING ANY FURTHER< FIND AN EXPERIENCED CARAVANNER TO SHOW YOU HOW TO HITCH UP. the thought of the van coming adrift is too horific to contemplate!
It never ceases to amaze me how much rubbish is banded about. The European (and a lot of the rest of the world) standard towball size is 50mm with a tolerance of +0, -0.8mm (from memory) NOT 52mm as someone else stated. The US have three different sizes, 1 7/8", 2" and 2 5/16". The UK used to use 2" up until the early 1960's. If you have one of the older 2" balls it will not fit a 50mm hitch, but a 50mm ball will fit a 2" hitch.
I rather suspect you have something wrong with the caravan hitch, so get it checked. Also, check inside the hicth & check there isn't a stone or something got stuck in the grease.
I rather suspect you have something wrong with the caravan hitch, so get it checked. Also, check inside the hicth & check there isn't a stone or something got stuck in the grease.
One further point is that some swan neck towbars leave the factory with a thick powder coated finish. This will stop the towball going into the hitch & must be removed with paint stripper or abrasives.
Thanks for all your help, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it was my own fault. After reading all you helpfull replies (EVEN THE SHOUTY ONE WITH THE CAPITAL LETTERS!!) I rummaged about and found the manual for the Alko hitch which stated that the coupling was designed for a 50mm ball. I went outside (at 10.30pm with my torch!!) and inspected the hitch more closely and found the trigger under the handle that allows it to open up a lot more and allow the ball to couple! The next dat we tried again, using the nifty new gadget I'd discovered under the handel, and hey presto "Huston we have hook up!"
Ahah!!!! Don't worry, you're not the first! My trailer has a similar coupling and I lent it to a neighbours daughter. I was about to show her how to couple it to the car when her father came out. Remember the Harry Enfield character "Only me!!!" with the know-all father-in-law type figure? He was just like that. Let me do this, I used to own a caravan you know and hitched trailer to car, plugged in the electrics, checked the lights & tyre pressures & waved her good-bye. She pulled off in the car & the trailer promptly fell off & stayed where it was. Yep, he too hadn't pulled up the second smaller handle & the coupling was merely resting on top of the tow ball.
52mm - 50mm ... My mistake (embarrassed) unforgivable, especially as I had Towsures page open to see what the euro approval number was for the gold ball. What worries me is the fact someone actually believes the balls are different sizes????!!!!
You are correct in the b*****cks that is spouted in the name of knowledge
EG:
(Q)I have a squeaking engine on my car what can it be???
(A)It's your timing belt (!!!) .... by another forum member signing himself "Pro Mechanic"
Hey, Rebecca, don't be offended at my capital letters. It was simply to impress on you how important it was to check carefully before towing. As I said, the thought of van and car parting company is too horrific to comtemplate. Now you know how to do it, go and enjoy your caravan!
Reading all the above makes me wonder if ALL tow balls for ALL types of towed vehicles really are a standard size. When checking the details of my breakdown/recovery policy the 'customer care consultant' noticed that the caravan was only included 'if it fitted a 50mm. tow ball'. Does thas mean there are other sizes out there ? She was unaware of any different sizes but she made the point that the statement must have been made for some reason. Pardon the pun but at least she was on the ball - which is more than you get with some so called help lines.
Mike, It is standard wording because even though all caravans (to my knowledge) have a hitch to mate with a tow ball not all towed trailers have. It is common to have a round eye on trailers with a housing on the vehicle - all military vehicles use this arrangement as do most plant e.g. compressors etc used by councils / watereboards etc.
Thanks for that Ray - had not thought of the council/military thing. Could be why the army have those hulking great tank transporters - the A.A. won't touch them !
There also a growing number of larger US trailers being imported which use a 2 5/16" towball, which cannot be accomodated by most recovery companies.
As has been mentioned we swapped from 2inch to 50mm towballs some time ago, to save confusion at the time the new 50mm balls had a small flat spot on the top with 50mm stamped on it. I don't know if all are stamped anymore but the flat spot is still there so you can tell at a glance what size it is.
I had a new towbar fitted yesterday and the fitter told me he would have to change the ball if I was towing a van with a Al-Ko stabiliser. So I have the one here brass colour stamped on the flat top is ISO 50/5. The one on the car is now painted black but I have an instruction to rub it down with fine emery paper etc. It is also stamped 50 on the flat top !!! weird or what
Val & Frank
Val & Frank
Just checked the Brass coloured one has no taper from under the ball i.e same diameter all the way down. The Al-Ko one is tapered from under the ball broadening out to the base. So both balls are 50mm just taperd or non tapered.
I think that is correct ??? if not someone please advise
Val & Frank
I think that is correct ??? if not someone please advise
Val & Frank
If my memory serves me right, the diameter of the neck immediately under the towball should be 29mm for a towbar according to EU standard dimensions. The flat spot is also covered by the same standard but I don't know how big that should be and I am not at home at the moment to be able to check up.
Frank as previously stated the Towball you were sold for the alko hitch has an extended neck (below the ball) this is so the alko hitch will work as a staballiser.
You need to get all the black pait off of the towball and the thin part of the neck or you may very well contaminate the stabalising pads.
Also clean off with a green scorring pad before each use to get rid of any particls which may have stuck to it.
Oh and DONT grease if using an alko stabaliser
KevinH
You need to get all the black pait off of the towball and the thin part of the neck or you may very well contaminate the stabalising pads.
Also clean off with a green scorring pad before each use to get rid of any particls which may have stuck to it.
Oh and DONT grease if using an alko stabaliser
KevinH
Facebook
Twitter