Nose wheel

[SimonV]

Hi All
Just out of interest, is there any benefit in pitching/storing a van with the nose wheel raised? Have seen people do this and wondered if it made a difference one way or the other? Personally I pitch and store with the nose wheel down, feel it gives better stability. I may well be (and frequently am) very wrong.
Just curious!!
Simon V

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi simon v,
if you use the search tab and enter jockey wheel there are reams of info there,
there have been many debates on the subject so there is very little I could add exept to say I am a wheel down camper

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Simon,

I too am 'wheel down' vanner.
The reason being the jockey wheel is designed to carry the nose weight of the trailer when it is being manouvered, so it is designed to have the capacity, and the fact it fixed directly to the main chassis members, unlike the steadies which are relatively remote from the main members.
On softer ground I do sometimes place a 150x150 mm (6" old money) plywood square under the wheel to stop it sinking into the ground too much.

 

[TonyG]

hi simon v,
if you use the search tab and enter jockey wheel there are reams of info there,
there have been many debates on the subject so there is very little I could add exept to say I am a wheel down camper

+1

 

[whitetop]

You should never pitch / store a caravan with the jockey wheel raised.
The axle(s) take part of the weight and the jockey wheel takes part. Wind down steadies are just that.... they are there to steady the van, not to support the weight.
If the van is hit but a strong wind, the whole unit will rock back to front, side to side which can cause buckling to the steadies.
Your handbook will say as much........steadies are there to stabilise the van, not support it.....

 

[Lutz]

You should never pitch / store a caravan with the jockey wheel raised.
The axle(s) take part of the weight and the jockey wheel takes part. Wind down steadies are just that.... they are there to steady the van, not to support the weight.
If the van is hit but a strong wind, the whole unit will rock back to front, side to side which can cause buckling to the steadies.
Your handbook will say as much........steadies are there to stabilise the van, not support it.....

The steadies are not THAT weak that they would not withstand a strong wind. On the contrary, they could prevent the caravan from tipping backwards in a strong gale bearing on the front face of the caravan if there is not much load on the jockey wheel or moving if the brake is off (which it should be when the caravan is stored).

 

[SteveW77]

You should never pitch / store a caravan with the jockey wheel raised.
The axle(s) take part of the weight and the jockey wheel takes part. Wind down steadies are just that.... they are there to steady the van, not to support the weight.
If the van is hit but a strong wind, the whole unit will rock back to front, side to side which can cause buckling to the steadies.
Your handbook will say as much........steadies are there to stabilise the van, not support it.....

Al-Ko the chassis manufacturers state that it is not necessary to to leave the jockey wheel down.
As they make the thing, I think that they should know better than "forum" experts.

Steve W

 

[Dustydog]

I'm with Prof John and Sir Chunky.
I canot see any advantage leaving the jockey wheel off the ground .

 

[Damian]

Whilst the actual steadies are made to support a minimum of 25% of the caravan weight, the floor to which they are fixed by two bolts is not.
In storage it does not present a problem, but in use it is a different matter, depending on the weight of the occupants and the activities they get up to, which will add a considerable load to the steadies.

At the end of the day it is the owners choice to decide which they prefer,taking that into consideration.
As an Al-KO service centre I would always recommend leaving the jockey wheel down.