Not sure about this so thought I would ask you experts. We have a Discovery with a tow ball and we tow a 98 Pennine Sterling folding camper and a small erde trailer sometimes. We plan on keeping the camper and getting a caravan to use in the winter. If we get one we will be able to tow both with the same ball (obvisouly at different times) or will we need an alko one (not entirely sure what I`m on about. If we do need different balls can they be interchangable?
Sorry if I sound thick, oh does the tech stuff, I do the asking and trip planning.
If you have a discovery, it is conceivable that you might not have the correct towball. Whatever towball you have the 'D' and 'S' value of the towball must be equal to or greater than the 'D' and 'S' level of the towbar. Many Discos have a higher towbar rating than ordinary cars, so you need to check this when adding the towball. It seems that some towbar fitters are not always aware of this, so check your 'D' and 'S' values.
If you buy a caravan and the caravan has an Alko hitch, then you need to have a Class A50-X towball (see below). With an Alko hitch do not use grease on the towball. It is OK to tow other things with the Class A50-X towball, but if it is a non-Alko hitch you will have to grease it up, and then clean it thoroughly when you swap back to the Alko hitch.
N.B: A Class A50-X towball is an 'Alko-type' tow ball, but does not necessarily need to be manufactured by Alko. As far as I'm aware Alko only produce one type of Class A50-X towball. This has a rating of D = 17KN and S = 150kg. For most cars this should be sufficient but you would need to check the rating of your tow bar, which is normally on a little sticker on the side of the tow bar.
If you have a Discovery, or maybe other large cars, the towball rating may be higher. The Witter tow bar for my Discovery is D = 15.8KN, S = 250kg, so the S rating of the Alko manufactured tow ball is insufficient (being a lower rate than the tow bar). In this, and similar cases, one would need to have a non Alko Class A50-X. These Alko-type tow balls are available at most tow bar fitters or online from companies such as this here.
The S value of a tow ball/bar refers basically to the noseweight. Your caravan may only have a maximum noseweight of 100kg or less, but as far as I can work out, if your tow bar has a higher rating then your tow ball must be at least the same as the tow bar.
There should be no problem in using a non-Alko hitch on an Alko-type towball (i.e. your normal trailer), but an Alko hitch must not be used on a standard 50mm towball. Unfortunately you will need to grease the tow ball when using the trailer and completely remove the grease when towing the caravan with the alko hitch.
Sorry this sounds a bit complicated - it's not straightforward. I wouldn't mind betting there are many discos with the wrong towball on.
Hi D S B, good piece of info there David, I copied it for future reference, hope you don’t mind .
No problem! I did speak to Alko about it all about a year ago, and after talking to their technical department, they felt they needed to alter the wording on some of their documentation. Whether they did or not, I don't know. It's one of these little bits of information that is often glossed over. I personally think that in most cases, it is unlikely to make a lot of difference, but you can bet some insurance company will quote it as a way of getting out of paying a claim, or if there's some jobs worth who is intent on pulling you for something! Know what I mean! It'd just be my luck!! I can't think it would make a difference to the safety, after all, how many caravans have a noseweight of more than 150kg? I don't know of any, off hand! It comes from the EU regs. - at the moment they've got other types of Greece to worry about, than anything connected with towballs - greased or not!!!
More details about 'D' and 'S' values/ compatibility here. The link in my above post doesn't seem to have any A50-X towballs that match 'S' = 250kg. They may have run out. A towbar fitter worth his salt should know about this and should have some in, or should be ablt to source them.
Hi D S B, good piece of info there David, I copied it for future reference, hope you don’t mind .
No problem! I did speak to Alko about it all about a year ago, and after talking to their technical department, they felt they needed to alter the wording on some of their documentation. Whether they did or not, I don't know. It's one of these little bits of information that is often glossed over. I personally think that in most cases, it is unlikely to make a lot of difference, but you can bet some insurance company will quote it as a way of getting out of paying a claim, or if there's some jobs worth who is intent on pulling you for something! Know what I mean! It'd just be my luck!! I can't think it would make a difference to the safety, after all, how many caravans have a noseweight of more than 150kg? I don't know of any, off hand! It comes from the EU regs. - at the moment they've got other types of Greece to worry about, than anything connected with towballs - greased or not!!!
Hi David, that’s what you usually find one word change, changes the whole context or part of it, so it can be interpreted to their advantage.
Countries financial problems ( Press the button and re-set)
------------- If everything runs smoothly then I must have done something wrong
If in Doubt Check it Out.
Hi David, that’s what you usually find one word change, changes the whole context or part of it, so it can be interpreted to their advantage.
Countries financial problems ( Press the button and re-set)
Absolutely! I do get cheesed off with the 'jobs worth' attitude though. It's just the way things seem to be going, sadly. I sometimes feel that common sense is just not acceptable these days - the letter of the word seems more important than the sprit of the word. Perhaps it's just me getting more cynical the older I get.
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Topic: Tow ball
or will we need an alko one (not entirely sure what I`m on about. If we do need different balls can they be interchangable?
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