I've noticed with our new van that when coupling up the lever doesn't snap shut upon mating and that there is no satisfying 'clunk' as described in the handbook and which was evident with our previous van.

When I believe (visually) that the hitch is sitting over the ball I have to push down on the handle to lock it at which point I do in fact see the green marking on the button to indicate that the hitch is locked. Of course I do pull up on the hitch a few times just to made sure but this lack of 'clunk' is a bit unnerving.

I've looked at the AL-KO 3004 handbook but there is no real schematic diagram of what is actually under the handle or in the vicinity etc such as a heavy duty spring. I'm guessing that there must be some kind of release mechanism for the handle to snap down when coupling is complete and that this could be rusty, dirty or lack lubrication. I've got absolutely no idea, has anyone else any suggestions?

Mine is the same Deeps, The handle has resistance when closing. I make sure the green buttons are up and as a belt and braces I will wind the jockey wheel down to that it picks up the van. this little video shows the 3004 in operation.

I think Deeps means the hitch handle not the AlKo stabiliser.
It should lock up then snap down when dropped onto the tow ball. The AlKo stabiliser is then pressed down to engage the friction pads.

Quote: Frantone wrote in post #3

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I think Deeps means the hitch handle not the AlKo stabiliser.

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Maybe this will help.

Thanks for the thought but I already have that document and have read it. This paragraph taken from the manual essentially states what I have been posting although as to why the handle on our van doesn't snap back down with an audible click is still a mystery. I'm beginning to think that it's a job for the workshop when it goes in for a bit of door alignment early next year. 2016-09-29_190613.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Just an update on this saga and to put a lid on this thread I decided that rather than attempt taking the entire AKS 3004 stabiliser apart to see what the problem was it was easier to simply buy and fit another new one. Having unbolted the stabiliser that was on the caravan from new (June 2016) the amount of corrosion - white rust - came as somewhat of a shock and the removal of this from the spring and latch of the hitch (black handle above) would have been nigh on impossible so I was glad of the new purchase.

Although the caravan had been standing outside in the dealers compound for several months the shear amount of corrosion was somewhat excessive and it did cross my mind that the stabiliser originally fitted during assembly had been swopped for a much older one prior to sale. In an attempt to resolve this I took several photographs and fired them off to ALKO enquiring as to whether or not it was possible to ascertain the actual build date of the stabiliser from the supplied images. Unfortunately, it is the information that is stamped on the bolt heads that can give a clue to this but in the case of our stabiliser even the bolt heads were too far gone to be of any use in this regard. I therefore have very little ammunition with which to go back to the dealer and have decided to put it down to experience as in a small part we should have looked at everything with a more critical eye upon taking delivery. The reality is, though, that with the collecting of a new van sometimes we are guilty of not seeing the wood for the trees.

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The flip side of this of course is that IF no sculduggery has actually taken place and the corrosion is indeed as a result of the caravan and stabiliser standing out in the compound for several months in all sorts of weather and, perhaps more importantly, uncovered even if just the stabiliser part. So on the off-chance that this is indeed the case the lesson must be - always cover the stabiliser when the caravan is parked up for any extended period of time which of course includes on the campsite.

The fitting of the replacement hitch is a fairly straight forward exercise and for those who might consider attempting this at some time in the future a quick look at the video first is to be recommended. It's a job that anyone without two left hands can attempt with confidence although it helps if one understands what is actually behind and underneath that rubber concertina type thing i.e. the overrun damper. What the video linked to does not indicate is that the rearmost stabiliser bolt is pushed through the overrun damper which is the prime reason that instead of pulling this bolt out it should rather be pushed out using the extra piece of rod provided. This piece of rod pushes out the rearmost bolt and in turn is fed though the overrun damper. It's not the end of the world if one overlooks this fact but it does make life a touch more difficult in that the overrun damper is now free to extend i.e. move forwards towards the stabiliser end of things. The remedy is to push back the damper from the front (I used the handle part of a hammer) until the holes line up and the supplied rod can be fed through.

In summary, the replacing of an AKS 3004 stabiliser is really quite simple and takes a maximum of 10 minutes - fifteen minutes if you forget the reason for knocking the rearmost bolt out using the supplied small rod.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Most interesting and informative :)