On our way home on Monday hubby pulls up because he could feel something wrong. It turned out the jockey wheel had dropped down. Luckily he was so quick there was no damage. We were very confused by what happened as it was up in it's place and firmly secured. The road was very bumpy could that have been the cause?
------------- Lyn xxx
Harbury Fields March
Moreton in the Marsh March/April
Hawthorn Cottage April
Lamb Cottage April
Somers Wood May
Maxstoke Hall June
Houghton Mill June
Lamb Cottage August
Somers Wood September
The Meadows, October
Obviously not secured tight enough, but then he is not going to admit that is he. I wouldn't, I would find all sorts of excuses as to why it dropped. He must have oiled and greased it too perfectly, he will make sure not to do so next year.
Sometimes when the wheel is raised it does not sit square in the clamp, so when the clamp is tightened it pinches up tight but the wheel can still drop slightly. Not had it happen to me on the van but has happened on the trailer, especially if when I slacken the clamp off too much when raising the wheel.
------------- Just saying
If all is not lost where is it then?
A similar thing happened to me about 4 years ago but the jockey wheel tube came loose but didn't drop down. When I arrived on site I wound down the jockey wheel and when I went to lock and secure it, the AL-KO securing clamp thread had stretched to a degree that it snapped in half leaving half the thread in the hole. I did however withdraw the broken bit and managed to obtain a 10mm. Allen bolt which was effective just as a temporary measure till I got home and replaced with a new AL-KO clamp. I was told that this is quite common especially if the clamp is a few years old so it's worth having a look at the condition of the securing clamp thread to see if there is any evidence of distortion and replace if necessary as it could possibly be linked to the jockey wheel dropping.
It doesnt look pretty--but a bungee hooked into the bottom of the jockey wheel and over the top of the a-frame does the job!
Also--a while spent on a bumpy road can set the jockey wheel handle spinning and so allow the bottom half of the assembly to wind down and possibly detach completely before doing damage to the underside of your van and who knows what after that? Easily sorted with a bit of sticky tape around the top of the jockey where the winder meets the shaft.Paper masking tape will do--it takes seconds to apply and relax
This happened to us in March. Driving down the M5 we heard a bump, hubby said nothing feels different in the drive, van still behind us (though I would imagine he might have noticed that!) so we carried on then a grating noise was heard a few miles on. We immediately stopped on the hard shoulder. He looked round the van as much as he could and I got out and immediately saw the jockey wheel was down minus any tread on tyre etc.. ruined. So got to site, pitched as best we could on buckled metal and ended up buying a new jockey wheel..... anyway this one is far better and didn't cost a arm and a leg so probably did us a favour. Again we asked bumpy road etc but I expect....... (he doesn't read these posts)..... that he didn't secure it correctly but he would NEVER admit it
------------- Lyn xxx
Harbury Fields March
Moreton in the Marsh March/April
Hawthorn Cottage April
Lamb Cottage April
Somers Wood May
Maxstoke Hall June
Houghton Mill June
Lamb Cottage August
Somers Wood September
The Meadows, October
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Jockey Wheel
