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 Topic: NEWBIES Don’t forget to polish your balls
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27/5/2018 at 2:07pm
Location: flint north wales
Outfit: swift challenger 480se 2002
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Serious post for anyone buying a first caravan this year or upgrading to a alko type hitch van,your tow ball must not only be free of any grease or contaminants but must also have ALL that nice shiny black paint removed .
Failure to do this will have you wondering why your nice new caravan is creaking and groaning .
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27/5/2018 at 7:37pm
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That will of course be an Alko stabiliser hitch that requires towball to be ungreased & cleaned to shiny metal. A standard Alko hitch will require towball to be greased.
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27/5/2018 at 7:53pm
Location: West country
Outfit: Mondeo
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I sort of agree OS but my father always kept his hitch ungreased as it reduced snaking back in the days before stabilisers and towing weight advice or limits. Funny how things like that stick with you.
If the front wheels stayed on the ground it was legal and a good match.
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27/5/2018 at 8:18pm
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Not much grease required on a standard hitch. A spray with some white lithium grease before leaving on a trip does the job I find.
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28/5/2018 at 1:14pm
Location: flint north wales
Outfit: swift challenger 480se 2002
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as far as I,m aware ALL alko type hitches are stabilised so your lowball and hitch need to be grease free ,brake cleaner is the one to use to ensure this I always give both my hitch and tow ball a good spray and wipe down before the first trip of the year .
and while there will still be quite a lot of the old type hitches around they must be decreasing yearly ,so my post was aimed mainly at the newcomers to our Wonderfull pastime ,that only look at the nice shiny new buy and wonder why its groaning on the way home ,I doubt any dealers /sellers will mention this fact at point of sale .
another point worth mentioning to newbies is the FACT that if you have a alko type stabilised hitch you also MUST HAVE fitted a alko swan necked lowball to ensure the system works properly .
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28/5/2018 at 1:48pm
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Good intentions but sorry fox if you want to give advice it needs to be accurate. So needs pointing out that Alko brand standard non stabilised hitches are current & widely used so the distinction needs to be made.
To further clarify your post. An Alko stabiliser hitch will be ok on swan neck towbars both fixed & detachable but for a flange type towbar then an Alko compatible towball needs to be fitted.
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28/5/2018 at 2:35pm
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I didn't know Alko did swan neck towballs/towbars???
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XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
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28/5/2018 at 7:30pm
Location: flint north wales
Outfit: swift challenger 480se 2002
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Quote: Originally posted by Opensauce on 28/5/2018
Good intentions but sorry fox if you want to give advice it needs to be accurate. So needs pointing out that Alko brand standard non stabilised hitches are current & widely used so the distinction needs to be made.
To further clarify your post. An Alko stabiliser hitch will be ok on swan neck towbars both fixed & detachable but for a flange type towbar then an Alko compatible towball needs to be fitted.
Look mate this was meant as a light hearted post to make newbies aware of what needs to be done ,it didn’t need a university degree dissection of how smart you are ,nuff said
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29/5/2018 at 9:28am
Location: None Entered
Outfit: raclet quickstop 2008
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Quote: Originally posted by the black fox on 28/5/2018
Quote: Originally posted by Opensauce on 28/5/2018
Good intentions but sorry fox if you want to give advice it needs to be accurate. So needs pointing out that Alko brand standard non stabilised hitches are current & widely used so the distinction needs to be made.
To further clarify your post. An Alko stabiliser hitch will be ok on swan neck towbars both fixed & detachable but for a flange type towbar then an Alko compatible towball needs to be fitted.
Look mate this was meant as a light hearted post to make newbies aware of what needs to be done ,it didn’t need a university degree dissection of how smart you are ,nuff said
no need to get your knickers in a twist because you missed a few snippets of information.
if you want to be helpful to others than at least have the courtesy to take advice from others.
Opensauces point stands, plenty of other non-stabilised hitch's around which do not need to be bone dry and free of paint, and in fact these in the same way the majority of hitches benefit from a small amount of grease occasionally.
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29/5/2018 at 1:40pm
Location: West Yorkshire
Outfit: Bessacarr Cameo 625 2011
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You don't need to spend time polishing or removing paint from the entire ball, as the stabiliser pads only operate to just below half way down
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