I have recently purchased a compass casita 860 2019. I wasnt aware of the alko ATC system until I collected from the dealer. This van being much newer than my previous van. When hitching up the sales person was showing me how the light will come on notifying me that the system is engaged. However it didn't and I was equally quickly told it'll be your car wiring. I have the 13pin type. Is this feasable? I ask as he also told me the car wont charge the battery or allow for the fridge to be on, both of which are totally incorrect. It should of been working as far as I'm concerned especially as its a safety feature. Unfortunately I have lost confidence in the sales person. He has offered to get his engineer to check my wiring but its 60miles away and with work etc it isn't that easy to arrange.
Thanks in advance.
The light should go,green and you hear a whirring noise as the device fires up.
It needs a 12v feed on one pin of the car socket. Maybe it isn't connected.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Simple question, typically more complicated answer!
Firstly, YES dealer may be right, not all 13 pin tow-bar sockets are fully wired, so power for ATC may not be there! Many tow-bar fitters can't be asked to run the PITA cabling to the battery for power feeds, only wiring essential/legally required road lights. Look at Al-Ko ATC user manual (https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1387053/Al-Ko-Atc.html), page 3, it gives you the details of required pin on socket that needs to be connected.
And it gets worse! Some cars EV's especially and it would seem some Hybrids too CAN'T have this pin connected at all!
Secondly, the indicator light on A frame are fairly notorious for failing! Only a few pounds to replace. They are IMPORTANT, beyond just being a simple on/off indicator, they indicate fault conditions too with blinking patterns and colour change, one of which is DO NOT TOW unless ATC physically disconnected from braking system as ATC can lock brakes on!
There is an audible clue as to whether ATC is connected/functioning at all, on inserting the tow-bar plug, you should hear the ATC power up, a fairly faint short whir/clunk noise from the motor powered mechanism, normally giving a flashing green light followed by a steady green light. If no light and no noise, looks like no power from tow-bar socket, or maybe a totally defunct ATC from some other reason - corrosion in cables, rodent damage to cable etc. etc. on the caravan! By far the easiest check is plug the caravan cable into a different car with a known fully wired socket and see what happens.
The ATC is not essential, but is a nice comfort, as they work pretty well if you do get a snake. You can use the caravan without it working, the ATC will just sit there dumb having no effect whatsoever on the brakes.
While since you replaced the light Mont.
Prices range from £40-£80 odds.
When I replaced mine it was under £20
------------- 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.
I sometimes get a little bit concerned about all these gadgets fitted on caravans today. Anti-snake devices, stabilisers, ATC etc. I always thought that any trailer should tow perfectly well without them, and I towed all sorts of trailers for a living at one time. None of them had any gadgets fitted. My main concerns are; do modern caravans need them in order to tow properly, and what happens if they fail? Do the caravans become unstable or lock wheels up? My ancient caravan seems to tow perfectly behind my old car, and I have never had the slightest concerns about stability with it apart from the journey home from the dealer when I bought it, when it was completely empty. It seemed a little light on the front end. However, when loaded with all our usual gear it towed like a dream and still does.
I've towed wirh the old stabiliser that fitted from car to van, then the alko system which was built into the hitchlock. Now this ATC system although my first tow was without it engaged and I had no problems. Just an advance in technolocy to help make towing safer isn't it. If the van didn't have it on it wouldn't be a problem but as it does I may aswell use it is my thinking. Will need to get my towbar wiring looked at.
Thanks again for your responses
Our last two vans had ATC ( Bailey Unicorns). We changed to a Phoenix last year. It has the stabiliser hitch but no ATC. It tows perfectly well.
It could have been dealer fitted for £900.
The Phoenix was £8k cheaper than the equivalent Unicorn. Its also 2 inches narrower and quite a bit lighter. We are happy with it.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
Quote: Originally posted by karlmonty on 10/4/2025
I've towed wirh the old stabiliser that fitted from car to van, then the alko system which was built into the hitchlock. Now this ATC system although my first tow was without it engaged and I had no problems. Just an advance in technolocy to help make towing safer isn't it. If the van didn't have it on it wouldn't be a problem but as it does I may aswell use it is my thinking. Will need to get my towbar wiring looked at.
Thanks again for your responses
I had one of those old stabilisers back in the early 1980s, and I used it religiously until one day when I took my caravan from Norfolk down to Cornwall, and only realised when I went to unhitch that I had forgotten to fit it. It was still in the boot of the car. I never bothered with it again as I simply hadn't noticed any difference without it.
I am all for anything that contributes to safety, but my concern is that modern caravans may not tow safely without them and then what happens if they go wrong? I'm all for simplicity as there is less to go wrong. None of the various trailers I towed for a living had anything other than a standard 50mm ball hitch and none of them ever gave me any problems. Why did caravans suddenly start needing gadgets?
The old leaf stabiliser, I made my own in the 1970’s using and Old Ford Escort rear spring leaf and that was in use for about 30 years. The Alko ATC LED indicators were notorious for failing and when a Dealer quoted £40 for a new one I decided to get my soldering iron out and bought a multiclour LED as used in model railway signals and a 470 ohm resistor to prevent it blowing. That was still OK and working on the caravan when it sold it 10 years later.
Quote: Originally posted by birdman101 on 10/4/2025
...... The Alko ATC LED indicators were notorious for failing and when a Dealer quoted £40 for a new one I decided to get my soldering iron out and bought a multiclour LED as used in model railway signals and a 470 ohm resistor to prevent it blowing. That was still OK and working on the caravan when it sold it 10 years later.
My ATC light had failed sometime before I bought my van, around 2 years old (not an impressive life span for it!), but I spotted it on picking up the van and got the dealer to fix it at his expense. Damned nuisance to have to do a 50 mile round trip to take van back, but one of a number of jobs that needed doing. Perfectly clear dealer had not done any PDI on it, or just hoped it'd slip past my notice!
Had the lamp failed and needing replacement at my expense, I too would have been at it with the soldering iron and a sub £1 standard LED replacement! Nothing special about the lamp, not sure about the plug on other end of cable that connects to ATC box, but for sure it ISN'T £40 worth! Another one of those rip-off spare parts that the industry loves to fleece us with! - how big a bill with a fitting charge on top!!!!
Used the lead and plug plus the holder again, three wire LED changes colour with direction the current flows. Done several for friends and by adding a 470 ohm resistor none of them have ever failed.
May be a small incentive over and above the safety aspect, to get your ATC working, I get around £95 discount on my insurance premium (with CAMC) because I have ATC fitted! Worth checking your insurance policy to see if it also offers a discount.
Obviously that has the clause fitted 'AND WORKING' - no point in it being just idle ballast! I'm sure if you made a claim from a snaking accident, they'd be very keen to know WHY when ATC fitted!
Quote: Originally posted by Monty15 on 11/4/2025
May be a small incentive over and above the safety aspect, to get your ATC working, I get around £95 discount on my insurance premium (with CAMC) because I have ATC fitted! Worth checking your insurance policy to see if it also offers a discount.
Obviously that has the clause fitted 'AND WORKING' - no point in it being just idle ballast! I'm sure if you made a claim from a snaking accident, they'd be very keen to know WHY when ATC fitted!
Of course, that adds another complication. If it's there it must be working or it could give insurers another excuse not to pay out! But then if it has never been there, as in my old caravan, that's an excuse they don't have.
Wish I could get £95 discount on my insurance, as they'd be paying me.
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Topic: Alko ATC system
via mobile 09/4/2025 at 2:47pm
