A stabiliser is added "peace of mind", you still need a correctly set-up rig. You seem to have a good outfit match, as long as the caravan is well loaded, the noseweight right and tyres at the correct pressure and you drive correctly you dont't need a stabiliser.
It might help if someone else does something stupid in front of you and you have to take avoiding action or a large lorry passes at speed, or you are caught out by a strong cross-wind.
A few year ago I spent £250 on a Alko stabilizer, my OH was doing his nut for spending so much money on what he called waste. We were towing a 1000kg van with a Freelander 1800kg, a tractor pulled out of a field in front of us, we swerved round the tractor and the stabilizer brought the van under control, he would not tow without one now.
No stabilizer Tony,what about a strong wind on a motorway is he going to sit at 30,what about trucks passing,what happens if his van just happens to have a puncture,im sure there is a lot of people on here that says a stabilizer is a life saver.
Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 30/3/2011
No stabilizer Tony,what about a strong wind on a motorway is he going to sit at 30,what about trucks passing,what happens if his van just happens to have a puncture,im sure there is a lot of people on here that says a stabilizer is a life saver.
Jeff - did you read the 2nd and 3rd paras of my rely?, I think I covered these points.
Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 30/3/2011No stabilizer Tony,what about a strong wind on a motorway is he going to sit at 30,what about trucks passing,what happens if his van just happens to have a puncture,im sure there is a lot of people on here that says a stabilizer is a life saver.
Jeff - did you read the 2nd and 3rd paras of my rely?, I think I covered these points.
Sorry Tony it was the way i read it..thats how ive got that wee man..
An essential bit of safety kit! Towing without one is taking a risk and could give you serious insurance problems in an accident. Insurance companies should make this compulsory, especially on older 'vans.
------------- "To be born Welsh is not with a silver spoon in your mouth but with a song in your heart and poetry in your soul"
I have one, a blade type, hardly used. You can have it if you want it, free. I did advertise it on here, for £25, but as yet no takers, so it is here ready for collection. Offer open to any one needing one.
Hi, Stabiliser must for safety as stated in above posts, G7ACU Paul,got the ALKO 3004 triple cost me £250, from caravan shop in Wishaw, did not know about the caravan shop in Glasgow at the time,(so it pays to shop around) use that shop now, he has good range of stock, not all shown on web site,
PS. like the little illegal unit (tea be ready when you stop for brake)
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Hi John.
To be fair, the £250 for the triple you paid is fairly good (seen recently for £349!).
It does pay to have a quick shop around, but I generally find either thecaravanshop or Waudbys to be the some of the most competitively priced suppliers about. The latter occassionally do a special on the AKS3004 triple pack at £199 inc P&P.
The so called "stabilisers" are not in fact stabilisers and dont stabilise anything most certainly not a snake. They only damp the movement about the ball, "slug" it, the greatest benefit of this being to make for a more relaxed ride and for this are well worth having. This quietens the activity of the van but not any inherent instability which can easily overwhelm a friction stabiliser. All towed vehicles tend to instability if provoked. By far the most effective action is to load things properly which moves this instability further from the normal situations encountered on the road.
If you want to address stabilsation, should instability occur then such devices as Al-ko's ATC do exactly that but cost twice as much.
The nicest solution is both the stabiliser for the ride and the likes of ATC for stability. but still most importantly the unit must be loaded correctly or you will fight the ATC all the while.
Very true. It is some years ago now that manufacturers stopped saying a stabiliser would prevent snaking. They are no longer regarded as safety devices.