wont fit??

[pin777]

hi
iv just bought a caravan with an alko stableizer but every time i hook up i have to take the spare wheel off??
i cant fully open the stableizer cause the spares in the way
iv put 2 spacers on the ball but its still no good?:doh:doh

any1 have any idears
any1 got the same problem


thanks

[tezzer]

hi
iv just bought a caravan with an alko stableizer but every time i hook up i have to take the spare wheel off??
i cant fully open the stableizer cause the spares in the way
iv put 2 spacers on the ball but its still no good?:doh:doh

any1 have any idears
any1 got the same problem


thanks

yes, i had the same problem, just got tow ball with extended neck, works on my hitch.:thumb2 :nenau


tezzer

[millie2]

i had same problem so got a 1INCH spacer plate works great now.WORKED ON MY MAV WITHOUT SPACER BUT USED TO HIT STEP ON FULL LOCK.
KEV.

[Deleted account DD]

Or get one of these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ALKO-AL-KO-4-x-4-4x4-HANDLE-AKS-2004-%26-3004-1287287_W0QQitemZ180340920105QQcmdZViewItem

Though that particular one does seem a lot expensive :eek:

[mully]

I bought the AL-KO 4 x 4 4x4 HANDLE a couple of years ago and it works a treat

[Jocky]

Just open the door before you lift up the stabiliser handle:thumb2 did that for years with T2.
I also took the Stab handle off for bit more room.

:)

[pin777]

thanks for ur replys guys i`ll find a way round it somehow.

me thinks i be takeing the spare off quite a bit :lol:lol:lol

[TONUP]

I have the same problem, so I took the hard shell type spare wheel cover off and put a elasticated one on. I also took the red handle off of the arms (you'll need one of those torx type drives) and now I just push the two levers down one at a time. You can just do this with the rear door shut.

I might buy one of those special handles when I don't have other financial commitments though.

Regards

Alan

[wanaron]

Glad ive read this, was thinking about changing my standard hitch for an Alko One,- have changed my mind now:rolleyes:

[(RIP) PLANK]

my advice, take the alko hitch off and fit a standard one, its what i allways do, they fetch a nice price on ebay and you wont miss it! or just keep it and put it back on when you sell the caravan.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

my advice, take the alko hitch off and fit a standard one, its what i allways do, they fetch a nice price on ebay and you wont miss it! or just keep it and put it back on when you sell the caravan.

its what i did when got the twin axle, well it didnt have one on so dug out my old blade
type. tbh had it at 60 on t2 and no stab was fine, whats your van/weight mate you likely
dont need one at all or just use a blade as and when needed. going out with the patrol
this weekend and havent even put blade receiver onto bracket yet. reckon get nose
weight upto max and van will follow cleanly, heck you can always slow down.

all outfits should be tested without a stab to make sure its not masking bad matching or
loading if probs then adjust loading etc.

was at about 86% car van ratio with t2, with patrol's higher kerb weight its down to 70%!

[JonathanM]

Just open the door before you lift up the stabiliser handle:thumb2 did that for years with T2.
I also took the Stab handle off for bit more room.

:)
+1 for opening the rear door when hitching up.

[zippy656]

alko stableizer. i give up... this the tipe that holds your balls tight??

and got the long handles?


i dont use a stableizer at all

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

alko stableizer. i give up... this the tipe that holds your balls tight??

and got the long handles?


i dont use a stableizer at all

balls? zippy was gonna ask how many u got but thought better of it.

yeah alko and winterhoff are pedlers of pain here mind latter better
as handle set back.

ouch holding balls tight, not good for you, best left to inadequate cars
and oversized 'vans.

perhaps we should start a sub group of anti friction couplings drivers?

[(RIP) PLANK]

alko stableizer. i give up... this the tipe that holds your balls tight??

and got the long handles?


i dont use a stableizer at all

that makes two of us, i dont find them any help and a bit of a pest at the best!

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

thanks for ur replys guys i`ll find a way round it somehow.

me thinks i be takeing the spare off quite a bit :lol:lol:lol

thats what i did one summer hol, when didnt need 7 seats. strapped spare
down in boot, left rear seat in garage. hitching was a dream. what you towing?

[zippy656]

balls? zippy was gonna ask how many u got but thought better of it.

QUOTE]

ive one back. and oneday hope to get one at the front..



[QUOTE=PLANK;47682]that makes two of us, i dont find them any help and a bit of a pest at the best!

im sure if you load the caravan properly. all is well. ok so Mrs Zippy loads it properly.. :D

[dinky]

Try a WINTEROFF stableizer ,beter than alko and lower no handle sticking up.When funds allow dumping my alko.

[(RIP) PLANK]

just practice loading your caravan well! keep it at maximum nose weight, nothing heavy high up, correct tyre pressures (not too high!) he same goes for the towing vehicle, it doesnt need massive extra pressure in the tyres to cope with an etra 50-70k nose weight that isnt even the weight of an adult passanger (70k i about 11 stone!) and dont set out to dirve at silly speeds.

careful braking and manouvering etc. and you dont need a stabaliser at all!

out of interest have those of you with front tow/ push bars got alko balls fitted? is it therfore ore stable going backwards :lol

[Deleted account DD]

I'm not going to get into the perennial argument of do hitch stabilisers do anything or not.

If you load your caravan properly as plank says and drive it properly no probs and they may just be superfluous, I've harboured that thought for a long time.

But as a lot of vans come with them as standard why ditch them? they just may help as back up one day, there's no substantial evidence to say they wont. Thats nothing to do with a cosy feeling, from my view its based on practical engineering experience and a decent understanding of physics & dynamics (I may not sound it but I am a reasonably educated engineer by trade but binned uni for hands on ;) it paid the bills better :lol ).

If you accept youve got one and choose not to ditch it I really dont understand why theres such a big downer (costs aside :eek: ) on the replacenment handle :confused: I found one on ebay 2nd hand (unmarked condition) for £12 + £5 p&p.

We have the Alko 3000 which is the biggest chunkiest of them on our van and it went from standard handle fitted = chew on to 4x4 handle in use = pice of piss :thumbs no removing spare wheels, no squashing hands and twisting arms.

On a slight aside for stability I do love the presence of the Alko ATC , again as a back up, not as a substitute for proper towing skills and set up but I would say anyone who claims theyve never been caught out is either brain dead or telling porkies ;)

The reason for my like of them is whilst driving down through Northumberland, nothing to see to warn us, we crossed an open gap along the A1 and got wacked by one hell of a crosswind. All happened very quickly but all I would describe the van as doing was snapping back into line very very quickly indeed. I was in the process of (trying :lol ) to react properly and was beaten to it.

I asked around including speaking to Alko tech people and what I described happening to us is exactly what it is supposed to do.

Cant fault it and I'll always wonder if it saved the day :bow but as said by Plank and others you should startoff doing it right from basics.

[(RIP) PLANK]

for me even with a replacment handle I still dont see the draw of them, if towing several different caravans with several different vehicles, and other trailers inbetween the alko stabaliser and grease free ball combiantion is a pain. Plus if you space the ball further back from the tow bar to allow for an alko standard handle (as the replacment one would need to be on every caravan you tow) you effectivley shift the load further from the back axel and this makes towing less stable (ehich is an established principle in stable towing)

the other issue i have with then is the get stuck on the tow ball and can be a pain to unhitch, the standard alko line is this is due to worn pads or a non alko ball but even with new pads and an alko ball I have spent happy times ith jokey wheel wound down bouncing on the back of the towing vehicle to frre them, even after the jiggling backwards and forwards a little bit routine has been exhausted.

And there is no sustantial evidence to prove they do a lot (if anyhting)

so as an equation ,the negative points i have raised against the positives and you end up with a neutral score at best!

if you allready have one fitted and never tow anything else with your vehicle then i agee, if you are happy with it keep it, but i certainly wouldn't recommend rushing out to buy one!

and if you tow any other trailer you know its only a matter of time until you leave grease on the tow ball :lol i carry a can of brake cleaner spray just in case, having said that, when they get stuck i some times squirt them with WD40 as if the pads are worn out anyway what have you got to loose? One alko agent told me the genuine ball has a special polymer coating to prevent the ball form becoming jammed in the head, that must be the black paint that rubs off and clogs the pads? most people recommend you scrape this off first.

they are pretty much standard fit to new caravans now though so it loooks like this debate will continue or years to come!

[Deleted account DD]

My point remains, if they come on your van as standard and you aren't chopping and changing between units, why bother replacing?

Is your insurer first of all aware of and secondly happy with the modification which will be perceived within that industry (and in examples like this where there is no significant evidence one way or the other perception is all) as a reduction in safety measures or an increase in risk due to the variance from standard manufacturers spec :thumb2 .

Food for thought ;)

[Jocky]

Thing I couldn't get my head round on my new van. Its got ATC trailer control and the Alko Stabilizer.
Thought the ATC was to do away with the need for the stabilizer??

Haven't got a problem with the handle and spare wheel on the Patrol.


:)

[Deleted account DD]

Thing I couldn't get my head round on my new van. Its got ATC trailer control and the Alko Stabilizer.
Thought the ATC was to do away with the need for the stabilizer??


:)

No idea mate. Belt and braces , sales technique? :confused: