tow ball !!!

[MichaelE]

But surely why would you want to take it further?
You haven't been fined ? Just an advisory take the towbar off and get it checked then put it back on. No different to the illegal number being swapped over for an mot then replaced when passed? A solicitor will charge you £200 just to see you then you could pay hundreds more to prove what?

 

[Hutch]

The Alko towball , does not only allow adequate distance from the bumper , of the car, but also up and down, left and right, clearance, which is more important, as there have been reports of the hitch being jambed or forced off due to inaddaquate clearance..
ALKO, state thate only an Alko tow hitch is used with Alko Damper tow hitches.

 

[MichaelE]

I must admit I have never heard of a hitch that clears the bumper then jams in its sideways and up and down movement? You would think the distance would stay the same,
What is the relavence of the alko tow hitch damper? It's a shock absorber fitted behind the tow hitch so has nothing to do with the fitting on the towbar?

 

[Hutch]

Michael, the Alko tow hitch is not a shock absorber, its a stability aid, when you hitch up, and engage the damper arm this causes friction pads to tighten onto the towball, when travelling the effect is to dampen ossilations, increasing stability. The size of the tow hitch head is large and if the Alko towball is not used the size of the hitch can under extreme angles hit the throat of the towball.
Maybe someone can find a video about this.

 

[colin-yorkshire]

In order for a towbar design to be granted approval status, it must meet rigorous design and testing criteria. The towbar must attach to the vehicle at the specified mounting points nominated by the manufacturer. Once the design has been accepted by the VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency), it must pass a push/ pull test. The push/pull test simulates the stopping and starting of a vehicle towing a caravan or trailer. The towbar must be tested for 2,000,000 cycles. At the end of the test, the towbar must show no signs at all of deformation or cracking. The test is very thorough and very harsh ensuring that all approved towbars are safe (when used correctly).

Also this?
Number Plate Obstruction
It is an offence to obscure the rearmost number plate on a car or car/caravan combination with your towbar, or any associated equipment, such as a bumper protection plate. If your tow ball or any accessory fitted to it overlaps the number plate, it must be removed when you are not towing. Where the height of the number plate means this problem cannot be avoided, consider fitting a detachable tow bar, to avoid the difficulty of having to regularly unbolt a
fixed tow ball.

You may want to challenge something you believe is wrong but facts are facts.
It does show that the directive has nothing to do with the number plate as I pointed out and the obscuring of the number was technically illegal as the policeman pointed out.
You now need to speak to the mot people and ask why are you passing my car when the the towball is obscuring the number plate ?

that would have been the point of the challenge, if obtaining type approval, is so rigorous why was this not picked up on during the testing and design stage, and why would Vauxhall approve a bar that had a design fault in the positioning of the ball, when they do not provide an alternative numberplate location, they did on the Agila, ok so it is basically a Susuki, but you see the point, for Vauxhall to approve the fixed ball, [and the point of a fixed ball is just that it is fixed and not removable when not towing] it should meet all the vehicles criteria, or "it is not fit for purpose". washing their hands of the problem and saying you should only fit a removable bar raises the question why did they "approve it in the first place.
like wise the tow bar manufacturer, why design a tow bar and go through all the testing when the end result is a bar that renders it's use illegal, it should not be up to the end user to have to make modifications to make it legal to use again this makes it unfit for purpose, either the ball mount should have been designed and set lower or if a drop plate was required it should have been supplied with one as part of the fitting kit, not suggesting one could be fitted if required by the end user.
whether the policeman in question was absolutely right in this instance, is open for challenge, I believe he was being a bit picky due to it being a bad day but there you go, if he was right then the system of type approval is wrong.
so in the end I changed the position of the ball to solve a perceived problem, now to my mind have also created a further problem and that is for the next policeman or MOT tester to say you got an illegal towbar there mate, as is doesn't conform to the type approval, because it has a drop plate fitted.
we will see....

 

[Raywood]

I must admit I have never heard of a hitch that clears the bumper then jams in its sideways and up and down movement? You would think the distance would stay the same,
What is the relavence of the alko tow hitch damper? It's a shock absorber fitted behind the tow hitch so has nothing to do with the fitting on the towbar?

As I understand it the longer Alko tow bar is needed as there is a risk of cracking on the standard one. We had a standard on on the last car and never had any problem and it was only when we had the caravan in for a service just before we sold the car that the engineer pointed that out to us. I did check the ALKO web site and that was confirmed on there. I never had any problem with clearance.

 

[MichaelE]

Michael, the Alko tow hitch is not a shock absorber, its a stability aid, when you hitch up, and engage the damper arm this causes friction pads to tighten onto the towball, when travelling the effect is to dampen ossilations, increasing stability. The size of the tow hitch head is large and if the Alko towball is not used the size of the hitch can under extreme angles hit the throat of the towball.
Maybe someone can find a video about this.

I think you are getting confused as YOU called it a hitch damper not me which is in fact is the shock absorber behind the alko stabiliser which are 2 totally different things ?
The handle to engage the friction pads is a cam system no shock absorption as it needs to be tight at all times
Are you saying that you must use alko towball as they bigger so they don't jam?

 

[Hutch]

Michael, sorry if I confused you. Alko state that the Alko towball must be used if an Alko towhitch is used as it has a different clearance on the neck of the towball. A swan neck can also be used with Alko tow hitches. A none Alko tow hitch can be used on an Alko towball

http://www.towsure.com/towsure-alko-towball-50mm

 

[KeefySher]

Michael, the Alko tow hitch is not a shock absorber, its a stability aid, when you hitch up, and engage the damper arm this causes friction pads to tighten onto the towball, when travelling the effect is to dampen ossilations, increasing stability. The size of the tow hitch head is large and if the Alko towball is not used the size of the hitch can under extreme angles hit the throat of the towball.
Maybe someone can find a video about this.

I think you are getting confused as YOU called it a hitch damper not me which is in fact is the shock absorber behind the alko stabiliser which are 2 totally different things ?
The handle to engage the friction pads is a cam system no shock absorption as it needs to be tight at all times
Are you saying that you must use alko towball as they bigger so they don't jam?

I'm unsure of the provenance of a poster in this thread :dry:

A caravan fitted with an ALKO stabiliser, which is the subject of the latter discussion, requires a minimum clearance around the tow ball of the towing vehicle. There is clearance in the forward horizontal direction required.

What is the minimum clearance that I need between the towball and towing vehicle?
This varies according to the stabiliser.
AKS 1300 = 65mm
AKS 2004 = 67mm
AKS 2007 = 60mm
AKS 3004 = 68mm
This measurement is taken from the centre of the towball to the nearest point of contact with the towing vehicle.
Insufficient clearance will prevent the stabiliser from correct articulation and could damage your car or possibly become detached.

There is, more importantly vertical clearance as there must be a minimum of 60mm depth from the centre of th e towball to the base of the neck. This is for AL-KO stabilisers as apposed to coupling heads There must be enough clearance between the centre of the ball and the base of the neck to enable the stabiliser to perform a 25° axial rotation movement . This is where specific flange type, swan neck and detachable tow balls are required that have an 'extended' neck to provide that clearance.

Whilst there are lots of quotes of directives and regulations, as appears a peculiarity to this particular forum, reliance on manufacturers and suppliers, be they OEM fitment or aftermarket, information is not sufficient to ensure the correct item is fitted.

An example would be the current Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover recall on detachable towers due to cross beam wear. When JLR fit a fixed flange tow bar in replacement, they by default fit a flange lowball that will not be fit to use an ALKO stabiliser on. The Toyota Land Cruiser flange tow ball, as factory fitted, also will not suit an ALKO stabiliser.

I do wonder if the caravan nose down in roadworks on motorways are a result of vertical flipping on an incorrect tow ball / stabiliser combination.

 

[MichaelE]

Michael, sorry if I confused you. Alko state that the Alko towball must be used if an Alko towhitch is used as it has a different clearance on the neck of the towball. A swan neck can also be used with Alko tow hitches. A none Alko tow hitch can be used on an Alko towball

]http://www.towsure.com/towsure-alko-towball-50mm

http://www.towsure.com/towsure-alko-towball-50mm[/quote
Didn't confuse me at all what you were posting wasn't what you meant

 

[Hutch]

You only have to fit an alko towball if the head of the alko stabiliser doesn't clear the car?