Which stabilizer for my caravan?

[TpX Thinnr]

Hi, complete newbie here.
Just bought an old Craftsman Miracle 174/4 and trying to get a suitable stabiliser but not sure which will fit. If poss I'd be grateful if anyone could possibly look at the attached pics and estimate whether the hitch looks like it'd fit the stabiliser.

Thanks a lot.

 

[ProfJohnL]

It looks like you have an older Alko coupling hitch on the caravan without any built in friction pads.

The other part you have pictured is the receiver for a leaf stabiliser, but that by itself is useless without the reaction leaf and friction disks and its mounting bracket parts which fit to the car.

Do you have the other parts?


Also it will depend on what type of tow ball you have fitted to the car as the above unit and many of its type ae usually designed to clamp between the tow ball, and the car's tow bar

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Thanks for your response. I have a swan neck tow bar. The stabilizer I pictured is on eBay and doesn't look like it contains any other parts.

My tow bar is a swan neck.

If poss please let me know what is the best option for me to buy .

Also apologies if it's a silly question but will I still be able to go round corners with a stabiliser fitted?

Cheers

 

[ProfJohnL]

No question is silly if you don't know the answer, and actually it's a good point in relation to leaf type stabilisers but i'll come back to going round corners in a moment.

The brand of leaf type stabiliser that I know can be fitted to a swan neck is "Bulldog" Other brands may also have the necessary swan neck fittings.

For use with Bulldog 200Q Stabiliser for standard trailers.

A well matched and loaded car and trailer should tow without any signs of instability without a stabiliser being used. You should never use a stabiliser to make an unstable outfit drivable. A stabiliser is only there to assist a driver in exceptional circumstances - very much like seat belts. - there, but you hope it will never be used.

Turning corners.
The stabiliser must be fitted in such a way that when the trailer is towed forwards on full lock, the leaf spring will always remain engaged in the the saddle receptacle on the side of the caravans "A" frame.

When a trailer is reversed the relative angle between the tow vehicle and the trailer can be become more acute in reverse than when moving forward and with a unit I used (a very old Scott Stabiliser) it would disengage from the caravan as the angle when reversing in one direction. I always checked the fitting before moving off after reversing.

 

[audiorob]

Also might be worth looking at a replacement stabiliser hitch head from Alko and certainly comparing with the cost of the spring bar and swan neck bracket that prof has shown.

 

[otherclive]

Also might be worth looking at a replacement stabiliser hitch head from Alko and certainly comparing with the cost of the spring bar and swan neck bracket that prof has shown.

I converted one to the classic Alko hitch head stabiliser. Not that expensive if you get someone to fit it for you. But I noticed that with the Alko there was a bit more pitching of the van but soon got used to it. Then it became the norm.

 

[Raywood]

This is a very small light caravan with a MIRO under 1,000kg. I am not sure if a stabiliser is really needed, although I would not discourage you from fitting one. Both the Bulldog, if you can find one, or the ALKO are good as we have used both without trouble.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I certainly agree its possible to fit the Alko 3004 Friction Head

This option is likely to cost about twice as much as a leaf type stabiliser, There is no issue with corners, and you don't have to fide somewhere to store it when not in use. You would need to check if your swan neck ball was compatible the hitch, as it does need slightly different shape to allow the hitch to maintain the required degree of articulation. Its also essential to make sure there is no grease or oil on the surface of the ball before coupling up.


As otherclive has pointed out, the way the trailer feels may be a little different because the leaf spring stabiliser's have minimal damping of the vertical axis but they do add some bias and stiffen the the effect of the cars suspension through the preload of the leaf, where as the Alko hitch does have some friction grip that resists vertical motion but the compression of the cars rear suspension as no added bias. Its just different and really makes neither system more desirable than the other.

 

[audiorob]

Seems the bulldog kit with swan neck clamp is about £215 and the ALKO head about £315 (although do check that this is the full kit with any shims you might need) and there are plenty of videos to guide on fitting the latter. You do see both second hand and while the bulldog should be ok not sure I would buy a used ALKO head.
Please also check the age of the tyres by the xxxx four digit code on sidewall - advised not to be over 7 years old - first xx week code followed by xx for year code - so 0121 would be first week of Jan 2021.

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Thanks so much for your detailed responses everyone. Much appreciated. Before I get one fitted though just to go back to something the Prof mentioned re not necessarily needing one. We've got a range rover pulling the van and the van itself won't be packed with anything much more than clothes and food for 2 so do you think perhaps we'd be ok without one? I'm not trying to ignore the importance of safety but having just bought the van and then spent 500 on the tow bar, budget is certainly a consideration!

Does a lighter van mean it's more or less likely to have issues with snaking?

 

[ProfJohnL]

With a Range Rover you will certainly have one of the heaviest and most capable tow vehicles, and that is usually a good thing. On that basis I would suggest you could manage without a stabiliser, but do follow good loading practice and speed limits for vehicles towing trailers.

I also suggest that peopel contemplating towing a caravan should consider taking a towing course run by the Caravan and Moror Home Club, and the Camping and caravan club. It not just about towing it also covers hitching , manoeuvring and loading advice,

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Thanks again Prof; I feel more assured about hitting the road with it now...

Just need to clean it all up, reupholster, paint the exterior, check the tyres and we're good to go by the looks of it!

Cheers

 

[TpX Thinnr]

Cri

Seems the bulldog kit with swan neck clamp is about £215 and the ALKO head about £315 (although do check that this is the full kit with any shims you might need) and there are plenty of videos to guide on fitting the latter. You do see both second hand and while the bulldog should be ok not sure I would buy a used ALKO head.
Please also check the age of the tyres by the xxxx four digit code on sidewall - advised not to be over 7 years old - first xx week code followed by xx for year code - so 0121 would be first week of Jan 2021.

Damnit, just checked the tyres and they say "4508"!!

They do look in great condition with loads of tread and no splitting/cracks...

Are they still definitely a no-go then?

 

[Gagakev]

Cri

Damnit, just checked the tyres and they say "4508"!!

They do look in great condition with loads of tread and no splitting/cracks...

Are they still definitely a no-go then?

For your own piece of mind & safety get them changed, that date is 2008!! Thats 15 years old.

 

[audiorob]

Yikes! It’s not the miles they might have done but possibly months of standing still in the same place exposed to the degradation of the sun. Long past their sell-by date!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Often the damage to tyres cannot be seen, or is easily dismissed, The advice is that caravan tyres (because that have very different patterns of usage ) can often degrade more by age than use, and for confidence should be change by seven years of age and definately by ten.

 

[Mandarin]

I recently saw similar aged tyres on a trailer tent. Looked in perfect condition, but after a few miles the entire tread separated from the fabric, luckily the driver noticed and pulled over before the tyre blew.