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Topic: Alko towball ?

marramc48

25/10/2016 at 12:39am
Location: Scotland
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If using a caravan fitted with an Alko coupling, does the longer Alko towball need to be fitted to the car or will a normal towball with spacer fitted be accepable?

Thanks in anticipation.

John.

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mm48j

blueexpo97

25/10/2016 at 6:42am
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Yes Alko towball with extended neck required.

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XVI yes?

As well is two words!
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Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.

Paul_B

25/10/2016 at 8:27am
Location: Yorkshire
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Quote: Originally posted by blueexpo97 on 25/10/2016
Yes Alko towball with extended neck required.

+ 1

Al-Ko with extended neck
Make sure you remove all the paint removed from the ball

adrian06

25/10/2016 at 11:13am
Location: S E Hampshire
Outfit: Knaus Starclass 565

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+2, according to AL-ko literature it is a requirement, not an option.

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Adrian

tango55

25/10/2016 at 2:58pm
Location: Lichfield
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An AL-KO towball is not just about the distance from the flange as there is also a much longer clearance directly under under the ball for the stabiliser hitch to swivel which a standard towball doesn't have.
The short video clip in the link below is helpful as you can also see the difference regarding the clearance.

Link

Grampian91

25/10/2016 at 3:19pm
Location: Midlands
Outfit: Mondeo Avondale Gram

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Its the space below the ball thats important.

See this...

marramc48

25/10/2016 at 11:01pm
Location: Scotland
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Many thanks to you all for your replies and explanations.

John.

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mm48j

corni

02/11/2016 at 9:38pm
Location: Doncaster
Outfit: Peugeot Autocruise Starfire 2 berth

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Thanks for that bit of info lads n lasses.. my first job in the morning will be to check my tow ball.

Grampian91

02/11/2016 at 10:55pm
Location: Midlands
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Just fit an ALKO one it suits everything then. No worries if you need to tow something with a stabilised hitch etc.

Just clean the grease off for a stabilised hitch and add grease for a standard one.

Ray Clayton

03/11/2016 at 6:32pm
Location: Ilkeston. Derbyshire
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you won't belive the amount of tow cars / tow vans i see on site with a normal tow ball fitted.
And i was one of the guilty ones until i joined this forum.

Never had a problem with a normal towball but the Alko one seems to give more play for the hitch.

For the sake of £25 quid i would fit one.

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Cheers
Ray

Discovery 4 & Bailey Barcelona 4

corni

03/11/2016 at 6:57pm
Location: Doncaster
Outfit: Peugeot Autocruise Starfire 2 berth

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I,ve got the also. The black one). Do i need to remove all the black paint from the ball? Cheers.

GWTE

03/11/2016 at 7:32pm
Location: Washington UK
Outfit: Hymer Eriba Nova 485gl

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Yes. You do need to sand off all the black paint from the lowball.

Grampian91

03/11/2016 at 7:35pm
Location: Midlands
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Yes remove paint from the ball area..

corni

05/11/2016 at 8:33am
Location: Doncaster
Outfit: Peugeot Autocruise Starfire 2 berth

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Will remove paint before next trip. Cheers

tango55

05/11/2016 at 11:55am
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Quote: Originally posted by Ray Clayton on 03/11/2016
you won't belive the amount of tow cars / tow vans i see on site with a normal tow ball fitted.
And i was one of the guilty ones until i joined this forum.

Never had a problem with a normal towball but the Alko one seems to give more play for the hitch.

For the sake of £25 quid i would fit one.

I was one of the guilty ones too back in 2007 having an AL-KO 1300 stabiliser fitted but luckily my caravan detached from the towball heading towards the storage exit. I say 'luckily' because I was glad it happened where it did and not on the sharp turn onto the main road outside as that could have had serious consequences which I would have been guilty of negligence. I immediately had to visit a local towbar fitter and have an AL-KO towball fitted and felt so much more confident knowing I had the right towball for the job. Some caravanners don't understand the reason why they need to change from a standard towball to an AL-KO one if they have a stabiliser hitch fitted and this is where this forum truly has it's merits. Yes, it's a question that gets asked numerous times but it's better to ask than to chance if you are not sure and this is where a good caravan handbook comes in handy because there is always a category with useful information about the various types of towballs.

Curly52

via mobile 30/11/2019 at 9:51am
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Just a quick one folks, do I need the 1 inch spacer fitted between the landrover adjustable face and alko towball or is the alko designed to be far enough away from the bumper. It's a landrover Discovery 4 foot information. Many thanks.

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