So you didn't bother with the better four holed clamp then?

Gives me something to ponder over. The jockey wheel had sunk a bit deep in the soft grass at Charmouth and took some fiddling to unearth and hitch up, so maybe a wider wheel on a proper tyre might be the idea.

http://www.thecaravanshop.co.uk/alko-tow...-/prod_110.html

The two-bolt clamp on my 2013 Troll folded as if it was made from tin-foil when the bottom of the jockey wheel tube caught the top of a kerb when using the motor mover to go from site-road onto the pitch (in Spain earlier this month). Luckily I was able to source a replacement clamp reasonably locally. Therefore the four-bolt version is of great interest! Any idea what the part-no. is?

The caravan is currently back in storage so I cannot pop out and measure things but is the standard Alko tube fitted to current Trolls 48mm diameter? I saw on the link that the Alko assy is described as:-

Al-Ko heavy duty assembly with pneumatic wheel - very suitable for caravans with movers fitted.
Galvanised Steel 48 mm Dia. tube, with thrust bearing.
Pneumatic tyre and steel rim.
200 Kg Static nose load, 120 Kg Dynamic Nose Load.

and it is the " very suitable for caravans with movers fitted" bit that interest me.

Quote: KeithDM wrote in post #6

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The two-bolt clamp on my 2013 Troll folded as if it was made from tin-foil when the bottom of the jockey wheel tube caught the top of a kerb when using the motor mover to go from site-road onto the pitch (in Spain earlier this month). Luckily I was able to source a replacement clamp reasonably locally. Therefore the four-bolt version is of great interest! Any idea what the part-no. is?

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I think that my jockey wheel assembly became bent when a largish piece of gravel became jammed between the wheel and the metal frame end. The wheel was jammed and the mover was exerting a lot of force in a sideways direction before I realised that the wheel was not rotating.

I have the 2 bolt fixing and hav'nt had any problems in 8 years with tbis van or the 18 years with the previous van, but then I am carefull and don't have a mover

Quote: Agger wrote in post #9

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I have the 2 bolt fixing and hav'nt had any problems in 8 years with tbis van or the 18 years with the previous van

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Quote: Deeps wrote in post #10

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Quote: Agger wrote in post #9

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I have the 2 bolt fixing and hav'nt had any problems in 8 years with tbis van or the 18 years with the previous van

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I don't believe for one moment that your Jockey Wheel remains absolutely vertical when you are manhandling

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Ah, I wonder whether on my van the slightly different shape of the frame to which the clamp is attached makes a difference. As you can see, the rounded face of the clamp is directly in line with the rounded face of the frame which, with only the two bolts acting as a pivoting point, allows the Jockey Wheel to lean out. The clamp might only allow for a 1-2 degree rotation at the fixing point but when extrapolated along it's length results in a much greater angle at the bottom end. On my van not only was the inner part of the Jockey Wheel applying stress to the bottom part of the outer tube forcing it to flare out but also it was applying pressure to the plastic decorative panel which resulted in a split between the smooth front part and the hammer finished part at the joint where they met. Fortunately with the aid of this image I was able to pursuade Hymer (via my local dealer) that this split was caused as a direct result of the two bolt system allowing for far too much Jockey Wheel deflection and this plastic cover will be replaced under warranty when the van goes in for it's annual service in late September.

Clamp.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Deeps it looks to me that your clamp is bent where it attaches to the van
clamp.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Edit
Just read your earlier post again, it seems you have already replaced it.

Looks like it, but no it isn't. This image was taken at the dealers from whom we purchased the van with the entire Jockey Wheel and bracket being replaced prior to delivery. When the van is lifted at the front end and the Jockey Wheel positioned vertically the two faces (clamp and frame) sit flush and remain so. It is only when the van is wheeled over any surface that hasn't got a mirror-like finish or when the van is swung around into position - on a campsite say - allowing a bit of stress on the clamp that the clamp starts to pivot. As said earlier, a one degree tilt at the top end is greatly exaserbated along it's length so that it really looks bad at the wheel end of the Jockey Wheel. The replacement clamp and Jockey Wheel fitted by the dealer did exactly the same thing which leads me to the conclusion - quite reasonably I believe - that this is both a design failure along with a cost cutting exercise because the holes are already pre-drilled in the frame allowing for a four bolt clamp to be fitted and indeed such a clamp is readily available from ALKO themselves.

Having now myself fitted the four bolt clamp and put the van to use several times since doing so, the Jockey Wheel remains vertical throughout all manouvering of the van. When out camping I expect to be able to manouver the van using all three points - main wheels and Jockey Wheel - irrespective of the quality of surface and not have to think about the need to lift the front end to push the van into place. I've never suffered with back problems over all these years so I don't intend provoking any at this late stage LOL.

Like yours, my 2013 540 exhibited exactly the same behaviour from new - i.e. the jockey wheel tube assy would adopt an angle of lean (at times alarmingly so) when manoeuvred. Tightening the two bolts quite frequently became necessary. Am now in the process of ordering the four-bolt clamp!