Thinking about these for my abbey Iona vogue - worth it ?
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo187/thosoneill/****/IMG_0342.jpg
http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo187/thosoneill/****/IMG_0342.jpg
Shock or no shock
- Thread starter thosoneill
- Start date
Damian
Moderator
It is my opinion that dampers on a caravan are a worthwhile investment. They improve the stability of a caravan when towing, and can help to reduce motion damage.
But dampers are only part of the story. there is little point in fitting dampers if the wheels are out of balance. So as part of the improvement package get them balanced.
Just a technicality, dampers are not strictly shock absorbers, The springs are the shock absorbers, but springs by themselves have a habit of continuing to oscillate after a shock, and that can be almost as damaging both the way the motion affects handling and to what's inside the caravan. The dampers reduce and ultimately stop the after shock oscillation.
Beware that some caravan movers can compromise the fitting of the dampers.
But dampers are only part of the story. there is little point in fitting dampers if the wheels are out of balance. So as part of the improvement package get them balanced.
Just a technicality, dampers are not strictly shock absorbers, The springs are the shock absorbers, but springs by themselves have a habit of continuing to oscillate after a shock, and that can be almost as damaging both the way the motion affects handling and to what's inside the caravan. The dampers reduce and ultimately stop the after shock oscillation.
Beware that some caravan movers can compromise the fitting of the dampers.
Yes I have a powrtouch mover fitted - I'll check that out before I decide - many thanksProfJohnL said:
Fully agree . A no brainer. Hopefully the chassis on your Iona will have blanks where the damper fit making it an easy job.
Fit them and you will notice the difference.
Fit them and you will notice the difference.
You can easily fit them yourself provided you are slim enough to get your shoulders and arms under the van in front of the wheels and that you are reasonably flexible. You don't have to jack the van up or remove the wheels. You will need a spanner - can't remember if it was 17mm or 19mm - but preferably an offset ring so that the head will go behind the chassis but the shaft, being offset, will clear the chassis lip. You will also need a socket set to turn one end of the mounting screw whilst holding the nut with the spanner, and a torque wrench to get the tension correct. You may also need a screwdriver to prise out the rubber bungs in the bottom of the axle arm where the lower mount fits.
I would also recommend dowsing the bolts and other mounting bits in clear Waxoyl before fitment so that (1) they will not rust, (2) the rubber bushes stay supple, and (3) you can get them undone again if you ever need to. Waxoyl is not harmful, indeed you will find you skin is very soft after using it, but I would recommend at minimum wearing Nitrile gloves or better still the rubber dipped close-fit cotton variety to protect you knuckles and throw them away afterwards.
If you haven't already bought them look on eBay. I paid £62 for red ones brand new in box against a shop price of nearly a ton. I fitted them on my Pegasus two years ago and noticed the difference immediately. It took me about 30 minutes each side to fit and there was plenty of room even behind the Powrtouch Evolution mover.
I would also recommend dowsing the bolts and other mounting bits in clear Waxoyl before fitment so that (1) they will not rust, (2) the rubber bushes stay supple, and (3) you can get them undone again if you ever need to. Waxoyl is not harmful, indeed you will find you skin is very soft after using it, but I would recommend at minimum wearing Nitrile gloves or better still the rubber dipped close-fit cotton variety to protect you knuckles and throw them away afterwards.
If you haven't already bought them look on eBay. I paid £62 for red ones brand new in box against a shop price of nearly a ton. I fitted them on my Pegasus two years ago and noticed the difference immediately. It took me about 30 minutes each side to fit and there was plenty of room even behind the Powrtouch Evolution mover.
Helpful post by Woodentop there .
First search brought up these, hope you find them at an even better price thosoneil.
http://www.halfords.com/camping-leisure/caravan-motorhomes/caravan-accessories/alko-shock-absorbers-green
First search brought up these, hope you find them at an even better price thosoneil.
http://www.halfords.com/camping-leisure/caravan-motorhomes/caravan-accessories/alko-shock-absorbers-green
http://www.halfords.com/camping-lei...accessories/alko-shock-absorbers-green[/quoteAnseo said:
Seems they only supply the green variety - could be a clearance?
the caravan shop in great western rd in Glasgow have them all in stock at the same priceWoodentop said:
I bought a pair at the caravan show 5 years ago to fit to my Coachman 545, two days later went back to the show and bought a new Coachman 560, which had the dampers, took a week to get my money back from Alko. Dont really notice any difference in the tow, but there probably is.
Back to the OPs original query. What is the MTPLM of your Iona?
If it is over 900kgs then the green units may not be for you. The blue ones cover the range from 901 - 1300kgs SA.
What I cannot find is any reference to whether the Al-ko weights relate to MiRO or MTPLM.
If it is over 900kgs then the green units may not be for you. The blue ones cover the range from 901 - 1300kgs SA.
What I cannot find is any reference to whether the Al-ko weights relate to MiRO or MTPLM.
thosoneill said:
A pair of blue are on eBay number 192080608393 at a good price with free delivery to Argos, or as already mentioned the Caravan Shop in Glasgow (which I have a suspicion was where I got mine) at
http://www.thecaravanshop.co.uk/ but its a fiver or so P&P.
Hello Dusty,
I stand to be corrected, but it would be illogical to rate the dampers based on the trailers MIRO, It will almost certainly based on the MTPLM, becasue most items like this are likely to be damaged if you exceed their stated limits, which of course would always be the case as no practical caravan ever runs at its MIRO. This could be a major issue for things like horse boxes where the pay load represents a major proportion of the trailers MTPLM
In the case of caravans, the payload is most often lass than 25% of teh MTPLM so the difference is that great, but even so you should select dampers based on MTPLM.
I stand to be corrected, but it would be illogical to rate the dampers based on the trailers MIRO, It will almost certainly based on the MTPLM, becasue most items like this are likely to be damaged if you exceed their stated limits, which of course would always be the case as no practical caravan ever runs at its MIRO. This could be a major issue for things like horse boxes where the pay load represents a major proportion of the trailers MTPLM
In the case of caravans, the payload is most often lass than 25% of teh MTPLM so the difference is that great, but even so you should select dampers based on MTPLM.
ProfJohnL said:
Prof, Don't have your contact but a slight change of subject, have I been dreaming because the other day I saw a post that you started which related to having the correct Driving Licence to tow a caravan and now it seems to have gone off to the breakers yard, was I dreaming?,
ProfJohnL said:
I fully agree Prof. It must be the MPTLM ie fail safe so to speak. I merely qualified my statement that neither MIRO nor MTPLM gets mentioned in such an important matter.
Also the OPs caravan has I think an MTPLM of 1000kgs so the green Al-ko units are not the correct ones for his application B)
Essentially rubber suspension is self damping...if it's fully loaded as I eventually found out?
First thing then is how heavy is the van compared to safe working load of the axle/s, this useful info is underneath on the rear face of the axle in the middle of the van! (ALKO)
Once though you grovel underneath and find the SWL plate, the amount of benefit of fitting dampers depends what the axle can carry compared to what it actually is being asked to carry, bigger the difference more pronounced the benefit is.
In my case it was a 1500kg axle under a 1300kg van and the improvement was, err quite surprising!
And as John says, wheel balance make a difference as does tyre pressure to suit the actual weight, not then always set at it's maximum
First thing then is how heavy is the van compared to safe working load of the axle/s, this useful info is underneath on the rear face of the axle in the middle of the van! (ALKO)
Once though you grovel underneath and find the SWL plate, the amount of benefit of fitting dampers depends what the axle can carry compared to what it actually is being asked to carry, bigger the difference more pronounced the benefit is.
In my case it was a 1500kg axle under a 1300kg van and the improvement was, err quite surprising!
And as John says, wheel balance make a difference as does tyre pressure to suit the actual weight, not then always set at it's maximum
The original brochure states ex works weight 728kg - maximum authorised weight 920kg and maximum technical permissible weight 950kg - I assume therefore that the green dampers will sufficeDustydog said:
thosoneill said:
I have to disagree. You quote your MTPLM at 950kgs. Too heavy for the Green but well within the Blue load range
The blue ones cover the range from 901 - 1300kgs SA.
You will see from the previous posts the majority consider the MTPLM must be the weight used to decide which shocks are chosen.
Facebook
Twitter