Jockey wheel problem

[AndrewWimborne]

I have a new 2007 Swift challenger. On all previous vans I have had no problems with the wheel but on this van when using it again this weekend the jockey wheel has come unsrewed in the middle and come totally apart, this has exposed a lot of grease and ment that I have had to get down and put the wheel part up through the hole and then rejoin it up with the top part.A really messy job. Should the wheel come apart? On this caravan the jockey wheel come up through the middle of the hitch, not clamped to the side. any help would be appreciated.

 

[Willy_5041515]

This happened to me a ccouple of times with my side-mounted jockey wheel on my previous Swift van. Like you, my new Challenger has the centre mounted wheel and, so far, I have managed to avoid unscrewing it too far down, so it hasn't "dis-assembled" on me yet. Maybe the answer would be to scratch a line round the inner tube at a short distance before it drops out. Then you could keep an eye on this when you are lowering the wheel. The other problem I have encountered with this design is that the top of the outer tube is heavily rounded. If I drop the outer tube too far and then screw down the wheel, the outer tube jams in the housing, because the rounded part allows the jockey wheel assembly to tilt. This can be really inconvenient if I happen to be trying to connect up to the tow hitch. Again, it's a case on keeping an eye on the tube positions.

 

[AndrewWimborne]

Step in wrong direction if this is what is meant to haappen.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

All the jockey wheels I have had in 20+ years have been constructed in the same way with the inner,lower part screwing into the outer part so that if you keep on unscrewing the 2 pieces come apart

What I don't like is the Alko inside the A frame mounting

 

[AndrewWimborne]

John.

I agree with what you say about how they operate, but i have never had them come apart in 30 yrs of caravanning, they always seemed to stop winding down when you had reached as far as it would go and you then adjusted the clamp to allow for more adjustment, but never before have they ended up falling apart on the floor

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Andrew

It can happen on our drive so easily as the slope is quite steep so that the front of the van is higher than the rear.

If I try to wind the jocket wheel down with it clamped too high then it will drop out of the bottom

Similarly when levelling the van on parking at home the handle will suddenly go slack as the last bit of the thread is reached at max height.

I wonder if the threaded bit is shorter than it used to be or if the greater length of the van and the longer distance from wheel to coupling requires more winding but I have to agree with you it does seem to loosen and fall off more than it used to do !!

 

[AndrewWimborne]

Hi John.

Thought it may have been faulty, but looks like I will have to live with it.

Thanks for the info.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi John.

Thought it may have been faulty, but looks like I will have to live with it.

Thanks for the info.

Design faulty ??