Hi. Any advice welcomed please. We are in the process of buying a new Sprite Major 6 2010. We are looking at wheel locks and cant decide what to buy. The van has alloy wheels and I am aware that the Al-Ko Secure lock is highly rated by insurers but i have read a lot about them being difficult to fit (we dont have a motor mover) and obviously they are expensive compared to other makes. We would buy one if we need to but wondered what other people thought of the Bull dog wheel lock or similar or have had the same dilemma. Thank you.
Sorry forgot to say that we are having a factory fitted Al-Ko receiver fitted on the van. Not sure if this means we can only use an Al-Ko wheel lock only. Thanks
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
the al-ko secure lock is excellent , go for it, its only a right pain in the backside on twin axles with 2 fitted..been there,done it got the t-shirt.got one on the pegasus now and its a doddle, just remember to get the receiver hole lined up with the gaps in the wheel before you put the legs down etc etc.
Prior to having a mover fitted we used to chock the opposite wheel and jack up the van to align the Al-Ko lock with the receiver. Whist it sounds a faff it only used to take 5 mins.
We took the plunge and got the Alko when we bought our Sterling. Five minutes for more peace of mind is well worth it.
Make sure the brake is well applied and the wheel chocked if you are on an incline as if there is any movement of the wheel after its fitted, it can be hard to remove.
HTH
Paul
------------- "Whether you think you can, or think you can't... You're right"
The Al-Ko lock is IMO very good, you'll soon get used to fitting it. As long as your van isn't hitch to a post like ours, you'll only need to move the van forward or back a little to line up the receiver. As our van is hitched to a post, it's therefore captive once parked & can't move back & forth, I jack it up, move the wheel to a marked point & lower it to the ground before fitting my lock.
It has its own receiver, but I have been told it will also fit on the Al-Ko receiver. No reference is made about this in the current literature, and manuals for fear of legal action.
the alko receiver you have ordered on your van will have a device fitted to it to stop you using a different lock in it, so you will need to purchase the excalibur receiver too.
have you got a price for the alko lock? I have heard that thecaravanshop in Glasgow does them mail order at a good price. they have a website.
When we ordered our caravan, I wanted to leave the lock for a while, I was hoping to find one on Ebay but it never happened. I asked the dealer if we could have one from stock, he said we could but the Al-Ko lock would be cheaper if ordered with the caravan than if we bought it off the shelf. We got the dealer to add the lock to the order. I presume the situation would be the same for your new van.
He also told me the receiver had a grub screw in it requiring a tool available from Al-Ko to remove it. This tool would only be supplied once Al-Ko had been given theserial number of the receiver it was to fit. if we fitted an alternative make using the Al-Ko receiver we'd put the Al-Ko chassis/axle warranty at risk. Whether this was true or otherwise, I didn't want to risk that so I paid the bit extra & had the proper lock for the receiver.
I have a 2009 Lunar and it has no grub screw stopping me using my Excalibur.
Alko stopped putting the Grub screw in just after the out of court settlement nearly 2 years ago, so if your alko receiver has a yellow bung in it means there should be no problem using it !
I don't, and as for the Excalibur it is brill, got mine off ebay brand new from Waudbys in Hull £45 delivered.
They have just sold another for £46 here is the link: Link
Hope this helps a little.
------------- FINE PRINT: I reserve the right to be wrong. Should you prove me wrong, I reserve the right to change my mind.
No it does not include receiver, and all you have to do is make sure you can see the receiver on your chassis through the wheel and be able to screw the round adaptor in !
Simple !
------------- FINE PRINT: I reserve the right to be wrong. Should you prove me wrong, I reserve the right to change my mind.