for our insurance we will require a wheelclamp (we have an Elddis Avante) Could anyone give us any advice on a recommended clamp.I've read some reviews on here and people seem to rate the Bulldog clamps for ease of use.I've had a look about but am unsure of which bulldog clamp would be best? there seem to be alot of titan for sale on ebay and also the euroclamp? any suggestions/advice?
Also the van has a winterhoff stabiliser fitted,would the ball that fits in the coupling, and the lock supplied ( similar to winterhoff robstop lock in towsure) be sufficiant to class as a hitchlock for insurance purposes? Or would we need additional locks on the hitch?
Sorry for so many questions! but thank you in advance.
not sure about the hitchlock, but our insurance company says we must have wheel clamps.... i just got the cheap ones from argos (30.00 ish i think) figured that if someone wants to knick it then they will no matter what sort of lock is on there!
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We have the Bulldog QD wheel clamp for our Elddis Avante and are really pleased with it. It is straight forward to fit and release. It is very heavy though - we keep it in the boot of the car when travelling as it is too heavy for the front locker.
For the hitch, we have a lock which is smaller than the Robstop. We got it from the caravan dealership and paid about £40 for it I think. There aren't many available for the Winterhoff hitch so your choice will be limited. Those that fit the Alko hitch WILL NOT fit the Winterhoff.
Just had a look and our hitch lock is a SAS compact condor. Vey easy to fit and take off and small/lightweight to transport. We are very happy with it. We don't have a safety ball for the hitch - hubby puts his fingers in whilst he pushes the hitch all the way down and that seems to work just as well. We have tried to get a Winterhoff ball without success so if anyone knows where to get one from that would be great!!
I have an alko hitchlock which is very good and a nemesis clamp which is ok but a bit awkward to fit. I would check your insurance as many insurance companies specify that "Sold Secure" approved clamps must be used.
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Thanks for all your helpful advice,it's interesting to find out what people use and how easy the clamps/hitchlocks are to use.
Is there much difference over the wheelclamps that seem to fit over the tyre/wheel against the ones that just seem to fit through the wheel and rest on the floor (if that makes sense!)? and does anyone use a cloth or material behind the clamp against the wheel to stop it marking the caravan wheel?
nands,thanks for your advice too.The robstop type hitch lock came with the stabiliser but I think I'll check with the insurance company to see if that is enough.I notice that towsure lists a blue hitch lock that states it is suitable for winterhoff stabilisers but it doesn't look as lightweight as the one you have.
We used to use the Bulldog Euroclamp, that was very easy and quick to fit.
When we changed vans and got a twin axle van we decided to get a bigger wheel clamp, after reading about stolen twin axles. We bought the Nemesis, it is very solid, but we find it a real pain to take on and off, and are now looking to get a different one, so will be selling our nemesis.
I think we'll probably go for one similar to the Bulldog, but one that covers a wheel nut as well.
As others have said, read the small print in your insurance as they may be particular about the type of clamp you use.
we have a elddis , we use a bulldog wheel clamp its very heavy but well made, and also the robstop, this is a very good fit there are different sized plastic nut covers so its simple to fit.
Also check if you have the steady lock receivers - two drilled holes where a lock goes through at your rear steadies. A good security measure and some savvy insurers know about them and ask you to fit them too. Bulldog do a good set which fit into the holes - preventing access to the rear steadies.
Any sold secure Gold and above are up to the job. I have the Purpleline Nemesis and a (cant remember the make) hitch lock which requires a false ball to operate. Its good though and dead easy to fit.
DONT get a clamp that just fits through the wheel - replacing your locked wheel with your spare is another dirty trick the thieves use. The ones that cover the wheel nuts are far more secure and very hard to get off without damaging the tyre.
I have one of the £30 ones from Argos, merely to please the insurance company and an AlKo hitchlock as it came with the hitch. The cheap wheelclamps, whilst they may please some insurance companies are pretty useless as they can easily be removed with little force if the wheel is jacked up. Personally, It seemed rather pointless to have a wheelclamp on my old van in a yard with Cassoa gold security and hundreds of other vans, it seemed pretty unlikely that mine would get stolen when there is a wide choice of much nicer newer vans around. Given the polaver they would have to go to getting past security, they would make sure they got something valuable.
If you want a wheelclamp just to please the insurance company then the Argos £30 ones do that, but that's about all. If you want something secure then you need to spend a lot more. Also check your insurance company do not specify a sold secure wheel clamp. Mine just state a proprietory wheel clamp. Though a lump of chain through the wheel would be far better in my opinion.
I have e-mailed the insurers and asked them exactly what their requirements are,and tonight I have also fitted some locks on the rear steadies as suggested by Sean P.So I'll wait and see what the insurers say before making a purchase.
For my twin axle, I purchased the compact Condor to start with but was not really happy with it. When the key was in the lock there was a fair amount of play. I changed to the Robstop plus hitchlock it was twice the price but it really is a good piece of kit. I am not sure if two wheel clamps are required but I have also fitted two Milenco's wheel clamps. These can be sometimes a little awkard to line up on uneven ground but again are good wheelocks. If you have bought an Elddis you probably have the holes for a pin to go through on the back legs. We had pins supplied with our Elddis for this, but the problem I found was that the hole for the pin could only take a small padlock. So went out and bought the Bulldog ones mentioned on Sean P post. These are easy to fit without crawling around on hands and knees as you can fit them by 'feel' within seconds.
The bulldog locks are very good arent they? The pins explorer give you only allow a ppoor small padlock. The bulldogs 'feel' right.. also a very good theft prevention - once the steadys are down it would be very hard to tow. Also a doddle to fit. Must say I like them a lot...