Archive for the ‘Caravan Stabiliser’ Category
July 2nd, 2009
AL-KO stabilisers are one of the most popular, if not the most popular, ball type caravan stabiliser on the market. There is however something you need to know before you rush off and buy one of these for your caravan rig and that is they don’t fit all your standard towballs. The good news is however that if you buy an AL-KO stabiliser AKS type, new from any supplier you will also get a black painted towball as part of every boxed UK stabiliser sold. The bad news is you will need to have your current towball changed to that fitted.
If you’re buying a used caravan there maybe a chance that it will already have an AL-KO stabiliser fitted as part of the price or even when you buy a new caravan some dealers may include a caravan stabiliser in the price as a bit of a sweetener for you to buy. In these cases you need to check that if its from the dealer they’ll include fitting the correct towball in the deal or how you can at least get the correct towball fitted before you take ownership of the caravan.
You can purchase the AL-KO towball separately but you should be aware that 
other towballs will work with the stabilisers but use of any other bolt-on type towball will invalid your warranty and will not allow the stabiliser to operate correctly. With that said you should know that a swan neck towbar is suitable for use with the AL-KO Stabilisers, providing the necessary clearances can be achieved. In short check what you’re buying before forking out your dosh dosh!
There are two types of towball that must never be used with any AL-KO Stabilisers. These are the bolted intype balls and the A50-1 towballs pictured left.
A final thing to note about the AL-KO stabiliser is to always remember to only attach it to a dry and free from grease towball and that any protective coating should be removed. To help protect your towball AL-KO have produced purpose made towball cover that fits and protects your precious towball.
June 24th, 2009
Over the years the face of caravan stabilisers has change but the truth is the first design of these items still remains available along side the more modern designs. As technology has moved forward so has the types and styles of the caravan stabiliser changed. Nearly all caravan stabilisers fall into two distinct categories, either blade type stabilisers or ball type stabilisers.
- Bulldog Blade Caravan Stabiliser
The friction blade types of caravan stabiliser are the simplest and cheapest form available. It comprises of a single leaf spring arm where one end is placed in a saddle that has been attached to the caravan’s ‘A’ frame (sometimes called drawbar). The other end of the arm stops in a pivoting friction damper which is attached to the car’s tow bar.
This system works by dampening the movements of the caravan snaking or pitching.
Snaking is prevented by the blade pivots on friction-damping discs that, when the caravan articulates, take most of the energy out of the movement. The damper consists of two friction discs sandwiched between steel plates and clamped tight by a central bolt. The bolt is used to adjust the force needed to turn the spring blade and it should be remembered that checking the friction setting from time to time and readjusting as necessary is important. The curve of leaf spring helps reduce pitching of the caravan as this should be parallel with the road at all times, any pitching will be dampened with the force required to straighten this bar or leaf again. Modern blade stabilisers feature a quick release cam to release pressure from the central bolt for easy removal and fitting of the blade to the saddle.
Alko Stabiliser AKS 3004
The ball type caravan stabiliser works by applying pressure from friction pads against the sides of the tow ball. There are three things you should remember about the ball type stabilisers and they all revolve around the friction pads.
- First are the pads which act directly on the tow ball it self so should always be kept clean and free of grease at all times.
- Second is that since the area occupied by the pads is relatively small they wear out fast. Although you cannot adjust these pads there is a wear indicator and they are easy to replace.
- Third point is to give your caravan the greatest stability you should avoid the type with only two friction pads acting on the sides of the tow ball. Choosing one with four pads will ensure the pressure is applied to the four main points of the tow ball, top, bottom, left and right side. These stop not only snaking but pitching as well.
There are a few minor complications with the ball type stabilisers but they are all easy to work around. Your main issue will be to have a long neck tow ball fitted to help accommodate the large stabilisers but often they are supplied with the new ball type caravan stabiliser.
June 23rd, 2009
The number one concern for someone towing a caravan is snaking, but with better towing skills and experience along with a caravan stabiliser can help reduce the effects of caravan snaking. This however is not the only form of caravan instability and although a caravan stabiliser can’t help much with correcting these problems being aware of them while towing can at least reduce your chances of becoming a victim of caravan instability.
Caravan roll is something we all try to avoid. It happens when there is rotational movement at the tow hitch and is caused when the wheels, for whatever reason, leave the road. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that if the wheels are not touching the road then something bad may happen. Caravan stabilisers can’t really help with this type of caravan instability but by preventing the snaking action of caravan the stability at the hitch may just be enough to help prevent this type of disaster. Unfortunately though a snaking severely followed by hard breaking will often cause the caravan to roll. Other than this snaking though other causes of caravan roll is often poor packing producing a top heavy caravan or poor driving by cornering too fast caravan that has to stop. These are two situations in which a caravan stabiliser will not help the situation.
Caravan pitching is another case of caravan instability where a caravan stabiliser may not directly be of any use. The driver will experience the caravan rocking backwards and forwards at the hitching point and may feel like the caravan is bouncing behind them. Pitching instability is usually caused by potholes in the road, badly placed or designed speed ramps, or severe dips in the road. Pitching is often not too serious and will often right itself with any intervention from the driver.
June 23rd, 2009
In answer to the question “do I need a caravan stabiliser?” the answer should always be the same, no you don’t need one but you should defiantly get one. A caravan stabiliser is not a replacement for good towing skills and a properly packed caravan but it does add a layer of added safety as well as comfort when towing any high sided unit, either trailer, caravan or horsebox etc.
The main cause of caravan instability is what is commonly called snaking or more scientifically ‘yaw inertia’. When the caravan moves in a horizontal way around the towing hitch it is said to be snaking and the caravan behind you starts weaving from side to side. In extreme cases violent snaking can cause complete loss of control of the car and caravan and a very unpleasant crash is often inevitable. Excessive speed is often the main cause of caravan snaking but speed alone is not enough to start this type of caravan instability. If you travel in a straight pulling your caravan behind you then as long as nothing changes the caravan would happily follow along without any trouble. However there are often external forces that will make the caravan weave slightly and at high speed this slight weave will become something more dangerous. These external forces can include a gust of wind or a bump in the road or indeed a sudden swerve to avoid hitting something in the road.
Caravan stabilisers have been designed primarily to help stop this snaking but as a driver towing a caravan there are a few things you can do to prevent it happening in the first place. The first thing to consider is your speed or how you should try and travel at slower speeds at least. If you’re travelling on long motorways there is a tendency to get to your destination as fast as you can but you should remember that other vehicles passing you will cause some movement of the caravan and if these forces are great enough you will start snaking. Slow down and try to never exceed 60mph. When travelling downhill don’t be tempted to let your speed build up, often this is where you may hit a bump in the road or something bigger than you fly’s past and causes caravan instability.
June 23rd, 2009
If you have read the three points written about in driving without a caravan stabiliser, namely getting a matching outfit, loading the caravan correctly and checking tyre pressure, then you could be forgiven for asking why then do I need a caravan stabiliser? Furthermore there is an assumption that because of their inherently greater stability twin axle caravans don’t need stabilisers.
While it is true that with better towing skills and properly packed and checked outfit, and indeed a twin axel caravan, you do not need a caravan stabiliser you should not consider a caravan stabiliser as something that will either make your caravan easier to tow but something that will make it safer. There is no replacement for good caravan towing skills but a caravan stabiliser can be a welcome addition as simply a safety aid that can help improve the comfort of towing caravans or trailers for that matter.
June 23rd, 2009
Long before the day when caravan stabilisers were not an automatic purchase for those considering towing a caravan people still managed to get from A to B with too much drama. But with the introduction of the caravan stabiliser that last little piece of uncomfortable driving while towing a caravan was removed. Stabilisers never were and never have been a substitute for good knowledge and experience in the loading of your caravan nor the towing of it either.
The single most important factor in creating a stable and safe towing outfit is the match up of the caravan with the car. Just because the car CAN pull the caravan doesn’t mean it should, or would be safe to. There are many different ways for you to find the best match but it maybe a little like what came first the car or the caravan. As a first time caravan buyer they will often buy the caravan that will suit their car as this is the least investment required. As long as you make sure your caravan is up to the task there should be no problem with this, however on the odd occasion people will purchase a caravan that suits their needs and don’t consider what car will be towing it. If you’re looking to get the caravan from a dealer then they will more than likely be able to tell you if your current car is up to the job. If however you’re purchasing the caravan from a private seller you should check out some caravan forums, or talk to other people a little bit more knowledgeable about towing outfits to ensure you get a caravan that matches your car. You can also do further research online look at your caravan manufacturer’s web site for information or search for caravan outfit recommendations, this should keep you busy for a while.
The second most important feature of safe caravan towing is that you have properly loaded the caravan and car. If you apply some common sense, and a little experience, loading a caravan shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone to understand. Simple common sense should tell you that heavy items should be stored low down and never in overhead cupboards. A little experience would tell you that these same heavy items should also be carried on or as near to the axel as possible. Obviously you should never overload the caravan but how much is too much? There is a simple way to work out how much you can load into the caravan, the laden weight of the caravan should not exceed 85% of the weight of the tow car although this can often be increased to 100% for experienced drivers. This may mean you have to carry some of the heavy items in your car but remember you should make sure that if you do these items need to be secured down to prevent them flying around should the worse happen. If you have the weight right and the balance of the weight evenly distributed the caravan should tow level or slightly nose down.
The third factor in creating a safe and comfortable towing outfit is to ensure the tyre pressures of your caravan are correct. You would be forgiven for thinking that this point would be obvious but on more than one occasion you will see caravans arrive at sites with have inflated tyres and when asked the owner will say something like I checked the car tyres and had the caravan recently serviced. Never trust anyone to inflate the tyres of your caravan for you, you are towing the unit, it is your responsibility for the safety of it on the road.