MTPLM dilema

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Nov 11, 2009
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What concerns me about Al-ko failed axles is that it has Not gone away.
Over ten years ago we were discussing this very subject.

Sadly to date I am not aware of any qualified techie expert engineer who can challenge Al-ko, the caravan manufacturer and Dealer. Why is it always the caravan owners fault the axle has failed🙉.

My own MTPLM is 1690 kgs and each of the two axles is rated at1000kgs. A bit of a margin you may say but bear in mind TAs are different. There may be certain road conditions where dare I say more than 1000kgs static and dynamic loads could be applied to an individual axle🙀

As said ten years ago we discussed this
I can’t get a direct link but this is it

Verifying Loaded Weight​

I believe one Bailey owner did have success in seeking redress and the full details have been posted several times on the Forum. But it was a painstaking and tortuous path that had to be followed. I would say probably beyond many owners. In my case as I was the second owner I didn’t even consider it as I had no idea how the previous owner had used the caravan. But what I do know is that after a springtime trip to Shropshire the asymmetry between the sides was noticeable, and I suspect my axle failure could have been caused by the woeful state of the roads with their potholes.


 
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Apr 20, 2025
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If anyone is wanting an update... probably not.

Ive removed the after market microwave at 10kg and weighed a number of things I can move out of the van into the car using travel.

Electric cables/locks etc.. and I've probably got about 50kg wiggle room now.

Amazing how much stuff adds up
 
Nov 6, 2005
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Actually, you do have a fifth choice. If you are really set on your current caravan and don't want to change it, you could have the axle replaced by one with a higher load rating. It's not a cheap alternative, and it does involve quite a lot of administrative effort to make such a modification legal, especially if it was built after whole vehicle type approval came into effect for caravans in 2014. I only mention it because a colleague at work had it done. He didn't want to part with his caravan, so he had it fitted with a new axle, but it did involve a lot of time and effort to get it approved and issued with a new weight plate.
The cost of having the load rating increased in that way is very substantial, at least in the UK - I discussed with Fraser Brown the cost of repairing my saggy axle (about £1200) but they estimated the cost of re-certifying at a higher rating would double the cost.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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The cost of having the load rating increased in that way is very substantial, at least in the UK - I discussed with Fraser Brown the cost of repairing my saggy axle (about £1200) but they estimated the cost of re-certifying at a higher rating would double the cost.

Yes, it’s not a cheap undertaking on the Continent either. There, AlKo offer a load increase from between €1800 for having just the suspension modified and €5800 for a complete chassis exchange, plus the cost of recertification. In between there would be the possibility of an axle change complete with heavier duty brakes.
 

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