Hi all , when we bought our caravan the company sold us an ALCO ETI 811202 hitch i understand its a 2003/4 , the problem we have is that its difficult to hitch to the tow ball , we had a standard tow ball on and while we were on a camp this week called into a caravan dealers and informed the maintaince guy there of our problem hitching the van to the car , he told us that the tow ball wasnt correct so we paid him to change it , this Afternoon when we hitched up the van to come home it was once again a wrestling match to get a hitch , my husband after a few attempts managed to get the hitch down on to the tow ball but the green button didnt pop up so he wound the jockey down the car lifted of the floor when he wound the jockey up the car dropped back down and the green button popped up to let us know it was hitched , sureley it should not be so difficult to hitch up ? .
xx Gill
ETI 811202 is the hitch lock number. the 2003/4 is the towhitch type. when you lift the red handle are you also lifting the silver handle underneath this? this required to allow the ball entry in the socket. and its clicks down by itself after the towball has entered fully.then and only then does the green button come out because its the towball that pushes it out. DO NOT tow if green button has not shown..it is just possible your jockey wheel is not set correctly and needs adjusting.this means the towhitch can not go low enough the drop on the ball because the jockey wheel has bottomed out.
Post last edited on 31/03/2011 17:15:29
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
take extra care not to drop the caravan on the floor.there is a L shaped handle at the side of the jockey wheel,when this is undone anti clockwise the A frame will slide down the jockey wheel. a better proposition would be to place some bricks or blocks of wood under the towhitch. lower the caravan hitch down onto these after applying the brakes. once it is sat on the bricks/wood blocks you can undo the handle and adjust the jockey wheel to the required height. after this without hitching up check the hitch height is lower than your towball when it is fully wound down.
Post last edited on 31/03/2011 17:34:12
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Ok so we lift the van then place a block under the tow hitch then take the l shaped brake off and let the A frame slide down the bottom half of the jockey wheel ? .
Quote: Originally posted by Gillian 58 on 31/3/2011
Ok so we lift the van then place a block under the tow hitch then take the l shaped brake off and let the A frame slide down the bottom half of the jockey wheel ? .
no once you have lowered it down onto the bricks/blocks of wood you can undo the L shaped lever at the side of the jockey wheel and lift the jockey wheel by hand and the secure by turning back the L shaped very tight once the required height is reached.once you have secured this L screw you can lift up the van and take out the bricks/wood. put the handbrake on before you start
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Done it Michael many thanks, the caravan was on its legs so we adjusted the height and now its spot on , how can something so simple be so hard to work out
Thankyou so much Michael your a star .
xxGill
Quote: Originally posted by Gillian 58 on 31/3/2011
Done it Michael many thanks, the caravan was on its legs so we adjusted the height and now its spot on , how can something so simple be so hard to work out Thankyou so much Michael your a star . xxGill
your welcome have a good time in the new van.
------------- the only silly question is the one you do not ask.
Hi Gillian 58, Remember Make sure no paint on towball, Has to be clean ,Do not grease the towball, as you will render the friction pads in hitch useless, stabiliser will not do its job and the pads would need to be replaced, good luck and enjoy your new van.
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Thanks jhsw yes the guy who fitted the new tow ball also sanded the paint off for us and gave us some good advice , so a big thank you to Alan at Red Lion caravan dealers Scarisbrick near Southport
xx Gill
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Topic: Alco hitch
