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 Topic: Trolley jack
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18/9/2024 at 10:16pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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Firstly, you'll likely need a low profile trolly jack, so it'll fit the CORRECT trolley jack jacking point which is under the axle! Special ADDITIONAL jacking points for the chassis (jacking points are not fitted as standard to a caravan chassis!) will match their dedicated scissor, side, or bottle jacks, but not really trolley jacks! The chassis risks damage if jacked without additional jacking points fitted!
A two tonne jack should be ample, a higher capacity will work, but it'll be unnecessarily heavy and you'll be pumping away on the handle a lot more to achieve the same lift height!
Trolley jacks are not without their issues, they need near perfect level flat and smooth hard ground surfaces to operate correctly, they'd normally be used on a garage floor, not a roadside or any other rough surface, they need to roll FREELY as they lift the load, if they don't roll, the lifting cradle slips from position and risks the load falling off! The lifting cradle DOES NOT lift straight up, it describes an arc, which is why the trolly NEEDS to roll to compensate.
DO NOT jack up a caravan unless it is hitched to a tow vehicle! Unhitched, with a tricycle wheel arrangement and unbraked castoring jockey wheel, they want to twist around and fall off the jack! The overrun operated brakes also have a feature which allows reversing, which means they don't initially lock when rolling backwards, so even with handbrake applied, the van can still roll backwards a little way (and fall off the jack!).
The Alko dedicated jacks with matching jacking points are excessively expensive for what they are! Aftermarket jacks (and matching jacking points) like KoJack are not noted for quality, despite the high price, with the hydraulic bottle jack near notorious for leaking!
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19/9/2024 at 4:11pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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As far as jacking my van is concerned, I bought a 'cheap' 3T bottle jack with 3 yr warranty from Lidl, and made my own HD jacking points from 'scrap' I already had, which fit the 'standard' Alko chassis jack bracket fixing points, and carry a large wooden pad to go under the jack to stop it sinking. Should be said, I'm a professional design engineer, so all the relevant load calculations were done to ensure safe, and they are somewhat more HD than the commercial efforts!
As to jacking up on the roadside for a wheel change, getting the spare out of that diabolical Alko underslung wheel carrier is the thing that worries me! I don't want to be lying under the van fighting the spare as traffic rushes past (and maybe runs into van!), and I've taken it out to check a few times in far safer places than the roadside, and it's a struggle! If your flat is on the nearside, you can't even get the spare out until you've raised the van - either jacked it up, or run flat wheel up a levelling ramp! - nice one Alko!!!!!
Roadside wheel change, I'm going to get my money's worth out of Green Flag, whilst I stay safe and clean! I have used my jack/jacking points in the 'comfort' of the storage yard, so confident they do work well, and do carry them as a last resort if GF can't help me!
I've parked up in laybys, and passing HGVs really rock the van with their bow wave when it's sat firmly on it's wheels, the thought of it rocking when sat on a jack is not a comfortable one!
Just a thought, with a trolley jack, it's got to fit under the axle when it's lower than running height due to a flat tyre! My trolley jacks will go under the axle with inflated tyres, but NOT flat tyre! Usual solution is to run the flat wheel up a levelling ramp to give better clearance, but it's just a bit more faff/time on a roadside where you don't want to be at all!
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20/9/2024 at 2:27pm
Location: London
Outfit: Lunar Cosmos 524
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To be blunt, not sure I've heard a good experience of RAC service in many years! Bad service, then there are tales galore, including on 3 separate occasions, elderly lady friends of mine left unrepaired/unrecovered on the roadside with their cars, because they have been deemed to be technically in breach of some petty T&Cs - one had a small 'advert' for a charity which she volunteered for on her car (note 'personal car' not a 'company car/van'!) - patrol declared it a 'sign written commercial vehicle' and not covered by personal cover policy! - They left her alone in the dark and rain, broken down on the roadside! - she had to wait hours for her husband, who wouldn't normally drive distances yet alone in the dark, to come out and rescue her! Strongly worded written complaints fall on deaf ears, never known one be upheld! As the Camping and Caravan Club 'Arrival' recovery service is provided by the RAC, I wouldn't expect much better from them either! One reason that I've favoured CAMC over CCC!
I used to be with the AA, and not heard the same endless list of complaints against them, but never put them to the test personally, but this year decided that the CAMC Mayday service (provided by Green Flag) provided a better caravan recovery service, and for a better price, so changed to them. People that have had cause to use them seem very impressed, so hopefully should the time ever occur, they will deliver all they promise for me too!
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