Runaway caravan in Yorkshire

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Mar 29, 2021
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So I've had several types of towbar over the years, my detachable type have fallen into two categories, belt and braces, shocking!
The first was a horizontal socket that the machined ball would slot into then twist 90 degrees upright to lock solidly together, a bar would go left to right through both with a locking pin to simply stop a twist 100% reliability guaranteed.
The next was a sprung loaded ball that inserted vertically into a receiver, a small cap would then send a finger bar out of the top of the towball unit in turn operating a kind of U in the receiver to lock the ball in place, a blue rotating knob indicated the success of the operation, 60% reliable.
On one occasion the entire mechanism including spring without any reason or notice flew out of the towball bit whilst stored in its bag, and even with our limited use the ball/receiver developed play and I believe exceeded the requirement of MOT, but when have you ever had a towbar checked?

The latter type of detachable towbar I will never ever purchase again as I lost complete faith in the thing convinced it could fail in use, and who knows it could explain the above.

My current towball is a swing down type, operate a button in the boot, electrics release it from its hiding place under the bumper my hand lifts the hinged ball into place with a reassuring solid clunk, the cars dash gives a warning if not in place correctly, a brilliant system apart from having to wrap the ball in self amalgamating rubber strip to prevent rust. Also there is a built in hoop for the breakaway cable as part of the balls casting. It is an expensive piece of kit if bought separately from the car, but without doubt in my experience the preferred detachable/cosmetic option.

I see lots of complacency when coupling up, even at work, I drive artics for a living, at least forums like this can wake people up to the real dangers of what can go wrong.
 
May 24, 2014
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I see lots of complacency when coupling up, even at work, I drive artics for a living, at least forums like this can wake people up to the real dangers of what can go wrong.

We know what you mean there. For me it was absolute habit once coupled to the 5th wheel to pull agains the trailer before connecting the suzies and releasing the trailer brake. Never saw the youngsters doing that.
 
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Parksy

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Nov 12, 2009
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We know what you mean there. For me it was absolute habit once coupled to the 5th wheel to pull agains the trailer before connecting the suzies and releasing the trailer brake. Never saw the youngsters doing that.
Same here Thingy, I always gave the trailer a sharp tug before connecting up and fully raising the steady wheels.
I don't have any major concerns about towing the caravan anywhere, but I always wind the jockey wheel back to the ground to lift the back of the tug to make sure that the caravan hitch is properly engaged.
The possibility of our caravan becoming detached is uppermost in my mind when hitching up.
 
Feb 23, 2018
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The technique of winding down the jockey wheel to check hitch engagement (no less than twice) is taught during "B+E" test lessons. I still do that now (with the stabiliser disengaged) when I hitch up as I have never trusted the hitch indicator.

Whenever I have picked up the caravan from the dealers, they are in a hurry to get you off-site, so hitch the caravan for you; they have always looped the breakaway cable over my detachable towball and I have to tell them to not do that as there is an attachment point.

...even with our limited use the ball/receiver developed play and I believe exceeded the requirement of MOT, but when have you ever had a towbar checked?

Don't they only check them if they are fitted at the time of inspection?
 
Jul 18, 2017
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The technique of winding down the jockey wheel to check hitch engagement (no less than twice) is taught during "B+E" test lessons. I still do that now (with the stabiliser disengaged) when I hitch up as I have never trusted the hitch indicator.
With a deatchable that will only prove that the hitch is locked onto the towball and not that the detachable towball is fully engaged onto the towbar.
 
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Feb 23, 2018
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With a deatchable that will only prove that the hitch is locked onto the towball and not that the detachable towball is fully engaged onto the towbar.

My OEM Volvo Detachable Towball (Volvo Branded but I think it's made by Brink) makes a satisfying "Thunk" when seated correctly and the indicator turns green. The manual then stipulates giving it a thorough jiggle. If it comes off after that, then it's broke!
 
Sep 12, 2021
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This is a big heads up for me........one.......I'm looking to buy my first caravan sometime soon so will need to make sure I don't make the same mistake as this owner, and secondly.........as a biker for 50yrs I've never considered a car towing a caravan coming the opposite way as a big risk .......but from now on I most certainly will!!

Steve
 
Nov 16, 2015
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This is a big heads up for me........one.......I'm looking to buy my first caravan sometime soon so will need to make sure I don't make the same mistake as this owner, and secondly.........as a biker for 50yrs I've never considered a car towing a caravan coming the opposite way as a big risk .......but from now on I most certainly will!!

Steve
Steve, as in the first Video, That lad was able to get away with just a pannier clip. , I am also a biker, that lad was lucky.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Every road user should consider oncoming vehicles to pose a potential risk, but the reality is very rare that any actually cause any problems. I'm not suggesting being nonchalant about it, and it does mean everyone should be considering options of how to minimise the dangers. but I wouldn't lose sleep over it.
 
Sep 12, 2021
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Steve, as in the first Video, That lad was able to get away with just a pannier clip. , I am also a biker, that lad was lucky.

He was - I live in the Cotswolds in a little village with lots of single track lanes and stone walls/high hedges.....as a result I always ride out of the village using one route which is the main road through the village - too risky to take the shorter but much nicer lanes unless it it early morn, and even then I have to watch out for deer and the most stupid living thing on the planet.......PHEASANT!!

Ride safe.

Steve
 
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Jan 3, 2012
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This is a big heads up for me........one.......I'm looking to buy my first caravan sometime soon so will need to make sure I don't make the same mistake as this owner, and secondly.........as a biker for 50yrs I've never considered a car towing a caravan coming the opposite way as a big risk .......but from now on I most certainly will!!

Steve
Hi Steve have you made your choice what caravan you are buying good luck :)
 
May 7, 2012
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My OEM Volvo Detachable Towball (Volvo Branded but I think it's made by Brink) makes a satisfying "Thunk" when seated correctly and the indicator turns green. The manual then stipulates giving it a thorough jiggle. If it comes off after that, then it's broke!
With a reversing camera on the back of the car I can often get the tow ball so that it is exactly under the hitch. This results in the hitch dropping slowly and quietly onto the tow ball with no clunk at all. I do get the green head raised, but always check by winding the jockey wheel back down like most others on here.
Most sites seems to have a speed bump before you leave so I also use that as a double check, as it would bounce an incorrectly connected tow bar off the tow ball at a speed that should not be a problem.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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With a reversing camera on the back of the car I can often get the tow ball so that it is exactly under the hitch. This results in the hitch dropping slowly and quietly onto the tow ball with no clunk at all. I do get the green head raised, but always check by winding the jockey wheel back down like most others on here.
Most sites seems to have a speed bump before you leave so I also use that as a double check, as it would bounce an incorrectly connected tow bar off the tow ball at a speed that should not be a problem.
Reversing camera is the biggest boon if you are towing as it makes hitching up so easy unless the sun is in the wrong place, for me anyway as shadow sometimes makes it difficult.
 
May 4, 2019
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The first time I towed a caravan it came off.

Well I may look unbelievably stupid and careless but someone might learn from my mistakes and it did take sometime for people who knew what they were doing to work out what the problem was.

We went to see a second hand caravan and decided to purchase it. The caravan was on the guy's lawn on an already steepish road. So I reversed up and the seller hitched it up as I was super green. At the end of the road, a couple of hundred yards was a dual carriageway, an extremely short stretch as you could see both roundabouts at either end. I waited until not much was coming and got about 40 meters and it came off. Luckily I wasn't want going fast, had made sure there wouldn't be anything in either lane and luckily the breakaway cable had engaged. Wife and child to the side of the road then some kind people helped push it to the side of the road.

We phoned the seller who came down and we all wondered whether he hadn't hitched it correctly but he was sure he had and we tried putting it on and everything looked fine. Police happened to be passing within 3 minutes but didn't seem to concerned and after making sure we were OK.

We then decided to follow the seller up the road to a very big dealers, only about a mile, at an exceedingly slow speed. They had a look and couldn't work it out for sometime then one of them asked if we had a trailer before the caravan, to which we answered yes. Bingo. The difference between a trailer tow bar and a caravan one is minute when you see them together, the trailer only ball is marginally higher and a bit thinner beneath the ball. We didn't even know there were different ones at the time.

So we bought a caravan hitch and as the place was closing the seller said he had the tools to fit it so we went back to his house and got it sorted. The guy we bought it from was so helpful and went way above and beyond.

Luckily the caravan didn't have any damage at all and gave us many years of use until we sold it bought a brand new caravan and then that got nicked!

Anyway, if you started with a trailer make sure it isn't a trailer only hitch. You might get away with it, you might not.

ReverendJT
 

Parksy

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.....The difference between a trailer tow bar and a caravan one is minute when you see them together, the trailer only ball is marginally higher and a bit thinner beneath the ball. We didn't even know there were different ones at the time......

.......Anyway, if you started with a trailer make sure it isn't a trailer only a. You might get away with it, you might not.
ReverendJT
I can see what you're getting at Rev, but your terminology is wrong.
There are two types of towball (not tow bar).
One is a standard towball, generally used for garden trailer tow hitches, and the other one is an Alko towball.
The Alko towball has a longer neck, designed to accommodate the Alko Stabiliser hitch, but it works for any trailer or caravan tow hitch.
I'm guessing that your car had a standard towball which you replaced with an Alko model.
 
May 4, 2019
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I can see what you're getting at Rev, but your terminology is wrong.
There are two types of towball (not tow bar).
One is a standard towball, generally used for garden trailer tow hitches, and the other one is an Alko towball.
The Alko towball has a longer neck, designed to accommodate the Alko Stabiliser hitch, but it works for any trailer or caravan tow hitch.
I'm guessing that your car had a standard towball which you replaced with an Alko model.

Is a tow-thingy not clear enough? ;)

Thanks for making that clearer for people to understand.
 
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Jun 16, 2020
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Also..


If we are going back a long time, there were 2 inch balls, prior to 50mm. For some time there was confusion between the two standards.


But I suspect the problem that the Rev had was as described by Damian.


John
 

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