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Hi everyone

i'm hoping one of you veterans out there can help.i'm a newbie as far as tin tents are concerned,and after enjoying breaks under canvas have finally seen the light and bought our 1st van.(cosalt piper 1400l built in the early eighties i think.).

over the past few weeks me and the boss have got her spick and span and almost ready for the 1st trip. there was a problem with the old style alko hitch(autolocker or kappa ?) fitted to the van which appeared to be jamming closed. in my complete ignorance i decided that removing and sorting out the problem off the van was the way to go.duly removed the two bolts and detached the hitch with (i thought) no problems.

cleaned and greased and large amounts of black hammerite removed from mechanism,and the hitch is now working as it should. easy thinks i,just stick it back on.but now i find that when i push the towing tube back in i can only line up one of the bolt holes !.

i now notice that there is another shaft inside the towing tube (is this the overrun shaft?) which i believe needs either extending or retracting to line up with one of the holes in the towing shaft and i think the rear of the two bolt holes on the hitch.do i need to disconnect the overrun shaft from the brake operating system in order to get the bolt holes to line up?.

if anyone out there can help (and you are still awake after reading my long winded attempt to explain the problem) then any help/advise would be appreciated.

all the best

steve elliott

Oops! Sorry Mudlark-I must have been typing at the same time as you were posting. (Maybe a case of great minds think alike!!!!!!!!!).

thanks for the replies guys will try your suggestions.

i'm sure i'll sort it out in time.

cheers

steve e

one of the bolts should go through an eylet in the damper and this has probably gone back inside the housing you will probably have to remove the bolt at the other end of the a frame remove the damper extend it by hand and line the holes up.

if you remove a hitch you need to purchase or make up a metal dowel you then knock the bolt out with it leaving it in place and holding the damper in the correct position.

when you replace the hitch as you tap the bolt in it should then displace the dowel

hope this is of help

John

mant thanks john

if it stops raining long enough i'll give it a try.

cheers

steve e

Quote: Originally posted by JOHN BYRNE on 27/5/2007

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one of the bolts should go through an eylet in the damper and this has probably gone back inside the housing you will probably have to remove the bolt at the other end of the a frame remove the damper extend it by hand and line the holes up.

John

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Steve

As john says above.

I was lucky when I had to do the same job. When I pushed the hitch back in I was able to just get the tip of a screwdriver into the eye of the damper and then pull it back enough to locate the bolt. Worth a try.

Pieface

cheers pieface

will give it a go.

steve e

if you find a bolt of the same diameter cut off the head,use a large screwdriver to pull back the overrun damper and insert the screw plug,when you refit the hitch this will knock out with the bolt.hard to find but you should use new bolts and nuts.

more info

http://www.al-ko.co.uk/

Many thanks michael.

in facr thanks to all who gave help and advice.i managed to sort it using the piece of wood suggestion so i'm sorted regarding the hitch.

i'm still looking for any info on my cosalt piper 1400l. i have seen that there are still one or two out there,which is encouraging.

any info or stories from members who have owned one of these vans would be welcome.

once again,you guys are tops.

all the best

steve