Hello,
My swift challenger came with an anti snake bar. Its like a pulley on the end of a metal bar. It came with the caravan so I guess it has everything on the van it needs, however I don't know how you use it and I don't know what I need to add to my towbar to connect it up. Any help be appreciated. Carl
There is nothing wrong with them,an Al_ko hitch is expensive.
The end near the "pulley"which is where the friction pads are should slot into a mount bolted behind the towball-or clamped to a swan-neck hitch.Usually secured with a locking screw.
Connect car to van, then the blade part is moved sideways and should sit in a bracket on the caravan A-frame(it can take some effort to lift and slot it in.
It could be a Bulldog or Scott Stabiliser-there are other types.
If you google Bulldog and you should see some info.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
DONT BIN IT IV'E USED ONE FOR YEARS WITH NO PROB AL-KO OK WHEN TOWBALL CLEAN BUT GET DIRT OR GREASE ON IT THEN IT'S LIKE NOT HAVING ONE ON .
BUT LIKE GRAMPIAN91 SAY'S IT WONT HELP WITH A POORLY LOADED VAN
got a snake master bar fitted at dealer when i bought my 1st van. i was able to take hold of end of bar and move it from 1 side to the other with ease.dealer rechecked torque of nut to make sure correct pressure on friction pads,still able to move it so what difference would a van weighting 1200kgs do.anyway went away on holiday and it kept jumping out of holder on van.met a few caravanners on site who had them and all said it was crap.on return to dealer got my money back and bought an al-lo hitch and you would not believe the difference.made for a very stable tow.
Used a Bulldog for years prior to the standard fitting of Al-Kos. They seem to work well,they can be a little noisy when turning, and can slide out if van turns through a tight (very) corner.
------------- DS-There's more to life than football!!!
I think they actually do a better job.They do a better job of damping the pitching than the hitch type. To say they are not fit for purpose is a load of rubbish.
They need to be set up properly. When it's in place on the car, push the blade from side to side with a set of bathroom scales. It should take about 3 stone to move it. If necessary, tighten the bolt in the centre of the circular plates. By its very nature it will make a slight noise on movement. That's the friction doing its job. I spoke to a
chap once who had loosened the plates because of the noise...!!!
Your car will need a bracket on your car with a rectangular hole, into which the small rectangular end of the stabiliser fits. If you've got a flange type towbar the bracket sandwiches between the tow ball & tow-bar. If you've a swan neck type it's a different bracket.
Our last van had a Winterhoff hitch stabiliser, and I was always happy with it.
Our new van has not only an Al-ko hitch stabiliser, but also aa Al-ko ATC.
Very often, when a large HGV overtakes us, the sideways reaction is greater than it was with the Winterhoff.
This makes me wonder if the ATC is initially reacting, then correcting its own reaction.
Talking to another caravanner with more experience of the device, he told me that I would be surprised if I saw a report on the number of times the ATC activates in any given period of time.
The unit has troubleshooting procedures in the event of a problem, and says not to proceed if the indicator light is red - in which case the van should be returned to the dealer. What about when not in a position to do so - the worst scenario being when abroad?
Bertie.
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Topic: Anti snake bar
