Alko Shock Absorbers
I have wanted to fit shock absorbers to Bailey94 for ages. After they arrived, first thing was to read the fitting instructions.
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These are the main items needed to fit the shock absorbers.
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To start, applied the handbrake and chocked the jockey wheel.
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The nearside is going to be fitted first, so the offside wheel is also chocked.
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The wheel trim is removed next. I use the peg puller.
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Wheel nuts are then slackened.
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Jack placed under the axle and raised.
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An axle stand is then placed in position and the axle lowered onto it.
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Wheel nuts removed next, then the wheel.
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All corner steadies were then lowered. This is to keep everything stable.
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Then remove this plastic cap from the swing arm with a screwdriver.
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Into the hole provided, inserted the mounting plates.
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Making sure the arrows point forwards.
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To determine which mounting hole to use. In my case the distance from the middle of the swing arm to the hole is 235mm. That will be the middle hole.
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To align the shock absorber the spacers in the fixings (top and bottom) had to go as shown.
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A check of the distance between the mounting bolts. This had to be a minimum of 255mm. That is okay then.
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Referring to the instructions, set the torque wrench to 86Nm.
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Tightening the bottom bolt first. I used an adjustable spanner on the other side.
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Then the top bolt.
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Put the wheel back on, then after winding the steadies up, lower to the ground then torque the wheel nuts to 88Nm and the wheel trim replaced. That side done.
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It was just a matter of repeating the above on the offside. I did release the handbrake then apply it again so that there would be no strain on the brakes before starting.
A straight forward job, once I had decided how the top and bottom spacers on the shock absorber should be aligned. It took 10 minutes to do the other side.
Costings: Alko shock absorbers come in pairs, purchased mine from The Caravan Shop (www.thecaravanshop.co.uk) for £66.95. I have used them before, buying a mini Heki skylight, good service, fast, no hassle.
Page Created 5th July 2009 | 
