What stabiliser???

[Gilitygirl]

Hi,

Just come back from my first - and fabulous - week away in my new (to me)van. Fantastic to be able to put the heating on, watch telly and sip wine while those under canvas are damp and shivering!! (Done that too many times!)

I got an old Bulldog stabiliser with the van, which I was grateful for and saved me a bit of money - but it's really stiff and I must admit as a bit of a girlie, I had to call on male friends to help me wedge it into place.

Can these stabilisers be repaired to make them easier? It's a lot stiffer than my friend's newer model, so I guess it could do with some maintenance/ WD40 or whatnot.

Also would I be better off biting the bullet and going for an Alko hitchlock stabiliser? Are they easier to use? And do they offer the same level of snake protection?

Looking forward to hearing from you, many thanks in advance

S

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Have a look here

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/chatter/display_topic_threads.asp?ForumID=20&TopicID=121126&PagePosition=1&showActive=8&ReturnPage=Active

 

[Lutz]

Integrated stabilisers like the AlKo or the Winterhoff are so much easier to use - lift the lever, hitch caravan to car, then push lever down, that's it.

All stabilisers, if they are designed and set correctly, offer the same level of improvement in safety margin.

 

[Rubix]

Beej,

You can shout at me if I am "teaching you too suck eggs" but I really struggled the first time I came to fit mine (brand new). You would think that it would tell you how to fit in the intrustions, but not with mine. It says how to "install it" but not how to attach it each time to the van.

So now to those eggs, do you have a metal tune about 6 inches long ? If so you may have wondered what it was for, well I did. I thought it was when you came to adjust the tourque setting, but no if you stick the tube on the end of the little stubby bit in the middle of the discs (great explantions I know). By attaching the tube on this stubby, and pulling it up to be vertical, it seperates the plates so you can move the leaf spring much much easier.

Now if anyone else can explain that so it makes sense, please do.

Happy Wednesday

 

[PeterT]

Another type is the Straightliner, marketed by SAS, which applies a hydtaulic damper to keep the caravan in line. It is as expensive as the Alko ones, but I fit it instaead of the new Alko on each 'van I buy. I have had various types of stabiliser since I started towing in 1958 - after over 220,000 towing miles I found the Straightliner does what I need - stops snaking.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Peter I had the straightliner and it was great

I find the ease of using the Alko outweighs the need to fit the straightliner and that the difference in performance is marginal

But I have to agree that its marginal in the straightliners favour!

 

[lefrog]

Hi beej

just a weord of warning DO NOT SPRAY WITH WD40 this defeats the object of a stabilizer. in the center of the round part(friction pad) there should be an adjustingh screw just back this off a little and it will become easier to use.

tom

 

[Gilitygirl]

Hi,

Many thanks for your suggestions. It may be that I'm a complete girl to this, but a friend with a fair few years experience looked at the stabiliser and played with the tube thingummyjig and said it was jolly (ahem - submit your own alternative!!) stiff and could do with a bit of maintenance.

As the van has a MTPLM of just 1100kg (it's only a baby van) I suppose I could get away with the smaller Alko hitchhead stabiliser (1300) rather than the biggun (3004).

Any preference to Al-ko or Westerhoff for performance? DO the Winterhoff ones require a new towball?

Just a qickie though - are they really stiff to apply too? I guess there needs to be quite a bit of resistance or it wouldn't work. What I'm after is a stabiliser that I can put on myself without having to rely on batting my eyelids at the nearest strong-looking bloke! Lol

 

[rob_jax]

Beej,

As your caravan weighs less than 1300 kg, I'd strongly recommend the AL-KO 1300 - it's a perfect match

It's fitted as standard to all Eriba Touring caravans - which have a maximum MTPLM of 1300 kg, and it's very easy to use - easier than the AL-KO 2000 and 3000 series, and much easier than the Winterhoff (which can be "difficult" to un-hitch)

Operation: Couple up the caravan to the car, then tighten-up the red coloured adjuster until it clicks (only need the strength from your fingers) then press down on the clamp lever (good hard push from your hand). Really easy.

In a recent ADAC test (German motoring organisation - but much more than that) the AL-KO and Winterhoff products equally scored the most "stars", with the Winterhoff coming out just ahead.

In the UK, spares for the AL-KO (new friction pads, for example) are in the region of

 

[colin-yorkshire]

Beej,

As your caravan weighs less than 1300 kg, I'd strongly recommend the AL-KO 1300 - it's a perfect match

It's fitted as standard to all Eriba Touring caravans - which have a maximum MTPLM of 1300 kg, and it's very easy to use - easier than the AL-KO 2000 and 3000 series, and much easier than the Winterhoff (which can be "difficult" to un-hitch)

Operation: Couple up the caravan to the car, then tighten-up the red coloured adjuster until it clicks (only need the strength from your fingers) then press down on the clamp lever (good hard push from your hand). Really easy.

In a recent ADAC test (German motoring organisation - but much more than that) the AL-KO and Winterhoff products equally scored the most "stars", with the Winterhoff coming out just ahead.

In the UK, spares for the AL-KO (new friction pads, for example) are in the region of

 

[colin-yorkshire]

sorry I posted in comments instead of reply to topic

hi Beej

robert is correct the alko 1300 is probably the best one for you to use (most girlie friendly) but just one word of warning!!!

release the alko ie: lift the red handle and back off the knob before attempting to reverse the unit, OR THE ALKO WILL NOT RELEASE THE BALL. I dont know why it does it, but it does?? then you would need about 3 burly blokes to push the van back while you jump up and down on the tow bar to release it!!

colin

 

[stuart_5107319]

Think you must have a faulty one Colin, no need to do that with mine

 

[Gilitygirl]

Thanks again for your replies.

I think I'll have to start saving my pennies for the Al-Ko then!!

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi stuart

if thats the case and mine is faulty?, there is more faulty ones out there than good ones judging by the amount of trouble people have un-hooking on sites. must have seen dozens since I got mine

I assumed that all the 1300's were the same.

I am sure that watson(johnG)has posted something similar in a previous thread (but I cannot find it).

Anyway I have sent an e-mail to alko about the problem will see if I get a reply.

colin

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Colin

I have the Alko as fitted on the latest vans(AKS3004) and it can be very difficult to unhitch

If the coupling is compressed or under tension it is very hard to get off the towball

Also if the car and van are not levelie nose down or nose up to each other) it is hard to release

This is my second Alko hitch of this type and they have both been the same

Jiggling with the motor mover helps to free the grabbing on the ball so to speak!!jumping fron a great height onto the rear of the car would also work bt carrying step ladders adds to the weight

Releasing the car handbrake on a downhill slope can do the trick but it does make for a quick dash as the coupling frees and the car sets off down the hill.

Been there done that !!

 

[Lutz]

If you're lucky, you can lift an obstinate coupling off the towball by just winding the jockey wheel down, although if it's really tight, all that happens is that it lifts the back of the car up as well.

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Lutz

If you are lucky that works but on my drive where the caravan is on a steeper slope than the car it just wedges tighter on the towball(it levels out at the top)

I then have to wind off the jockey wheel and use the mover to jiggle the caravan until the pressure on the ball evens out

Sometimes a sharp jerk on the boot of the car frees it but just as often it doesn't !1

 

[colin-yorkshire]

hi boys

it does seem to be a common problem from the amount of trouble I see on sites or is it just me being nosey?.

as I said if I release the alko before reversing it's fine and detaches straight away I can tow for hundreds of miles and it releases no problem but as soon as I reverse it sticks (even if I have reversed during the journey) and dont reverse on site it still wont come off it seems to be somthing to do with the reverse brake override because the over run brakes will have been applied hudreds of times during a longish tow and it releases ok as long as I dont reverse

colin

 

[WatsonJohnG]

Hi Colin

It is probably due more to the pressure inside the coupling head than the reverse mechanism in the wheels.

I have that problem when I haven't reversed

Maybe it would be worth checking the screw that holds the front friction pad to see if its tight on yours