Creaking Caravan

Hiya brill,

Iwould say that sounds more than likely, your stabelizer that is making the groaning noise's," more so when turning a corner" it will probably be the  small brake pads that may need replacing, or cleaning up. as long as theres plenty of thickness on the pads, then uncouple the the stablizer clean the pads from dust with a file not too much!!then reassemable the stabelizer to the correct torque, and bingo

It will definetly be the alco, but im very surprised u haven't heard it before.
Make sure theres no paint on the ball iv'e seen customers come in & they have never had the paint cleaned off the ball before using the hitch.
The ball must always be free of grease or other contaminents also.

If its paint & not just a shiny steel ball(cos alco balls usually come in black paint)you could try 300 or so grade wet or dry paper to remove it from the pads, a file is a bit harsh. then clean them with brake cleaner.
I am not sure what torque settings you or jonny are refering too, the only torque settings that i know of on a hitch head are the 2, 17mm bolts that mount it onto the hitch tube,
They are set at 85nm's (newton metres) but u dont want, or need to remove the hitch from the tube just to clean or change the pads.
U dont even have to remove the pads just to clean them simply emery paper them in situ.
If u try to remove the hitch head, remember the rear bolt holds the gas ram in place and unless u knock out the bolt with the special piece of steel rod for the job, its going to be hell to get back in.

Hi Brill,

How old is your Lunar?

Is the stabiliser separate from the hitchehead? ie. does it have a blade that you put onto your car separately?

If it doesn't and your stabiliser is on the hitchhead of your caravan then you need a hardened steel towball and not an ordinary one.

If it is the blade type we used to torque it up to about 60lbs.

The hitchehead type of stabiliser you wouldn't have to torque.

 

Hi guys, confused I am. In answer to driver, my Lunar is a 1998, and the Alko is attached to the drawbar. In answer to dionea, what you say concurs with what the guy from Swindon caravans told me, but does the fact that the silver seems to have worn off of the tow ball in places mean that it is paint?.

Thanks, Brill

Hi

When we bought our latest van new 2 years ago it had the alko stabiliser on. These stabiliser come complete with new towball - which is hardened steel. If you just used the ordinary cast type it would wear away with the grip of the stabiliser. These towballs to buy cost approx £25-£30 as compared to the cost of an ordinary towball - approx £5.

I don't think it is the silver paint that is wearing off - the towballs are painted black and it is probably that that is wearing off allowing the steel - silver - to show through. As far as I am aware there shouldn't be a problem with this contaminating the pads - ours certainly hasn't been impaired by it.

Driver

Also take a look at the bottom part of the ball (not the ball or neck) is it bubbly or rough, its a sure sign that it is cast iron & as far as i know, cast iron can't be hardened.

I really dont know now, u lot have me totally confused, is it forged cast or hardened, its all getting too technical for me, its a towball for christs sake, who gives a watsit what the hell it is as long as it works.

Hi Guys

Many thanks for all your help, it was indeed the Alko stabiliser hitch that was the problem. I proved this by towing the van with the stabiliser not set and it was as quiet as a mouse, set the stabiliser and sure enough the creaking was back, cleaned the pads with some emery, and it is as good as new.

Thanks again for all your advice

Brill

we bought our Bailey Senator Oklahoma 3 weeks ago and this last weekend was our first 'adventure'. After 30 mins drving we heard creaking noises each time we went round a bend. It was LOUD and it was nerve wracking because it suggested that the caravan was about to part company with our car !!!

I believe that the problem is that the coupling pads have become contaminated with grease and grime from my diesel engin estate car.

Hopefully new pads will sort the problem; + thorough cleaning of the tow ball before each departure.

 

Well brill i wont disagree with u on that one, it is sometimes forgetfullness on behalf of the guy who moves the vans around, or a new guy who hasnt been informed about cleaning his ball.
Mind u I did a s/hand p.d.i on a van last week & the previous owner musn't have known about not greasing his hitch, it was thick with grease & couldn't possibly have ever worked as a stabiliser for him.
I decided to do a test on the old pads, i washed them with Worth brake cleaner, then emeried them with 3oo grit paper, washed them again, thoroughly cleaned out the hitch head, then refitted the pads.
I put a clean ball in and they worked as a stabiliser again, no one could turn the ball at all, the best anyone could do was to tilt it side to side.(with lots of effort)
Of course i still changed them, but for anyone who has to pay for his bits, well ?????????? the decision is theirs.

Hi Steve

No, the problem was not caused by the type of tow ball, you only need the swan neck Alko one with the later stabiliser hitch which has a large handle to operate the stabiliser, which could foul the bumper of the car ( I'm sure that someone will correct me if I am wrong!). The problem was simply contamination of the stabiliser pads from sources unknown. I have cleaned my tow ball with component degreaser (brake cleaner to those 'in the know'), I have also cleaned the stabiliser pads with the same, and abraded them with emery cloth, and guess what, perfect!. Untill that is our homeward journey when the creaking started again. However, knowing what the noise was, and also that it didn't mean that the caravan was about to part company with the car, it was not so concerning as the first time I heard it.

I have never greased the tow ball on my vehicle ( I fitted a new tow ball when I purchased the vehicle as the one already fitted was U/S), I also bought a new cover to ensure that there was no chance of contamination. Unlike a previous respondent, my car is a petrol vehicle, so I do not believe the contamination has come from there. So where the contamination comes from will it seems remain a mystery (a bit like how Father Christmas gets down your chimney when you haven't got one!). So I guess at the end of the day, all caravanners with stabiliser hitches are cursed to be forever cleaning their balls and pads so to speak.

Regards to all

Brill

Are we all (or at least, some of us) missing the point here? I am not an active tow-er, but likely this will affect me next year, so I am on a learning curve.

Ignoring the fact that the genuine Alko ball has an extended neck, is it significant that there is a machined chamfer or recess at the base of the ball area and that this is necessary for the coupling to engage???

There is a 'standard' height ball available - ie. without the long neck but with the machined recess - as a non-genuine, 'Alko-type' accessory shop part

The Alko coupling is now standard on many new and up-spec caras, it has been developed due to the car manufacturers' styling where flush, expensive back bumpers are concerned to give a detchable - or swan neck - hideaway coupling without the clamp-on bracket necessary for the leaf spring type

My understanding is that - on rough ground - the bulky Alko hitch head could jam on the base of a standard height ball if the van pitches against the motion of the unit, hence the extra clearance provided by the long neck

Keep up the comments, all appreciated!