Al Ko jack. Changing wheel with flat tyre
Hi.
I am considering buying this jack: https://ukshop.AL-KO-tech.com/caravan/steady-legs/side-lift-jack-kit-1000kg-1389235?returnurl=/caravan/steady-legs/
I have a caravan with an al ko chassis, which has the two holes required to fit this jack.
I have asked al ko, UK support the following.
If I have a flat tyre on my caravan, will this jack still engage with the lifting point on the chassis and lift the caravan to enable the spare wheel to be fitted?
The reason for asking this is that when there is a flat tyre, the chassis will be at an angle to the vertical and the engagement point nwill be lower than normal.
Al Ko will only state that "the jack is designed to be used for changing a wheel". They will not state that the jack is designed to lift an al ko chassis where a wheel has a flat tyre.
Has anyone used this jack to jack up an al ko chassis, where there is a wheel with a flat tyre?
I thought al ko would have known the answer to this qustion.
I have now asked the al ko, German website the same question. Hopefully the manufacturesr will know the capabilities of their jack.
Thanks for any help.
Comments
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I doubt they would be able to give a definitive answer as the scenarios of where you may have pulled off the road to safely change the wheel are endless. You could be part on a verge, one wheel at an angle in the gutter etc.
I used to carry a trolley jack which ultimately is the safest way to lift your van. I know only use this jack at home and carry a stubby double lift Coram bottle jack in the caravan. This has a cradle top and fits under the axle in is good in confined spaces. A board is carried to go underneath it in use. These jacks were/are supplied new with Land Rovers and are an eye watering price new but good examples are available second hand. Others look similar but few will fit under your axle, so they are worth looking out for.
Colin
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Yes, a bottle jack is the answer. However, there might not be sufficient space at the 'jacking point' at the strongest part of the suspension to get the jack under. On the one occasion I had to use it I found that putting a ramp under the offending wheel raised it sufficiently to get the jack under. Leave the caravan and car attached whilst using to ensure no movement of the caravan! I got mine many years ago from Halfords (there are other outlets!) much lighter and less bulky than a trolley jack. Some people just call their emergency service and wait!
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Many thanks for the replies.
I appreciate the different scenarios faced when jacking a caravan, but replies form Al Ko support were astonishing.
After also posting this question on caravantalk, I have decided to buy the heavier duty version of the Al Ko jack: https://www.tauntontrailers.co.uk/al-ko--jack-kit-1000kg---2000kg-1389235-1772-p.asp
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I carry a Draper airbag jack in the van - bought itba few years ago and have used it to lift the van to change a front wheel and to help someone change a caravan wheel at a festival where it had sunk into the ground and the was no room for an ordinary jack between the chassis and ground.
It will work on soft or uneven ground where a normal jack can be tricky to use.
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I used to carry a bottle jack, but when I had to use in "in anger" to change a flat tyre on a twin axle on a campsite, it just pushed itself into the (grass) ground (it was too tall to fit a wooden spreader beneath). I also discovered that the "button" top of the jack did not fit safely on to any accessible point on the chassis, so I subsequently just relied on the supplied Alko jack.
It was a few years before I needed to use one of those (this time on a single axle). The problem was not a flat tyre, but a Milenco levelling jack that had slowly sunk into the soft ground during our stay and couldn't be withdrawn when lowered. I was just able to force the supplied Alko jack under the chassis so that it engaged in the slotted jacking point. Again, there was no depth for the short wood plank I carry to spread the load and yes, again it pushed itself into the ground. I then had to literally dig it out, because even when fully retracted, it was stuck in the hole. I also then had to dig the ground out beneath the levelling jack to release it from the tyre.
When I now use the levelling jack, I put a wooden plank beneath that. If I get a flat and am on soft ground, if the jack doesn't fit with a plank beneath it, I no longer expect to be able to lift the van with that jack and will have to rely on my breakdown cover. Also bear in mind that removing a flat tyre requires less ground clearance than is required when replacing it with fully inflated spare.
Like so many aspects of caravanning, it is not thought through and we end up having to put up with the consequences. In short, don't rely on an Alko jack or a bottle jack to ever be a working solution on soft ground.
A trolley jack (+ a plank) is probably the best bet, but they are heavy and space consuming (and don't fit into the jacking point), so you may also have to rely on breakdown cover.0 -
Simply using the tow vehicle to haul the caravan's wheel that has the "flat" up on to planks or ramp to at least its running height really does save lots of issues.
This improves the access space for placing the jack, and could aid removing an underslung spare wheel, plus then it only needs jacking up sufficiently to remove the wheel. With the unloaded ramp, then removed, there is lift enough for the spare to be fitted without further jacking. Thus, avoiding involving extending a jack overly high, which, if not capable of doing will leave you unable to fit the spare without deflating that first. Even deflating the spare still leaves you with the carcass stiffness an issue to compress adequately in trying to jam the spare into place.
Changing a wheel roadside is at best a pain, way better to make that task easier for oneself rather than harder is my approach. My tow vehicle hauling the van up into the air is leagues easier on me than me jacking it up and in some cases vitally needed for access and or lift capability, safety etc.
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No one has mentioned the difficulty of freeing your spare wheel from its under slung carrier. With your van at running height, no flat tyre and a solid tarmac surface, the carrier doesn’t drop down far enough to extend it and the wheel past/ under the chassis. The van needs to be jacked up much higher than most bottle jacks will accommodate. Additionally, restoring the carrier to its carrying position when laden with a wheel, requires a lot of strength. All of the above can be resolved with a selection of packing blocks, wedges and levers. But at the roadside? Best to have a paid up rescue subscription.
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... But at the roadside? Best to have a paid up rescue subscription.
Those were my thoughts years ago shortly after buying this caravan when I had a look at removing the spare when I was on my own drive. I'd not fancy doing it on the hard shoulder of a motorway (assuming of course there is a hard shoulder to use)
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Been through all this on a motorway this spring! Arrival prediction for the Mayday people was just over two hours, so as it was a nearside wheel I had a go myself. Alko designers must be thick - the supplied scissor jack when in the jacking point occupies the same space as the spare wheel carrier has to pass through!
Scissor jack really isn't up to the weight on my twin axle so I got out the trolley jack I carry in the Land Rover to save the day. I got the necessary clearance to slide out the spare by using the clever access height position on the Land Rover suspension to lower the towball. But only just!
No way all this could be done for an off-side wheel on the motorway, and the next place with space to get workers out of traffic was many miles away. I wonder what Mayday do in that situation? Perhaps they have to get caravan onto a transport to get it to a safe yard somewhere.
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