Alko hitch small handle not locking in up position

masonst0rm
masonst0rm Forum Participant Posts: 12
edited July 15 in Caravans #1

Alko 2004 hitch handle (the small one) wouldn’t stay locked up position when I was hitching up to the car at the weekend.. any advice on what to check or how to fix.. thanks

Comments

  • wh1nbrew
    wh1nbrew Club Member Posts: 86 ✭
    First Comment
    edited July 15 #2

    Locked up?  I realise mine is a 2021 but it has to be raised to allow the hitch to attach securely to the ball and then drops down horizontal, allowing the large handle also to drop down horizontally.  Have they change operation completely between these dates?  

  • PeteCI
    PeteCI Forum Participant Posts: 66
    edited July 15 #3

    Probably not but the small one is supposed to latch in the open position until the hitch locks securely onto the ball.

    Mine, a 2017 model, sometimes doesn't latch "open" although it works correctly if held open manually. I find that lubricating the mechanism usually helps.

  • eribaMotters
    eribaMotters Club Member Posts: 1,193 ✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited July 15 #4

    I agree with Pete. There is a pivot bar going through the head that benefits from a squirt of WD40. I do this at the same time as getting the grease gun onto the two grease nipples on the coupling head.

     

    Colin

  • richardandros
    richardandros Club Member Posts: 2,681 ✭✭✭
    1,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited July 16 #5

    I had exactly this problem with our Knaus a couple of years ago.  Not a major problem, but a bit of a pain having to hold the handle up when hitching up. Mentioned it when it went in for service that year and the advice I was given was "blast it with brake cleaner" (not WD40!). They did that and it was sorted immediately.  Had to do it a couple of times since and the brake cleaner has worked each time.

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