we are thinking of getting a secondhand al-ko caravan leveller, has anyone used one, and are they any good. its only for a small caravan but i will be touring on my own sometimes and thought it might make it easier. first outing next weekend, cant wait
Is this the one you locate adjacent to the wheel, then wind up? If you haven't got a mover fitted to the van, the leveller would save you a bit of trouble, and certainly avoid a lot of "jiggling" (thanks, Granville) and also help to reduce clutch wear.
Bertie.
------------- The 2 Tops
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Quote: Originally posted by stuart1955 on 09/11/2008
its the one that fits around wheel and you wind it up
I used to have one that you pulled onto the wheel and then wound up. It consisted of two metal frames; one rested on the ground, and the other had a curved metal plate that supported the wheel as you wound it up. The only problem with this bit of kit was soft ground. As you wound it up, the weight on the van wheel caused the bottom frame to sink into the ground. We ditched it, and now use a plastic ramp, pulled up by the mover, and then a wedge fitted behind the wheel to hold it in position.
Quote: Originally posted by stuart1955 on 09/11/2008
its the one that fits around wheel and you wind it up
We had one but dispensed with it as it takes a lot of effort to wind it up and is very heavy. as above it also sinks into the ground. Easier to pull the van onto a ramp with the car.
mine was,nt an alko it was a lockloy,but the same thing......used it twice,the second time the threads on the screw stripped had to knock it off with a hammer(me and reedrider)...bloody rubbish contraption.took it back to barrons ended up getting a credit note for it............lockloy dont make them anymore according to barrons, i wonder why.
well i am having my first outing in van next weekend and i will see how i get on without leveller, but i may get it and try it out, the guy selling it only wants £20 and if i am not impressed i will stick it on ebay. cant wait to try van out, got it all packed up and ready to go, hopefully it will be easier than are conway countryman which i have advertised on here for sale
We use the Bulldog leveller which slides under one wheen and is then wound up to the correct height. I wouldn't be without it. We've had it years with no troubles whatsoever.
If the ground is a bit soft, then we wind the wheel up so that it is just off the ground, place a piece of wood under the wheel, and then adjust the leveller to the correct height. When we wind the caravan down at the end of the holliday we leave the piece of wood under the wheel. This means there is no weight on the leveller and makes removal really easy.
------------- The Chinster
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Glad to be of help. If the ground is very soft we position the van on the wood before putting the leveller under the wheel which makes it much easier to push under as well.
One other tip - make sure you keep the spindle well greased. Periodically it is best to clean all the grease off and regrease afresh. We also use a ratchet winder on it rather than having to keep removing and repositioning the handle.
------------- The Chinster
Some people are just all show. I don't mind that if the show is worth watching, but .....