Greater driving safety with caravan accessories from AL-KO

Retrofitting safety systems onto caravans is very sensible. There is a high risk of swerving due to a gust of wind when overtaking or during evasive manoeuvres. In the worst-case scenario, the caravan could start to snake and that can cause an accident. Thanks to sophisticated sensor technology, the AL-KO Trailer Control (ATC) driving safety system recognises this sort of dangerous situation at an early stage and intervenes before the trailer starts to snake.

Gentle braking brings the vehicle combination back on track in seconds. Like an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) in a car, potential swaying movements of the trailer are detected by a lateral acceleration sensor on the caravan axle. If a defined tolerance range in the system is exceeded, the wheel brakes are activated by tightening the Bowden cables.

Anyone who regularly travels with a trailer or caravan knows the problem: from one second to the next it can start to sway. This creates a dangerous situation in which the vehicle combination can quickly take on a life of its own and break loose. This is why AL-KO offers the stabiliser coupling AKS 3004, which stands out for its high reliability. A stabiliser coupling for caravans, also known as a “stabiliser”, is mounted on the caravan’s drawbar instead of the coupling head. This is then attached to the hitch of the towing vehicle. You can easily replace it yourself. You can feel a significant reduction in snaking movements once the stabiliser coupling is on the towing vehicle/caravan combination, and driving is smoother.

Inadequate shock absorption of the caravan chassis can lead to the trailer bouncing dangerously, even with only little bumps in the road. The right AL-KO caravan accessories to prevent this are shock absorbers. They provide instant vibration dampening, improve driving and braking stability, and optimise ground contact. If you want to drive your caravan at 100 km/h, you must fit it out with shock absorbers. When purchasing shock absorbers for a caravan, make sure that they are compatible: i.e., the shock absorbers should not be designed for too large a weight range, because otherwise the necessary vibration damping cannot be achieved in either the lower or upper range. The potential result: a trailer that bounces and jolts. However there are AL-KO shock absorbers for special trailer weight classes to achieve the optimal absorption for greater driving safety and comfort.

Braking distance costs time. Better to invest in the AAA – AL-KO Automatic Adjustment for wheel brakes 2051 and 2361 (manufactured 1999 or later) – optionally retrofitted to any axle with a bolted brake back plate. Too long a braking distance can mean higher costs: A couple of centimetres too many and a rear-end collision happens. But your money is well spent if you convert to the AAA Premium Brake from AL-KO the next time you change your brake pads. The Automatic Adjustment System always steps in when the brakes have too much play. The wheel brake works as usual and is only extended by the adjustment function to reduce braking distance and increase driving safety.