Stabiliser

[PaddyPower]

Hiya All,

Finally taken the plunge and bought myself a `new` caravan (well... new to me anyway!) Its a Compass Echo 440, and the plate on the A Frame says 850kgs (I presume this is unlaiden weight)

I'm going to tow it with a SWB 2.7 TerranoII. I know for safe towing you need to be under the 85% rule... so I recon I must be at about 50% :?:

Anyway, my question is will I need a stabiliser with the car being so much heavier then the van... father-in-law says no, father says yes!!! cant win either way! :)

Cheers

[mav]

Hi there Paddypower.

I would look at the alko stabilizer web site,

I fitted one to the van as i did not want the bar type as the ALKO seemed a lot less hassel and they can be fitted yourself with ease.

Hope to see you at one of our rallys now as you have got your accommodation sorted out!.

Regards. Mav2.

I've towed an Ace 4.8m 2 berth & an Ace 5.2m 5 berth with my old 2.7Tdi SWB and I did'nt use any form of stabiliser. I did'nt have any problems with the vans misbehaving in any way, although the 5.2m was a much easier van to tow.

[JonathanM]

You might want to see it as a bit belt & braces, but what harm could it do to fit something like an Alko?

I've got to be honest here; only towed with a stabiliser, so wouldn't be without.

as far as i know it is LAW to have a stabiliser fitted, in the event of an accident you may find your insurance may be voided!!!

i run with the Alko 3004 same as MAV2's

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

hi, i find no mention of the 'law' in the CC handbook which is pretty comprehensive. when we got our lwb t2 could not easily add satabilizer drop plate receiver and towed 1000kg sprite musketer 14'6" to east coast from sheffield and back no problems. found a 12' swift with alco 1300 hitch the friction part was option but piece of mind.

our lunarat about 800/900kg has alco as well but lever is a pain fouls spare wheel. can open door but means 2 person job, considering replacing with a standard hitch and no stabilizer.

as for ratio reckon truck could just about carry van never mind tow it!

rbrt

i would never tow without a stabiliser !!! they don't bounce very well when the car and van goes over due to snaking or poor driver training.

it's not just your pride and joy lying on it's side in a million pieces, it's mr & mrs bloggs and family that are squashed underneath your van after it took them out during it's aerobics display in the middle lane.

[PaddyPower]

Cheers for the replys.... Swan Neck adapter's for a stabiliser's on order :D

[JonathanM]

as far as i know it is LAW to have a stabiliser fitted, in the event of an accident you may find your insurance may be voided!!!

i run with the Alko 3004 same as MAV2's

it certainly isn't law, otherwise I'm sure that each 'van would have to come supplied with one from new, and with each change in ownership.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

hi,

nothing in life, including towing makes up for experience. i have used traditional blade stabilizers for over ten years but I am reminded of the section in the CC handbook which comments, "do not use a stabilizer to correct a badly matched outfit or lack of experience", the whole section makes for good reading.

They suggest learning an outfits characteristics before hiding it and giving false confidence will only let you down later.

with previous tow cars I always aimed to stay under the recommended 85% ratio, ie the max laden weight of the 'van does not exceed 85% of the kerb weight of the car ( unladen but full fuel tank and possibly driver).

With the t2 the heaviest 'van I have had access to brought that ratio down to about 60%. no way that that tail was gonna wag this dog as it were!

I would always recommend a stabilizer, but as recorded in threads back in the archives. a combination of a factory hitch on the truck and the rear mounted spare do make hitching a pain. Our current alko hitch is AKS2700 which can not be modded with the factory kit designed for 4x4s with rear spares. Will continue with it this season as I do enjoy the extra peace of mind it gives when heavies go past... not that many do, its only the 7.5 tonners that can still use outside lane that can cause a noticable bow wave.

I still plan to have the tow bar modified, either extended or lowered to ease hitching problems. was talking to fellow member garry66 about this before xmas, but still examining options.

Also believe some traditional blade types are more likely to flip car if van goes over. Imagine Alko types are better as they will hopefully slip around ball in the event. Sure there was a bar type or rod which gave the the left/right protection and up/down but allowed the twist action by rounded rod shape in the receiver. sorry for kiddy terms got yaw, pitch etc mixed up.

keep on 'vanning by truck, it what their made for!

rbrt

[Lucky]

I tow a twin axle which is 24ft and dont use a stabilizer,I have never had a problem it has always been steady as a rock but I have always found twin axles are much more steady.
Just my thoughts.
Colin

I've towed caravans and trailers for a little over 28 years, with and without stabilisers. Its not always you that may cause the snake, but always you that has to correct it. For the last 10 years or so i've always used a blade type,( www.towsure.com ) their own make. The roads are becoming more and more congested, and more and more people have little or no patience. Any device that can enhance the safety of my family has just got to be worth the extra few pounds outlay. Say £50 or so against a £12000 car and a £10000 caravan and an irreplaceable family.

On a lighter note, the alko does not work if any trace of grease is on the ball.
With the blade type the swan neck adaptor hangs low and needs removing should you venture off road.

In the end, its all personal choice as i don't think any are proven better than others.

Regards
Cameraman

as for alko pain at hitching, i have a 1" spacer between frame and ball, to give a bit more clearance, now i fitted a towequipe kit to a renault espace last weekend, due to the body molding in bumber, it comes with a 3" spacer,
so if that can come as standard and be safe, then i'm gonna fit one on my mistral, i don't really have problems with hitching mine, i reverse upto hitch which is level in height, open rear door, wind up front end, then roll back or move van forward, wind down, bob's ye uncle!

on another topic, RBRT was it you who sent me 3 magazines the other day? someone with sheffield postcode?

ok i stand corrected as usual lol,

i rang the caravan club information desk today,

It is not a legal requirement to have a stablisier fitted, more important is the outfit is of the correct capacity/ combination,

but as i thought it is advised to fit one to reduce the risk of snaking or problems etc,

but i still stand by my own belief that i would never tow any caravan without one!

so that's nailed shut on the law side of things.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

hi shark1e,

yep i sent old mags of t2 and mav for club archives, in hope you might be able/allowed to add to site.

rbrt

thanks mate head like a sieve lately, read some, will add them asap,

[(RIP) PLANK]

A late addition to this thread, but another point worth mentioning for caravan stability , is making sure it is correctly loaded, not with all the weight at the back! and just like your T2 i have found caravans have better on road manners with slightly under pressure tyres. I have always hated stabilizers with a vengance ( I have 4 or five blade types in my shed) though since using the newer alko type i think they are pretty good. I still believe that the first option for safety is loading the caravan properly!!!!!!

Strange bit true the 85% rule is only a guide and there is no law to stop you exceeding this a T2 has a towing limit of 2.8 tonnes which far exceeds the 85% rule, though of course common sense and experience are also good guidelines! I have seen a case go through court where a vehicle towing a car transporter went through court for exceeding it 'train weight' and the conclusion was that this law only applies to commercials, apparently you can tow just about anything you please with a private car even if it is stupidly mismatched!

Though the problem with newer alko type stabilizers is the need for the right towball, as this eases the dry ball in and out of the hitch with a special coating, these stabilizers can get stuck on a normal dry ball ( I have done it)!

This also brings the issue of using,the vehicle to do a lot of different towing jobs as keep changing the ball is a pain. But despite this I still intend to keep using an alko stabiliser from now on as the benefits are noticable! Particularly having no adapter or plate under the tow ball to get fouled on obsticles when off road and also you can reverse with the alko type but you are not supposed to reverse without first disengaging the blade types!

[Nikki]

Hi

I can't agree more - belt and braces I believe is the right way to go - but even then DON'T TAKE ANY THING FOR Granted.

Our recent trip down to Dorset proved this!

We have an ABI Ace Harmony max laden weight 1200KG fitted with an ALKO hitch stabilizer. At the time we were towing with a Volvo V40 1.8 (yes it struggled! and took alot of preying to get up hills)

Every thing fine on the way down - well it did take just over 8 hrs cause we could not really go above 40 MPH due to traffic and spent most of the time stood still! (we are in Suffolk)

On the way back roads alot clearer so was able to put my foot down (down hill obviously) - well that tail wagged! Pulled over and repositioned the awning over the wheels a couple of inches and hey presto no more tail wagging.

So even with the Alko Hitch it does not protect you against a badly matched outfit and bad loading. Hence the change to the Maverick!

Recent trip in high winds towing with Maverick - did not even know it was there!

So please do not think that just cause you have an alko hitch or any other kind of stabilizer fitted that it will forgive you for other boopahs or just plain stupidity! - our nearly didn't!

[dexterlevi]

Hi

Just bought our 2.7 TD and about to tow for the first time next week.Been towing with other vehicles for some years now.I will not hook up without my ALKO stabaliser.

Whilst your new towcar may well fit niceley within the 85% recommendation, it won,t stop your van dancing all over the road in a strong wind or if a big wagon comes and overtakes you.

ALKO stabalisers don,t come cheap as I have recently found out as some poor misunderstood thieving "person" helped himself to mine along with 13 others from my storage yard.Nice earner if youve got no shame and happy to sell someone elses hard earned goods.

However despite the replacement cost, it,s cheaper than loosing your van especially if its your pride and joy as ours is.

[dinky]

Talking from experiance,going down A42 backwards in the outside lane with the caravan leading.A stabiliser would be advisable. Have got a Alko on my Buccaneer Elan no problems at all just need to either put a spacer between towball and towbar or get a short handle in case handle fouls spare wheel when putting on/taking off.Dinky

[chumba]

try website www.whattowcar.com that will give you an idea if your car is matched to your van.just put in your van or 1 with a close weight to it and your car and it calculates it.and i`d always tow with a stabaliser for piece of mind.i drive an artic for living and ive seen flipped or jack knifed outfits not nice.

[Chaz]

Tow a Bailey Senator Arizona single axel 23' long without stabeliser. Towed up the M6 to and around the Lake District steady as a rock. Was thinking of fitting my snakemaster which I had on my Elldis but it seem stable enough with the T2