Hitch damper, brake adjustment and jockey wheel mounting

[RussellT2]

Hi Everybody

This is my first post here and I am in need of some advice.

I have a 1989 Carlight 152 and I recently took it to be serviced. I mentioned when taking it in that I thought it needed a new hitch damper.

When I collected it they told me that the hitch damper was fine but on towing the caravan home there were jerks from the hitch as I pulled away and jerks as the caravan ran into the car as I applied the brakes. I decided that it needed a new hitch damper anyway.

I dismantled the coupling and removed the hitch damper. The damper is not in bad condition but is easier to compress than a new one.

However there are two things that I found when I had taken it to pieces that are a bit puzzling. The first is the brake adjustment. With the hitch damper removed I can push the hitch tube in and see how much it moves before I can feel the resistance of the brakes.



I was surprised by this. About 3/4 of the travel of the coupling is used before the brakes are applied. Is this normal? Is this why I can feel the caravan running into the back of the car?

While taking it to bits for this I was also a bit disappointed with the state of the jockey wheel clamp which seems to have been distorted by the bolts holding it to the hitch. It still works as it should but I don't think it holds the jockey wheel vertical as well as it might.




















The problem seems to extend to the side of the coupling as well.

Has anyone else come across this? Has anyone got a solution?

I'd be grateful for any advice.

Russell

 

[Martin_E]

With the hitch extended how much movement is on the brake rod? If lots of movement then the rod probably needs adjusting, but before you do that ses haw much play is on the Bowden cables at the brake drum. If excessive then you need to get the braking system serviced by someone who knows what they are doing

 

[RussellT2]

There's about 5mm movement on the brake rod - which equates to 17mm movement on the draw tube before the brake rod moves at all.

The Al-Ko brake service manual I found on line says, "Tighten the long nut again until the pull bar is connected to the Bowden cables and the compensation profile without clearance"

The National Trailer and Towing Association website says "Adjust so that the overrun lever/brakelink just butts up against the rear end of the draw tube shaft"

I take these to mean that the brake rod needs adjusting.

 

[IanB1485]

Start at the brake hubs adjust the shoes until they are just touching the drum ( you can do this by taking out the green bung to access the starwheel) so when rotated in the forward direction , then adjust the long brake rod ( nuts at rear of balancing bar) to take up the slack in the bowden cables. That should move the overrun lever upto the back of the draw bar. Also on your first picture the white bush looks too far out and usually they are dark grey in colour. Is there any play side to side or up and down in the drawbar? (These hitches, when the bushes are replaced they need to be reamed out( so the inner surfaces are coaxial ) otherwise they will 'grab' the draw bar and may be the cause of the jerks , although from what you said about the overrun level not touching the rear of the drawbar the brakes are a lot out of adjustment.