AL-KO Stabilisers
Looking at getting a new Explor 402. The starter pack includes an AL-KO AKS stabaliser. We can upgrade for an AL-KO ATC one, but is it worth the extra cost for the weight and size of the van we are looking at getting. Its only 16ft long, with a plated payload
of 1104kgs. Would the AKS one be sufficient for our needs?
Comments
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They are two different devices, the stabaliser is just what it says, the ATC is a stability control. The first tries to reduce sway the second is there to stop it should it happen. I have both and think it is the way to go for maximum safety. There will be people who say you need neither on a well balanced unit. But then you don't need an air bag in your car if you don't intend to crash!
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They are two different devices, the stabaliser is just what it says, the ATC is a stability control. The first tries to reduce sway the second is there to stop it should it happen. I have both and think it is the way to go for maximum safety. There will be people who say you need neither on a well balanced unit. But then you don't need an air bag in your car if you don't intend to crash!
Agree 100%
AKS is a friction stabiliser that may raise the threshold speed at which an instability starts by a few percent. Once an instability starts, it is impossible (IMHO) for it to have any significant effect.
ATC is an active device that, on detecting two (?) cycles of oscillation indicating an instability is in place, activates the caravan brakes to attempt to remove the issue by adding additional drag to the caravan and pulling it back into line with the car.
Wouldn't be without ATC, could probably live without AKS?
If you are just starting out, why scrimp on safety in the overall price of the "pastime"?
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Good Post DougS Being a technical lecturer i like your description of the systems and function. Accurate without being OTT. the systems described are better still if the towing vehicle also has the capability of a trailer stability programme(which a large
perecentage of modern vehicle have) assuming the towbar has been wired correctly.
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Hi, I'm due to collect my new caravan in a couple of weeks and i was toying with getting ATC retrofitted as the van was past the point of factory fit options when I purchased it (pre ordered by dealer).
My dealer stated that Swift had done some blind tests with ATC and AKS then AKS only and the drivers could not tell the difference between the two under the same conditions I.e. no difference to stability whatsoever when on AKS only and advised it wasn't
needed and is why Swift have stopped fitting as standard. I stated surely their decision to stop fitting it was to increase their profit margins but he stated that they actually passed the cost saving onto their customers.The dealer could have made some more cash out of me. So hes left me having to believe there is no real advantage over AKS alone.
Im still considering having it fitted though.
hmmm.
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As described earlier AKS is a friction stabiliser designed to increase the caravan/trailers resistance to lateral movement by damping out the side to side and vertical oscillations while towing.
ATC however is designed to pull the caravan/ trailer back into line should the snaking get critical, it does this by applying the caravan brakes and pulling the unit back into line.
Therfore AKS should be looked upon as an active device wheras ATC is re active and only operates when the stability of the towed unit exceeds set parameters.
Personally i would always have both.
(and as you say i feel swifts decision is cost not safety driven)
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To me Swift have got it the wrong way round. Unless the drivers driving without ATC really worked hard at swinging the caravan the ATC might not come on so they would see no difference. You need to know more about the driving involved to see if it was a
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With you there Wildwood i have a correctly loaded and balanced caravan even down to weight distribution left to right! Towing with a 2300kg vehicle with short overhang trailer stability programme and fitted with AKS i tow several thousand miles per year
and have only felt the ATC activate twice once (going downhill and then being passed too close by a coach doing x mph) all i felt was a small tug on the brakes and that was it. second time was going around a corner to be met by a car on wrong side of road!!
Swift evasive manouvere to avoid collision again followed by short tug on caravan brakes. No drama just did what it is designed to do that is re stabilise the caravan in extreme circumstancesBut would not be without it!
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To me Swift have got it the wrong way round. Unless the drivers driving without ATC really worked hard at swinging the caravan the ATC might not come on so they would see no difference. You need to know more about the driving involved to see if it was a
realistic trial.yeah, agree re missing details. I had to make a few assumption regarding the story the dealer was sharing with me. Assumed the story was true, assumed they'd bother to ensure both tests with and without ATC were identical, assumed that the test was aggressive
enough to trigger ATC engagement and assumed Swift had indeed passed the cost saving of not fitting ATC (to lower end models) on to the customer ( I suspect this saving, if true, only got as far as the dealers though, being of cynical nature).I don't get the missed opportunity to make more money out of me though.
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