Al-Ko Axle suspension failure (Bailey)
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Yes you’re correct it’s mm, not cm.
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"I must admit it beats me how caravans, which are designed for living in by four people, can be considered overloaded if just a few extra bits and pieces are loaded on board! After all we have everything on board, and then we climb in as well!"
don't forget that when pitched the corner steadies are lowered and help to take some of the weight of the axle for when being lived in.
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Our steadies are attached to the wooden floor, not to the alko chassis, and therefore provide only a 'steadying' and balancing force on the floor. They aren't there to take weight off the chassis and axle and the wheels still support the majority of the weight.
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I used to block up my axle during the winter when I had a caravan to save the loading on the tyres principally.
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Derek, who suggested that you should relax the axle?
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Hi Andy, I am still looking for the information that I read about relaxing the suspension during storage, or maybe I was hallucinating!
I would jack up my suspension on good engineering principles;
- Rubber sets to some degree, so better this happens in the relaxed condition where there is no significant force on the rubber
- During storage caravans may be weighted with additional items including those items which usually travels in the car, awnings etc, weight of the winter cover, and possibly winter storage for other items!
- This type of suspension is typically used on trailers which a lot of the time are empty, even those carrying mini diggers etc get a rest during the day.
Cheers Derek
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I am still looking for the information that I read about relaxing the suspension during storage,
Surely if the suspension needed jacking then their should be a warning notice by the manufacturer in the vans blurb.
Incidentally if anyone has a relatively new van with a suspension problem and you get the 'overloaded' stock answer a trip to see your local Trading Standards office may be a good move.
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I've just been told today that I have the same problem but with slightly different circumstances . I have a Compass Corona 574 (2014) and I have this "lean" but to the nearside (only wardrobe and underbed locker on this side) . Clearance from top of tyre to mudguard , although small is not critical , however clearance from side of tyre to bodywork at rear of wheelarch is very critical . With mudflaps fitted access for measurements is impossible (I'll be corrected on this no doubt) but I can just get 1 finger in this gap , whereas on the offside (kitchen side) I can get 2 fingers in . The red shock absorber can clearly seen to twisted at the top anchorage point on the nearside whereas the offside is fine . The caravan is currently at my main agent where I bought it from and we know each other well as I am a regular visitor and I have all my repair/servicing done here . It has now been inspected by 2 independent service people (soon to be 3) and none have seen anything like this before only on 2 previous occasions where they were definitely overloaded . Mine was not and never will be as my wife weighs everything that we use and uses her check sheet to keep track of what we're loading .
I have obviously cancelled our upcoming holiday and refuse to move the caravan any further 'cos I know I'll cause a catastrophic axle failure if I do . I had been thinking along the pothole scenario but reading these posts that is now defunct as I don't appear to have any other damage at all .
Your suggestions would be most welcome especially about reporting to any governing bodies etc .
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The problem you've described appears to be different to the common problem being reported. Detailed pictures would assist comments. Governing bodies only come into it if its a common problem across a number of units.
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lesandang, sorry to hear about your Seville, could I ask is it single axle series 3 built 2014-2016? If it is then expect no positive response from Bailey. They and Alko know there was a problem with axles coving this marque during those dates. Our Vigo is going in on Friday for a replacement axle to be fitted.
Van inspected by Alko engineer! his opinion van been overloaded, Bailey rejected the claim under warranty. I supplied information to suggest that the inspection results were flawed. Sent by recorded delivery... no response from Bailey after 6 weeks...
Good Luck, Ron...
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Yep 2015 Unicorn Seville. Fault identified at point of part exchange for new caravan. Had to pay £1k up front before investigation in order to take new van. Will be refunded if found not to have been overloaded. Not feeling very positive about our chances despite not feeling that we are responsible!
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Have discovered the problem on our Bailey Senator Oklahoma with tyre now worn through the wheel cover and into the pan cupboard under the cooker.
we are living in midi-Pyrenees France, has anyone similar experience of buying/ replacing the ALKO axle?
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Hi fellow caravaners the issue regarding bailey alko suspension problems does not seem to go away. I recently purchased a new bailey unicorn Vigo
Model in October 2018 during its first service carried out September 2019 the dealer stated that the suspension was very low and that the gap between top of tyre and underside of wheel arch was very small and required an inspection report to be carried out by Alko engineer. On the day of inspection the engineer stated that there was significant sag/ collapse that warranted a replacement chassis as of yet I am waiting for completed report which was undertaken 2 weeks ago. The payload of the chassis is 1499 kg ? With just aqua rolls electrical lead and waste pipes carpets were removed the weight was 1430kg leaving a balance of only 69kg to allow for usual things that us caravaners take on touring. I feel that between Bailey and dealers there isn’t adequate information on limitation of loading conditions. Once a caravan is fitted with a mover this adds 35 kgs and I don’t understand why a battery is not included within the MRO as they vary very little in weight but as guide 25kg, so 60kg automatically comes off your payload.
In addition to this the engineer did state there is a particular problem with this model where the wheel arch is square shaped and tends to cause significant wear to wheel box when caravan is heavily loaded. My interpretation of this leads me to believe there is a design fault where there is insufficient clearances Of between the wheel box and tyre as with the state of modern roads in the UK hitting pot holes and ruts, sleeping policemen etc, this can only impact further on our poor caravans. In addition to this also storage of your precious caravan even with legs deployed this can impact on your suspension particularly if laid to rest on soft ground for long periods of time over the winter.I do enjoy this caravan model albeit suspension problems. Please all bear in mind caravan limitations when taking your journeys. If you are deciding what caravan to buy make sure it Is suitable for your needs .A consideration for young families who need carry lots of things as they say happy caravanning.
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Hello to all. I come here a little late it seems but I have just replaced my shock absorbers ( Lunar Clubman SB 2011 ) and after watching a video on YouTube it stated that the length of the shock absorber when the wheel is off the ground should be 255mm bolt centre to bolt centre. Mine measures 300mm and the suspension arm looks to be more horizontal than pointing down at an angle. Obviously its going to go up when the wheel is on the ground. Does this mean that my suspension is collapsing? Any advice appreciated.
Chris
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My experience is with another manufacturer!
But in general the suspension is horizontal when the van is fully loaded. Your pics show that there's very little recovery even with no load. I would suspect that the rubbers have deteriorated. Just check there's no damage to the wheel arch liner.
If the van is out of warranty. Fraser Brown engineering is the best bet for a solution.
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Just found this thread. I purchased a 2015 Unicorn Valencia (S3) from a Bailey dealership in June this year. I understand that Bailey at one time were rectifying the axle problem FoC. Is there anyway of telling whether my van might have been done? Are Bailey still doing the remedial work? As far as I can tell all seems well - at the moment.
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The axles manufactured date is on a sticker placed on the underside of the axle, usually closest to the offside wheel. This will indicate if it was manufactured post caravan build date, therefore indicating if it's a replacement or not.
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Had a look today and found an AL-KO sticker that has the date May 2018. (My Valencia is a 2015). I’ll try to upload a photo but not sure if I can on here. The distance from the top of the tyre to the underside of the wheel arch is about an inch, (25mm). I checked the gap on an adjacent Vigo in my storage facility and found it to be about the same. Also, and I don’t know if it means anything, the shock absorbers are red.
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Yep, it's been replaced. I rest the axle while in storage by jacking up and placing axle stands under the cross beam, delays premature failure going forward.
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We are using ours monthly so I don’t want to be taking wheels on and off etc and it’s in a storage facility so not really practical.
Thanks for the reassurance and the tip though. BTW: Does the fact that my shock absorbers are red mean anything?
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We had our axle done by Alko (as a measure of goodwill!!!!( over 12 months ago now and it's been fine since. We made sure our caravan was empty when the Alko engineer came to asses it, so all was fine. When the Alko chap comes to assess, the first thing he will do is to weigh the van. If it's over the MPTLM, they won't do a thing. If it's under, they say, words to the effect..... the caravan may have been overloaded at some time in the past, but as a measure of goodwill, we will replace the axle.
If you need to get it repaired yourself, the place to go is Frazer Brown Engineering.
http://www.fraserbrowneng.co.uk/
Those who have had an axle referbed by them have been really pleased with the repair. They reckon the rubber they use on the axles is superior to the Alko rubber.
David
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There is a Facebook group dedicated to the collapsed axle.....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/320457838741068/?ref=share
David
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