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Subject Topic: towing idiot fashion Post Reply Post New Topic
Personsteve mx
30/7/2012 at 10:59pm
 Location: glos
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got a vw t4 2.5 diesel and single axle eldiss vogue, now dont blind me with science as quite new to towing, but if im right french towing speed faster but unlikely to tow more than 65/70 mph but generally  idiot fashion tips. i load anything heavy securely and near the axle, but fit all i can in tow van. i have alko hitch and a scott stabilizer bar, is that pretty much it. tow vehicle always heavier, caravan loaded evenly at low level ??? 


Persontango55
30/7/2012 at 11:01pm
 Location: Lichfield
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An Alko hitch is a stabiliser in itself so you don't need the Scott leaf type stabiliser as well.


Personsteve mx
30/7/2012 at 11:03pm
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yeah, but i was given it so thought be doubly safe maybe??


Persontango55
30/7/2012 at 11:08pm
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Have you got the special Alko towball fitted?


Personlizzy23
31/7/2012 at 9:12am
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We tow with a transit, and find the heavier the van the better the caravan tows, we have no stabiliser on, although Hubby is thinking of getting one, personally if i were going on a long journey like you are indicating, i would put as much weight in the van as possible


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PersonZafiral
31/7/2012 at 11:29am
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Two points.

Firstly if the gross vehicle weight added to the MTPLM of your caravan is over 3500kg (which for a transporter sized van & a caravan I guess it will be) then in France you are limited to 56mph.

Secondly an alko hitch is not necessarily a stabilizer hitch, only if it has the extra stabilizer handle.



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All year Dorset!!!


Personsunshinetours
31/7/2012 at 2:48pm
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Not quite right - if the gross vehicle weight plus its maximum permissable towing weight (Gross Train Mass) is over 3500kg you will be limited. Both may give same answer in this case but the technicality difference is important

Our actual weight (vehicle plus camper) is way below the 3500kg but we are still limited because my car can potentially tow  way over its own gross weight


Personsteve mx
31/7/2012 at 4:28pm
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thanx all, we do have the pull down handle, but as far as i know its just a standard ball, whats the difference ? and yes we do generally load the tow van up as much as possible especially as this time to south of france with two stops dont want to spend ages emptying caravan to pitch up


PersonGrampian91
31/7/2012 at 5:13pm
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Standard ball can damage the stabiliser hitch head when you turn or hit a ramp etc.

Expensive mistake for something that costs under £15 to replace.


So the above rules seem to suggest, Gross train weight is over 3500kg then its restricted?

I guess a lot of family sized cars and caravans will exceed that.   My mondeo estate is something like 3720kg.


Empty caravans tend to bounce more than laden ones. So balance the load between the caravan and car.


Personscar
31/7/2012 at 5:24pm
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My mates caravan with Alko hitch with built in stabilizer jumped off his ordinary tow bar and wrecked both the car and caravan.
Lucky no=one was killed.

-------------
Albino, Can"t say fairer than that !


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Persontango55
31/7/2012 at 7:42pm
 Location: Lichfield
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The specially designed Alko towball has two features which are a longer neck from the flange plus extra clearance under the ball itself. If you use a standard towball with an Alko hitch there is no clearance to allow for any side to side movement between towcar and trailer therefore the trailer is likely to come unhitched as already mentioned. Also as there is less clearance from the flange to the centre of the towball, the Alko hitch is likely to damage the rear bumper of the car due to the bulk of the hitch head not being allowed to spin on the axis of the towball. If you are using any of the Alko hitch models then you most definitely need the corresponding Alko towball to match.


PersonDaveCoaches
31/7/2012 at 8:06pm
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When you say an AlKo hitch, AlKo make stabiliser hitches and ordinary hitches but the AlKo hitch is generally referred to as a stabiliser hitch. The stabiliser hitch has a red handle or lever on and the head is also red and black, whereas a standard hitch made by AlKo is just pressed steel. The AlKo stabiliser requires a special towball, but this towball can be used for all other types of ball hitch. An AlKo stabiliser (and for that matter a Winterhoff stabiliser) will be damaged by grease on the towball so it is imperative that this be removed with brake cleaner of some other similar solvent. It also needs to have any paint removed, including the paint that the correct AlKo towball comes with.


AlKo specifically state NOT to use another stabiliser in conjunction with the stabiliser hitch.


There are two trains of thought on the safety merits of a stabiliser if you want to search the forum you will see that it can get very heated but I don't think anyone here would consider fitting an AlKo stabiliser AND a Scott stabiliser to be a wise option.



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