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 Topic: AL-KO ATC
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01/6/2014 at 7:43am
Location: Hampshire
Outfit: Hymer Nova S
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Joined: 01/11/2005 Diamond Member 
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Quote: Originally posted by laineymac on 31/5/2014Thanks tango55. Any idea what the ATC is supposed to do over and beyond a stabiliser?
ATC is much like seat belts & insurance something that you hope you don't need but could save a lot of hassle or injury or worse if you do.
So just like seat belts there are many who have never felt the benefit, and a few who are very grateful for them.
Here there is a misunderstanding of how ATC works; it does not differentially apply the brakes like DSC in cars, but applies both [or all 4] caravan brakes together. This has the dramatic effect of snatching the trailer back into line behind the tow vehicle.
In that it is very different to a stabiliser, here it is an active device; the stabiliser only damps oscillations by adding a little frictional resistance to rotation about the ball. There is no comparison at all in the end result, one is a powerful correcting force, the other a minor influence to reduce movement where it is still at a very low level. The stabiliser adds a lot to the "comfort" of towing but little if anything to its safety. The two systems compliment each other, in no way do they do the same function. ATC can save a critical situation, a stabiliser only damps criticality, but only by a small amount. Think for a second of the differences in the forces between the frictional clamping of a stabiliser and the frictional forces of the van's brakes to judge the powers involved.
ATC does not absolve poor loading, if indeed a van is poorly loaded it will activate very frequently; it will save the situation but in a most uncomfortable way and impact on fuel consumption and lead to rapid wear.
On the other hand good loading does not replace ATC. Any towed unit, even an optimally loaded one, is inherently close to instability, we aim to drive in a way not to provoke it. eg not go too fast, avoid abrupt steering movements, hope it is not too windy and vehicles don't over take us whilst going down hill or we go under a bridge too fast etc etc.
But it happens and if things are not right even the best units go unstable; here ATC activates putting a massive correcting force on that instability when it detects it. At present there is no other technology that comes near matching is corrective power.
If you doubt your perfectly loaded and matched unit is likely to go unstable without ATC then try and ELK test at 50 plus mph, but when no other person is anywhere near. And hope that in real life you never have to do an avoiding move anything like approaching an Elk test. I did once to avoid a smash up, and as a consequence was first in the queue when ATC was made available.
Is it worth buying? Well at the end of the day that solely depends on what you value.
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01/6/2014 at 10:35am
Location: Argyll Scotland
Outfit: 1997 Bailey Ranger 470 4
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Hear hear JTQU!!!!
For me, Motor Movers, ATC units, Tyron Bands, etc etc are there for my "peace of mind" and do not make me a Big Girls Blouse if I decide to fit them to my van.
Again, for me, I strive to make my caravanning as relaxing and pleasurable as possible and if by fitting some extras I reduce any "what if" stresses that I have had from previous bad experiences, then caravanning becomes a more enjoyable experience.
Never mind the cost of a written off van. Been there, done that, lived to buy another.
What is my life, and that of my wife's, actually worth?
£500 for the ATC?
£1000 for the Motor Mover? I have already had one Heart Attack and don't want another.
Just because you can reverse your van through the eye of a needle, load your van the exact gram of nose weight or balance it to a featherweight, will not negate the usefulness of any of items if adverse conditions that you have no control of, present themselves.
So bottom line. If you can see a benefit to you and you can afford any or all of these items, then go for it/them.
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Lobey.
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01/6/2014 at 11:32am
Location: Teesside
Outfit: Mitsubishi ASX4
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JTQU has got it spot on, and I agree with everything Lobey says.
I've done a lot of towing in the last 40 years. Once when in the army, after driving for 16 hours solidly in Germany, on an icy bend I saw the trailer out of the side window. It set the heart rate up a tad!
Cost wise. At over £20 a night these days, caravanning is not a cheap holiday any more.
I have had one serious snake when we had a trailer tent. It was one of the larger ones, and on a (fortunately) quiet motorway at just under 60mph on a slight but level bend it went. I must have gone well over a mile before it came under control. There had been not the slightest hint of instability before this, and loading was correct. The Alko stabiliser had hidden any slight instability which would have given me an early warning.
I've got to retirement fit and healthy, and after forking out for a new caravan, the £400 is a small price for safety. I might never need it BUT.... Also I suspect I will get some of that money back when I come to part ex in the future.
Towing? Obviously, as JTQU says you feel absolutely nothing.
The old motor mover chestnut. I was on a very small campsite a couple of weeks ago (must do a review, it was brilliant) backed in to an awkward pitch first time no problem. However it was impossible to tow it out, and it would have taken considerable effort to do so. Plus I would never have been able to get it positioned correctly on our sloping drive.
Batteries. Motor movers do not drain the battery. I am still using my 6 year old 80ah battery. A motor mover uses 20 amps when running. 10 minutes of use (a long time in reality) equates to just over 3ah of battery capacity.
As Lobey says bottom line for me is safety, and added versatility.
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