I'm just hoping that the friction pads will bed in soon - got home with new van yesterday and the stabiliser handle just would not release.

Eventually managed to get it to lift with a length of scaffold pole and some suitable protection Van parked on almost flat with tension off the tow hitch - you can see the sides pinch in correctly when lowering the handle, so I don't think there's anything wrong, just hugely stiff - hitch is an Alko ball.

Probably just needs some oil

Talk about tail wagging dog - now I know what lack of proper nose-weight feels like - AL said it would be fine as it was - yeah right!

Quote: rambling robin wrote in post #1

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I'm just hoping that the friction pads will bed in soon - got home with new van yesterday and the stabiliser handle just would not release... Eventually managed to get it to lift with a length of scaffold pole.

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Wouldn't fitting shims make operating the handle even more difficult? I wonder why some new 3004 stabilisers have shims from new whilst others don't. Are manufacturing tolerances of the pads so bad that shims are sometimes required?

Quote: Deeps wrote in post #3

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Wouldn't fitting shims make operating the handle even more difficult?

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Quote: Deeps wrote in post #3

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I wonder why some new 3004 stabilisers have shims from new whilst others don't. Are manufacturing tolerances of the pads so bad that shims are sometimes required?

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OK - that makes sense - so the idea is to reduce the thickness of the side pad shim bundle until the handle is easier to operate.
I guess we're talking about a slightly subjective value of easy - is there any one indicator that would tell me if I've remove too many? Would the handle just be sloppy or do the front and back pads hide that?
Sorry but this is total novice-land - shimming camshafts no problem but this gert lump of metal behind is a different game!

Logically I would think that as long as the markings on the handle fall within the engraved settings on the front of the hitch then you are good to go.

When I first bought my Eriba last winter I had a heck of a job to pull the stabiliser handle up when I got home. Not good news as I have a bad shoulder. However, it does seem easier now the more I use it....the stabiliser, I mean. I did speak to an Alko agent in the end and he said it was obviously doing what it is meant to do.

Well, I drifted out the pads and no shims.
My ball measures a tad under 50mm (Imperial tad that is - can't stand all this new fangled metric stuff)
With the 48mm red keeper ball there's a nice 'over centre' action which is what I remember these hitches feeling like. I hope it's just a case of me being a weakling and that it will all bed down after a good rubbing over some twisty roads.
In the meantime my 2' scaffold pole has now got some nice padding at the gas locker end and some carpet tile inserts to prevent damage to the stabiliser handle.

If your tad results in a 49mm ball then AL-KLO recommend it is time to replace it.

Just a belts and braces response, did you remember to remove all the paint from your tow ball?
My previous van had an Alko 1300 which when new was a devil to unhitch. I had to jump up and down on the tow ball to get it off, after a few trips it was fine. My new Familia now has the Alko 3004, it has resistance applying and removing but can be done by hand and without any other means.

So, rocked up at site on Tueday - applied scaffold pole to handle and it broke (handle that is)

Drove all the way back home, contacted AL and Wednesday morning took van down to them.

Bit of fiddling around and in the end decided that fitting a 1300 was the best solution - much easier to operate, no strain, no pain.

Done while we waited - first class service!

Couldn't feel the slightest difference towing on the way home, so off again.