Alko 3004 stabiliser hard to engage. How to fix.
I as well as many others I found that the stabiliser handle became harder and harder to engage. I had changed the friction pads because of creaking but the problem persisted. The reason for increased resistance was because the internal mechanism had become greaseless and bone dry. I am not an expert and cannot of course be responsible but if you have a bit of technical ability it's fairly straightforward. Here's how: Remove the red protector cap. Remove the friction pads. Remove the 6 star pins (3 each side). Remove the handle star bolt. Pull each half away from the mechanism. Remove 6 rollers (3 each side). Remove the 2 plastic covers. Clean out the cam grooves and pack with grease. Reassemble. Before replacing the handle and sides turn the rollers and cover to expelled excess grease. When replacing the friction pads take care not to get grease on them. I have just done the above whilst travelling in France with perfect results.