Jockey Wheel coming down.
Hi Folks, while driving to the Site last time away, I heard a bit of a "rumbling noise" coming from what I thought was the hitch. Upon investigation I found that my Jockey Wheel had wound itself down to the point when I touched the winding handle, the wheel fell out completely, good job I had stopped!
The shaft was still solid, as was the winding handle on the side, but the Jockey wheel winding handle on the top was "just spinning" freely! After putting the whole thing back together again, we set off to our destination and pulled over after 30 mins only to find the jockey wheel top handle loose again?
So to cure the problem for the trip back home, I cable tied the wheel up after hitching up to ensure the wheel would not come down again. I bought the van new over 3 years ago and have never had this problem before and have always had it serviced, so would appreciate any advice/cures etc or have you heard of this happening to others??
Cheers,
Paul.
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I am not sure what you mean by fell out completely. Do you mean detached from the winder? As there is no way mine could do that when attached to the car. It would contact the road before it becomes unthreaded.
I always wind the wheel into the slot, then pull the shaft up as far as it will go and clamp. Then check the winder handle is tight . So far this has worked for me. I always check it every time we stop, but so far I have had no loosening or movement.
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We used to get this with our previous Lunar Quasar. I think it is caused by a particular road surface and a well lubricated jockey wheel thread. The handle loosened, no matter how tight and how high it was before leaving, then revolved on its own lowering the wheel as we drove along as if turned by an invisible hand... All the while the outer tube was clamped and tight and in its original position.. Eventually I started to tie the handle off with a bit of cord from the handle, around the jockey wheel tube and tied it to the a frame clamp so it couldn't revolve.
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With the type of jockey wheel used on caravans, the two arms that support the axle of the wheel should be located into the two slots in the bottom end of the outer part when finally winding up the wheel. Otherwise it can unwind. Just winding it up "tight" at random is asking for trouble. In some after-use configurations the outer will need to be lowered so that the slots are clear to accept the lugs.
Another point for some checklists?
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Yes, I used to check it was "in the slots" and tight..... still it self loosened.
Its the handle that is moving, not the wheel.. A well lubricated thread at service, and road vibration is the cause. Try just lightly smacking the handle when it is up and it takes very little effort to loosen it completely... then it just revolves till the wheel hits the ground.
Interestingly, in over 20 years of caravanning and 5 caravans, only the Lunar did this.
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I had the same thing happen on my bailey, when it was a year old. The lower part of my alko jockey wheel fell off on my way home.
Its not a unknown problem. Many believe that it's human error. That maybe, but I now remove mine when travelling and keep it in the back on my tow vehicle, where it's easily accessible.
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Happened on the way home from collecting our new Bailey. Cost me about £40 for a new wheel. Not a good start!
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I recently raised this same issue with my new Rimini and got all the usual make sure it is in the slots, tightened up etc. As it is something that has never happened to me in near 25 years of touring I reckon I had been doing it correctly all this time. Have, as suggested, started facing the jockey wheel forwards and against the fairing to stop it moving as it doesn't tuck up under the A-frame as every other van I have owned does and so far no further problems.
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It takes a man to fess up ......well done 👍 glad you got it sorted 😇
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Same thing happened to us this weekend on our way up the Fosse Way just outside of Moreton in Marsh. The whole jockey wheel had dropped. We've come back down the same route today with no such problems, so don't know if it was user error or there is possibly another issue.
The caravan was brand new this March, but the pnumatic Jockey Wheel is a year older.
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Wildwood,
I also overtightened the handle and sheared the pin but as it was a bailey who mount the jockey assembly on the outside of the 'A; frame I just removed it while towing......
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Cable tie it up ?? 
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Some of you are missing the point completely. It doesn't matter one jot if the arms are in the slots. If the handle at the "top" starts to turn because of road vibration and continues to rotate, then the wheel will slowly drop until the arms come out of the slots. The problem lies with the "handle at the top" not being secure. Saying the cause was the arms not being correctly positioned in the slots is a total red herring and a failure to understand how it happens.
Justus2, you are quite correct, the problem lies with the top handle, not the wheel.
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Well it's not actually the handle that will be the problem. It is connected to a long screw down the middle which will also be rotating and unscrewing. This would normally be prevented by tightening the screw at the end of its travel against the nut in the end of the wheel tube.
If it is not staying tight the most lightly cause is that it has been overtightened in the past enough to damage the threads at that part of the screw. Similar to overtightened wheel nuts/bolts coming loose. Complete new jockey wheel assembly required then as nut part could also be damaged. I got one with double pneumatic tyres for £30 so not a huge expense.
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Also seems linked to calibre of tow car suspension - we have had our van for three years but in January swapped from 4 x 4 to non 4 x 4 with noticeably more up and down movement at rear of car and since then have had this problem on nearly all journeys, having not had it previously. Need to get bungee cord to tie up the handle!!
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