Struggling to get it to hitch up
Wondering if anyone has any tips that I might be missing.
I've only had the caravan for a few days, but expect for the very first time, I've not been able to get the hitch to couple properly without having to jiggle / mess about with it, lifting and dropping again.
I couldn't even say what did work - just messing around with it until it eventually clicks.
Can anyone help?
Comments
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Sounds simple but were you lifting the hitch handle prior to engaging it? There are many short videos on You Tube to watch such as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTG62JkF3s
Good luck.
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do you use a motor mover or reverse te car as close as possible? Either way before you start to lower the van onto the ball it has to be exactly over it. With a mover that's quite easy once you have done it a few times. Without one get the car as close as possible a few inches out left or right is what you are aiming for as it is easiler to move the van left and right than forwards and backwards. Then pull the van over the ball, two peolple are better than one here, when it looks over the ball lower the van, its best not to have to start very high up so have this set up before you pull/push the van. Make sure you have the hitch handle up and clicked (that still catches me out even now). If the car starts to sink then the hitch is not in the right place. It does take practice and it is a daulting task when I started out and was so happy when I got a mover.
Also be careful on slopes, as the slightest one will get the caravan moving, and put the car handbrake on and safety cable on once hitched. It will get easier!
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Petertr
once you have hitched correctly, make a spacer between front of hitch assy and the car bumper. Then you can use that spacer to know when you have hitch in the correct position to lower the jockey wheel.
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The tolerance around the towball and hitch is so tiny that it requires you to align them very accurately.
Make sure you pull the hitch handle up as far as possible (even slightly past where it would click) when lowering the hitch on to the ball. You will soon get used to your particular hitch/towball.
2 tips --1 - Do not drop the hitch, lower it gently and 2 -make sure you have removed all the paint and or rust from the towball .
Hope this helps
K
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Sounds simple but were you lifting the hitch handle prior to engaging it? There are many short videos on You Tube to watch such as
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCTG62JkF3s
Good luck.
You know what, I think that's what it is. Thanks.
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With a stabilised hitch (usually Alko) it's vital to have both handles fully raised. Lifting the large handle spreads the stabiliser pads right out of the way and lifting the small handle 'cocks' the hitch ready to accept the ball. It should snap
down firmly when the ball is engaged and the green 'tell tale' indicator will pop up at the same time.There are some really good caravan beginners videos on YouTube covering all aspects.
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When you have the caravan hitched to the car, wind the jockey wheel down and see if the back of the car rises up. You then know the van is connected correctly to the car.
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With a stabilised hitch (usually Alko) it's vital to have both handles fully raised. Lifting the large handle spreads the stabiliser pads right out of the way and lifting the small handle 'cocks' the hitch ready to accept the ball. It should snap
down firmly when the ball is engaged and the green 'tell tale' indicator will pop up at the same time.There are some really good caravan beginners videos on YouTube covering all aspects.
I'm pretty sure its the hitch handle that I wasn't lifting initially.
I can see when it is working, as you get that click, and the button pops up so you can see the green.
And yes, I do wind it back up to check its properly engaged.
I'll feedback next time I tow to see if we've cracked it.
Really appreciate the replies. I'm starting to use this forum as my personal guide at the moment - but I am watching a load of youtube videos too.0 -
"Speaking of which, I need to find out how to buy a spare wheel next."You don't live too far from me and I have a spare wheel and Alko rack that I no longer need. Since your caravan hasn't got a spare wheel I assume it's not a very recent model since most seem to come with a spare as standard now. The wheel that I have was used as a spare on a caravan I had some time ago and the tyre would be well past its best (tread ok but certainly over 7 years old). Let me know if you're interested and we can make contact to discuss further.
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"Speaking of which, I need to find out how to buy a spare wheel next."You don't live too far from me and I have a spare wheel and Alko rack that I no longer need. Since your caravan hasn't got a spare wheel I assume it's not a very recent model since most seem to come with a spare as standard now. The wheel that I have was
used as a spare on a caravan I had some time ago and the tyre would be well past its best (tread ok but certainly over 7 years old). Let me know if you're interested and we can make contact to discuss further.Problem I have is finding what size and which nut-layout I need before I can buy one.
There's a space in the front locker for it, rather than underneath.
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"Speaking of which, I need to find out how to buy a spare wheel next."You don't live too far from me and I have a spare wheel and Alko rack that I no longer need. Since your caravan hasn't got a spare wheel I assume it's not a very recent model since most seem to come with a spare as standard now. The wheel that I have was used as a spare on a caravan I had some time ago and the tyre would be well past its best (tread ok but certainly over 7 years old). Let me know if you're interested and we can make contact to discuss further.
Problem I have is finding what size and which nut-layout I need before I can buy one.
There's a space in the front locker for it, rather than underneath.
Just be careful of your noseweight
I have an underslung ALKO wheel and carrier and would love to put mine in the front locker, but too much weight.0 -
You can get fittings to fix it under a bed locker, if you can spare (pun intended) the space
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Problem I have is finding what size and which nut-layout I need before I can buy one.
The diameter and width written on the tyre will determine the size of the wheel rim.Then you need the number of fixing holes and the Pitch Centre Diameter (PCD) of these holes. With this information you should be able to source the correct rim. For information, the wheel that I have is 13" with a 175/13 tyre. It has 4 fixing holes but I haven't measured the PCD. I could do that if it would be any use to you.
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...Problem I have is finding what size and which nut-layout I need before I can buy one.
I'd have though most caravan accessory places would be able to sort you out with a wheel. If you have the rim size ie 12"/13"/14" and how many holes ie 4 or 5 I'm sure that'd be enough. Caravan don't have the massive range of wheels that a car does ie width
& off set etc0
