Our van came with a pneumatic tyre on a steel wheel side mounted on the A frame,the tyre was showing signs of cracking but never deflated in two years of use I fitted a new tyre and tube two years ago and when taking the jockey wheel off for winter storage along with the road wheels, it was still inflated. Also works very well with the the Powrtouch mover although I`ve never tried a mover with a smaller plastic type wheel
Having tried both types and found the pneumatic always liable to ground, I eventually settled for the 'Al-Ko Premium' which has a wide, solid, flat tyre and can be removed by pulling a locking pin on the axle and removing the wheel altogether for ferry ramps sleeping policemen etc. in seconds. It has a built in nose-weight gauge so you can tell your noseweight as you load your van every time you move and also acts as suspension when moving the van with a motor-mover.....fits both chassis (mine is a BPW) and will last a lifetime, (mine has been on for about 4 years since they were introduced). Costs a bit more, but worth every penny.
That looks a good alternative jocko2, I think the possible problem is the centre A frame mounting of some type wheels. Mine being side mounted I`ve never had any problems regarding grounding on speed humps although not tried it on ferries yet.
I have had several inflatable jocky wheels, and as others have said I found them very good. HOWEVER after a relativly short time I found them to perish on the side walls. Alko have just brought out a new one called Alko soft. It is a compromise between a solid and an inflatable wheel. I have just fitted one (cost £30). It seems ok but a bit too soon to have given it a good trial as yet
Is the one in the link from joco02 priced at £68 the same as the one pee jay is talking about or is it just get the wheel that then can be fitted to the existing wheel?
From my experience a normal (hard) wheel is OK. The important point is the surface that you are on - if it's rough or muddy, it's much easier (and less strain on the jockey wheel) if you move the van backwards - logic suggests that because of both noseweight and small size of the jockey wheel, it will try to dig in rather than go over when going forward. Last year (at an extremely muddy site) I started to move my van forwards and travelled only inches before stopping (jockey digging in), with the driven wheels starting to slip. Went into reverse and got right from pitch to roadway with no further problems - although several other vans (and cars - including mine!) needed to be pulled off by tractor....
(Just also posted this reply in the "Powertouch Mover" thread; same question arose...)
Gram
------------- What's the difference between a chicken?
Is the one in the link from joco02 priced at £68 the same as the one pee jay is talking about or is it just get the wheel that then can be fitted to the existing wheel?
I have a solid jockey wheel. I had a problem with my omega being so low down, bottoming out, had to fit spring assistors. Therefore its taken a battering but there only cheap so if I get 2-3 years Im happy. But if it was inflatable it wouldnt of lasted.
Plus I know if I got to a site on a friday evening and found the tyre to be flat I would be really cheesed off to say the least.
Don't forget if you're changing the entire jockey wheel assembly to check that a) the handle doesn't get too near the handbrake and bust your knuckles, and b) the gearing is not too high. We had ours replaced with an El Cheapo accessory after a weird accident (don't ask), and it's a killer to turn. I'm presently about to do some comparisons before getting a "proper" one.