Alko Caravan Axle Repairs

Does your European caravan appear to sit very low? Close to the road, with little clearance?

That is great for getting in and out of the vehicle, but it probably means the axle needs refurbishment.

The cause

What has happened is the rubber suspension insets in the axle have become squashed and no longer have any give. Therefore, your suspension has become non-existent. The whole caravan's interior and outer structure are now submitted to impact forces from the road.

The effects

When the wheels hit potholes and indentations in the road, the suspension no longer takes up the shock, and those forces are transmitted to the structure and fabric of the caravan interior.

If you continue towing your caravan in this condition, you will almost certainly cause more damage, and you will be surprised at what happens. The bulkheads and cupboards will become unattached from the walls, and the bulkheads will start pushing through the roof, causing water ingress. We have even seen the chassis rails crack, breaking everything inside.

At Vantage RV, we can replace the rubbers with new ones, which will give you a better and smoother ride and extend the life of your vehicle.

What is the root cause of axle failure?

 When buying a caravan, people often add extras, such as motor movers, awnings, tanks, extra batteries, solar systems, inverters, etc. 

Before they know it, they have reached the maximum payload, which is the issue. Most caravans we fix are overweight and fitted with loads of extras.

The solution

We have designed a spring upgrade to relieve the pressure on the replacement rubbers, making them last longer; during the rebuild of the axle, we can improve the existing design by fitting an after-market spring upgrade.