We have just purchased our first caravan and would like to get a stabiliser, can anybody help with some advice on which stabiliser I should get?
Stabilisers
- Thread starter Sophie_374548831
- Start date
There are 2 types. There are those that are freestanding sepaaret stabilsers and attach to the outside of the A Frame. They connect to the tow vehicle through a clamp on the tow hook. They used to be called Scott Stabilisers but now have a different name.
The second group are ALKO stabilsers and are an integral aprt of the towhitch of the van. They just attach to the tow hook as normal and are then 'clamped' manually to give friction on the towball. There are also similar desingned Winterhoff stabilisers.
Most new'ish van have an integral stabiliser already fitted but they cabn be done as an after market installation. However the tow hitch on thevan needs to be changed to the correct type, although that is a matter of only 4 bolts. To use these tyoes correctly you need a suitable tow hook which is taller in the neck to allow for the hitch to move freely. There are different ypes depending on the weight of the van.
The Scott type is also easily fitted to any van and does not require any changes to existing tow hitch or tow ball.
A lot depends on the age of your van. If it is realtively new then it is likely to a ALKO or BPW type chassis and can easily be changed for a suitable stabiliser. If it is an older van with possibly a Peak type chassis then the Scott type stabiliser will be easiest.
Check your chassis type and then browse a caravan accesory shop. Also look at the ALKO web page for more information
The second group are ALKO stabilsers and are an integral aprt of the towhitch of the van. They just attach to the tow hook as normal and are then 'clamped' manually to give friction on the towball. There are also similar desingned Winterhoff stabilisers.
Most new'ish van have an integral stabiliser already fitted but they cabn be done as an after market installation. However the tow hitch on thevan needs to be changed to the correct type, although that is a matter of only 4 bolts. To use these tyoes correctly you need a suitable tow hook which is taller in the neck to allow for the hitch to move freely. There are different ypes depending on the weight of the van.
The Scott type is also easily fitted to any van and does not require any changes to existing tow hitch or tow ball.
A lot depends on the age of your van. If it is realtively new then it is likely to a ALKO or BPW type chassis and can easily be changed for a suitable stabiliser. If it is an older van with possibly a Peak type chassis then the Scott type stabiliser will be easiest.
Check your chassis type and then browse a caravan accesory shop. Also look at the ALKO web page for more information
We were in the same position last week - we bought a 2001 Eldiss Avante 524 without any stabiliser and decided we should get one for safety's sake.
Almost bought an Alko 3004 (triple pack) until we found out it wasn't compatible with our chassis (BPW) - so went for the Winterhoff WS3000 bundle instead.
Very easy to fit with the supplied 2 bolts - you'll need a torque wrench to torque it up to the recommended settings though.
Best deal we found was the bundle (with Robstop sold secure integrated hitchlock) at
Almost bought an Alko 3004 (triple pack) until we found out it wasn't compatible with our chassis (BPW) - so went for the Winterhoff WS3000 bundle instead.
Very easy to fit with the supplied 2 bolts - you'll need a torque wrench to torque it up to the recommended settings though.
Best deal we found was the bundle (with Robstop sold secure integrated hitchlock) at
hi jim, i recently purchased the alko 3004 triple pack from the same supplier, still havent seen it cheaper anywhere else on the web, good shop 
p.s. i decided me and the missus would have a day out in glasgow and i would go on tube to pick it up, huh, i never took into account the weight of the box, lugged it around the shopping centres all afternoon then back down on train, was worth it though.
p.s. i decided me and the missus would have a day out in glasgow and i would go on tube to pick it up, huh, i never took into account the weight of the box, lugged it around the shopping centres all afternoon then back down on train
, was worth it though.Lol - sounds like me at the SECC lugging 25m of 16A cable round the place...hi jim, i recently purchased the alko 3004 triple pack from the same supplier, still havent seen it cheaper anywhere else on the web, good shop
p.s. i decided me and the missus would have a day out in glasgow and i would go on tube to pick it up, huh, i never took into account the weight of the box, lugged it around the shopping centres all afternoon then back down on train
My only experiance is with the Alko 3004, it does excatly what it should, but i think it looks good too
Rab
Rab
Hi Sophie. as allready said there are 2 types of stabilizer,the Blade type & the ALKO/WINTERHOFF Hitch type.The main difference is the price the hitch type will set you back a couple of hundred pounds they do not heed to be refitted each time you use the van & are conveniant to use. the Blade type will cost around
Nobody has mentioned the third alternative of an electronic stabiliser. They are more expensive than any of the other types, but on the other hand they are absolutely foolproof. Whereas a frictional stabiliser like the ones described above help to reduce the risk of instability, they can't prevent the worst from happening if the situation gets really seriously out of hand. In other words, they raise the threshold of when something goes wrong, but once this threshold is exceeded, they can't help you any more. The electronic stabiliser, being an active rather than a passive system, doesn't have this limitation.
There are 3 models on the market:
AlKo ATC
BPW IDC
LEAS (distributed in the UK by Conrad Anderson)
They basically all work on the same principle, sensing impending sway and applying the caravan brakes to straighten the outfit out and slow it down below the threshold speed.
There are 3 models on the market:
AlKo ATC
BPW IDC
LEAS (distributed in the UK by Conrad Anderson)
They basically all work on the same principle, sensing impending sway and applying the caravan brakes to straighten the outfit out and slow it down below the threshold speed.
As you say, one can only transfer an AlKo ATC unit from one caravan to another if they both have AlKo chassis. The same applies to the BPW IDC unit. The LEAS, however, is universal.
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