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   Caravans and Caravanning -  Caravan Towcars and Towing Advice 		Share   Post on X / Twitter  Share on Facebook  Email  Printer Friendly Version Print
Subject Topic: Breakdown Trucks Towballs Post Reply Post New Topic
Personbaileyman
19/4/2014 at 10:52am
 Location: Bristol
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I have just renewed my Mayday Recovery. In the small print I noticed that my caravan must fit a 50mm tow ball. I have an Alko towball to suit my Alko stabiliser. As I understand it the neck is slightly longer than standard. I have queried this with the Caravan Club but haven't heard back from them yet.

Last year my caravan was recovered from the north of Scotland. It was towed all the way by recovery truck to Bristol, we had come home in a hire car. The next time I towed my caravan it was obvious that the stabiliser head had been damaged, I had to replace the pads as they were quite badly marked.

My point is that as most caravans have some form of stabiliser head, so the towball on any recovery truck should be spotlessly clean at the very least.


Personblueexpo97
19/4/2014 at 10:54am
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Would be nice, but doubt it will ever happen.

-------------
XVI yes?

As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.


Personmichell8
19/4/2014 at 2:44pm
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Most breakdown services use private contractors so you take pot luck, I guess. Its just as easy for tow truck owner to fit Al-Ko flange ball as not to but I've seen plenty with standard flange ball. A long recovery may involve more than one tow truck, so little you can do really.


PersonGrampian91
19/4/2014 at 8:00pm
 Location: Midlands
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It should be spotlessly clean. Except the next job may required a greased hitch.
The owner of that will be moaning the ball had no grease and asking if his hitch has been damaged.


Personmillermicm
19/4/2014 at 9:26pm
 Location: west country
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Yu would hope that in an ideal world all tow trucks covered all situations by using an alko ball, a clean rag and pot of grease but we don't live in an ideal world. If we did, breakdowns wouldn't happen.

Something you have to take on the chin I reckon. It's probably impossible to control a situation like this.



-------------
Steve


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PersonGrampian91
19/4/2014 at 9:50pm
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On sites with storage ive seen them put a plastic bag over the ball when moving vans with stabilisers. They leave the stabiliser arm in the off position.

But thats using a small mower/tractor with the clearance. Not all tow vehicles will be able to do that and how long will a plastic bag last?


Personmichell8
20/4/2014 at 7:39am
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Just cleaning the ball with solvent & polishing with rag is good enough & some emery cloth if you are that worried about it. I keep a small bottle of meths & plenty of rag/emery cloth in my caravan toolkit & also an aerosol can of grease. You won't damage a standard hitch that has grease on with one tow on a dry ball anyway.

For any reasonably equipped caravanner cleaning or greasing the towball as required is a non issue really the only 'worry' would be if the towtruck has a compatable ball if you have stabiliser hitch.


Personhereward
20/4/2014 at 8:30pm
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Is it being suggested that Mayday might well be using tow trucks equipped with a standard 50mm ball and not always the extended neck one?

I would have expected that the Caravan Club would stipulate this as a requirement of the contract.

If not, what are the safety implications and risk of caravan detachment from the towing vehicle?


Personmichell8
20/4/2014 at 9:04pm
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I don't think it is. Its standard on any breakdown insurance t&c's to state they can only recover trailers or caravans with 50mm ball hitch. If a breakdown service uses private contractors all over the country then I doubt you could guarantee they would all have extended neck balls.

If you hitch an Al-Ko stabiliser hitch to a standard flange ball you are ok towing straight or going around normal corners. It can catch front of hitch at extreme angles & worst case scenario can break the front of it & it can detach, I suppose.


PersonColin21
22/4/2014 at 10:57pm
 Location: East Herts
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Like all emergency services, we hope that we will never need them, but when we do we are glad that they are there. When it comes to recovery trucks I would think that the only standard would be a 50mm hitch. The trucks would vary enormously, as will the drivers/operators.

If they get your caravan home safely, that is really all that really matters, I think.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


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PersonDefender
24/4/2014 at 9:24pm
 Location: Kent
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The Alko stabiliser hitch is a 50mm hitch, albeit with a little more body ahead of the centre of the hitch that requires an Alko approved tow ball to be used. It is, nevertheless, a 50mm towball, as opposed to a 'pin and ring' or NATO style hitch.


PersonColin21
24/4/2014 at 9:50pm
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I would not expect a tow-truck to have anything other than a standard 50mm tow-ball. Just as a matter of interest, as I don't have an Alko stabiliser hitch, does that mean that if a caravan has one of these stabiliser hitches it cannot be towed by a vehicle fitted with a standard tow-ball? That could be quite difficult if so, and a recovery was needed.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin


Personmichell8
24/4/2014 at 10:49pm
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Theres no reason why recovery trucks should not be fitted with an Al-ko stabiliser compatable flange ball, but not all may have them, why would you expect them not to when the main reason for having the towball is to recover caravans?

Find the answer to your question 3 posts above yours.


PersonColin21
24/4/2014 at 11:11pm
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Hi michell8, that does indeed answer my question.

However, although I'm sure some recovery trucks may be fitted with an Alko compatable tow-ball, I doubt very much whether many of them are, especially older ones and/or those used by small recovery firms. I think they would tend to go for the cheapest option, unless Alko tow-balls are a similar price to standard.

I would have thought the main reason for having a tow-ball was to tow trailers, not necessarily caravans. I did some recovery work many years ago, and we towed all sorts of things. Although I'm sure things have changed now, caravans were probably the least likely things we would have to tow back then.

-------------
Best Regards,
Colin



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