I bought one of these systems. Jacked the caravans once, saw the way it twisted the Alford chassis legs and took it off. Tried it on both my Coachman 546 vip and daughters Bailey Vendee. Same effect on both chassis. Found the finish to be appalling, the welding atrocious and in fact regarded it as detrimental to my caravan so disposed of it. In its stead I made my own from 30mmx10mm cold rolled steel bar , 50mmx50mmx3mm able iron and short pieces of 50mm steel tube. The 30x10 was used to make a piece 50mm longer than the chassis was deep and a fish plate to fit inside the chassis. The 50x 50x was welded to the long 30x10 and a M12 nut welded to the vertical face. The tube was cut to protrude 20 mm below the longer piece of flat bar and welded to both the flat bar and the angle iron. The long flat bar was marked to match the pre punched holes in the chassis, the fishplate was marked to match the same holes. The longer plate was drilled 13 mm to give clearance to M12x bolts the fishplate was drilled and tapped M12x. When 4 of these pieces were made they were sent of to be galvanised. I purchased a couple of 3.5 ton bottle jacks. Upon fitted the units to the caravans I found jacking the caravans to a hight where I could easily removed a wheel if needed caused no twist whatsoever to the chassis rails. Each pair was made in a couple of hours and material costs including galvanising was aprox £25 per pair. Jacks were £50 each but I bought 3.5 ton jacks as supplied with Iveco Daily vans, cheaper are available from Internet. Compared to the £100 I spent on the kojack system that would of in my giew damaged my chassis a cheaper and better method of lifting the van. The kojack system twists the chassis rails because the jacking point is out from the face of the chassis rails and acts like a lever upon them. My system not only strengthens the rail substantially by means of the fish plate but the jacking point is in line with the chassis face so forces are perpendicular to the chassis. The angle iron and clamp bolt through it acts on the fish plate to ensure there is no forcing of the jacking plate from the face of the chassis rails while the caravan is being jacked. I happily pay the weight penalty secure in the knowlage that my system was engineered to be safe and not damage my chassis rails

Always tighten the nut, not the bolt

Torque wrench should be on the nut, not the bolt head. You should be tightening the nut against a surface that you want to be tight against and against which the torque should be measured. By measuring it on the bolt head you cannot be sure that some of the resistance in the torque is not caused by the bolt heads interface with the fixing surface, or anywhere else that the bolt shaft comes into contact with that causes friction. This is more of an issues on rough surfaces and less of an issues on new paint. But any burr on the bracket could have an effect. Also when changing a flat tyre jack the wheel up to a height that allows you to put on an inflated tyre. Remember it will stand higher. You don't want to be raising the caravan on the jack without a wheel on. That is the time it will fall off the jack. Better to fall back on the wheel than the ground. Blocks under the axle are a good idea It is possible to jack an alko chassis without a jacking point, but very dodgy, unless the load is well spread with a spreader plate of some description. But if you do, always place the jack behind the axle to the rear. Otherwise you could be trying to jack the tow vehicle too. Also take care in high sidewinds. If as sometimes happens you lose wheel nuts in the excitement and drama of rain, darkness, mud, sand etc, then rob some off the other wheel. Generally three retaining nuts will get you to a safer place if care is taken.

I’ve got one of the original kojack scissor jacks I bought in 2008. Brill tool. Moved it on to my new Coachman. It’s used almost every trip to align the wheels for the alko lock. Remember to service the jack and use regularly. Used it last year to free the van when the van sank deep in the soft field.

Watched your video , I've had 2 twin axle caravans since 2014 both lost the jacking points due to the 4 wheel motor mover so I bought a small trolley jack from Halfords, worked well plus if you have a twin axle it makes fitting the alko locks to both wheels a doddle. Just one safety point I would not recommend putting your hand between the wheel and the floor to check the clearance, the one in a million chance this new jack was to fail the Consequences would be very serious.

If you use a wooden board under the jack you will get more surface area as well as height and I would recommend that if you are at the side of the road and are changing the offside wheel especially to angle the jack towards the front of the caravan so that you are a)not having to hold the mudflap and b) you don't have your body sticking out into a live lane and you are able to observe oncoming traffic. I would also keep the shorter handle but either get a longer handle or a length of pipe (not plastic) to go over that handle to make pumping up easier with greater leverage and faster. You will want to be as fast as possible if at the side of the road. As with a car, you should always have the spare already removed and under the chassis and then the removed wheel so that if the jack suddenly failed, the hub does not end up on the floor with little clearance to be able to jack it up again. Bottle jacks also have a tendency to leak a little as they get older, so keeping it in an old ice cream tub or similar will help prevent you dirtying your car boot or wherever you keep it in the caravan. Never attempt to jack up on a hill and wherever possible, it would be better to first pump the tyre with air to allow you enough time to get to a relatively flat area to change the tyre.

I would suggest the Alko jacking system would be better as there is more room for the jack if the Caravan is very low because of a flat tyre. We fitted a 2000 kg one to our 1500kg van.

I measured the height of the point, where to put the jack under the frame, to the ground and indeed in case of a flat tyre it is to low to put a pot jack under it. You’ll definitely need a scissor jack. I checked the size of the scissor jack foot. It’s bigger as the one from the pot jack. The top area of the scissor jack is flat and also bigger as that from the pot jack.

Just fitted mine today nice and easy job peace of mind now after seeing your video thank you

You could angle the jack on the block to give mud flap clearance. the top will stay connected. If steady's are down, you need to raise them before jacking.

Had one for years and moved it from van to van as they came and went. Just buy new hardware,19mm bolts, Nylocs and washers each time ( Ive a box now). I use it each time I remove the wheels and replace the winter wheels. Always keep the jack upright as over time if laid over they'll get an airlock and bleeding a jack on the site of a puncture is not recommended for you blood pressure! As a belt and braces I also carry a foldable axle stand.

Thanks Dave, Didn’t even think about how i change a caravan tyre ! i presumed the car jack would suffice !… clearly not!😁😁… you have saved me a whole world of trouble !!

The kojack is a brilliant product. Especially for aligning up the wheel for the Alko Chassis/wheel lock. And or putting tyre savers under the wheels for long term storage to stop flat spots.

Excellent, there is a slot on the end of the handle that slots into the valve that you open and close to release the pressure

Hi Dave, Great Vlog and a big thank you for mentioning us. Glad our vlog on the Flat Tyre helped you decide on what Jack to fit onto your caravan. It is a great system, Jack is a bit weighty so we secure it in the caravan but it is we'll worth it. Your vlog was a very comprehensive demonstration of how to Jack up the Caravan. The Jack will go a bit higher, there are 3 sections to the piston. It gets a bit harder when you get to the 3rd. Thanks for sharing all the best. James

hi Dave,you dont need a block to get more height as the top section screws out to increase the height.You,ve probably found that out by now but just thought i,d say. Love your vlogs.

Hi Dave I have the original Kojack which is the scissor type circa 2009 still going strong 👍😁

Who loves ya baby 📍, great jacking system, I was looking at fitting the kojack , but we were lucky,because are caravan had the alco Jack system already on it, cheers Dave, let’s hope we never have to use them,👍👍

It’s great to see you managed to extract the full kit out of the box without all the orange paint falling off. Maybe Kojack have stopped using the very technical, take a mouthful of paint and spit on the jack spraying system

Alko make a side lift jack specifically for their chassis that fits all frames. I fitted the heavy duty version to our 2019 Swift Challenger. Available from Prima Leisure.

Relying pn the spirit level to adjust the position of the brackets MUST also require that the van is LEVEL before you start. This video commented on the van pitching down towards the car, SO if using the jack this would suggest you are not getting a true virtical lift and therefore possible movement as the groove in the lift piston would not fully interface with the bracket fitting.

Me thinks you've convinced me to get one of these fitted, another great video ...... Cheers

Hi Dave I am old school I have a 2 ton trolley jack no problem place it under the axel pump it up no chance of it falling off, I must admit the kojack is a great alternative great video. Pete.

Great video Dave. Thanks for sharing. Enjoy your time ;))

Hi, I fitted this system to our van. I’ve also modified a Milenco Stacka levelling pad as a stable platform for the jack to stand on. Did this by cutting a few of the fins off with a multi tool. We also use the Milenco pads to level the caravan, you need to jack it up to use the Alco lock. Not as much bother than you might think. The Milenco tyre saver sits on top of the levelling pad when in use.

Excellent video, clear and informative. Don’t forget to raise the steadies!

A great video, easy enough to do, not sure why they don't supply spring washers or nyloc nuts to prevent the nuts loosening overtime, can't see the point of spirit levels unless you actually level the caravan prior to fitting, some great advice on jacking up after fitting 👍

Hi Dave & Helen, I finally got around to installing my Kojack (why do I crave a lollipop when I say that word) last week and hopefully I shan’t have to test it anytime soon 🤞 The funnything was that I promised myself after watching your BAFTA winning video that I would take the mud flaps off first. It was only when I got on my hands and knees that I realised our 580 doesn’t have any 😂 Another thanks from us for your service! Best wishes David & Rachel 🥂

Yeah, I must admit I need that jacking system aswell. I follow caravan escapades aswell and seeing that him and you both have them now has made my mind up to get some now . Thanks again and keep the good work up.

The kojack is a brilliant product. Just a little pointer the jack does have another extension! The top of the jack is on a threaded bar and can be screwed out the extend before you use the 2 hydraulic extensions

It's worth buying the two locating pins that screw into the stud holes so that you can fit the wheel over these and locate the studs in the holes.

You are best taking a small trolly jack, what you have is a lot of hard work, small trolly jack is also best for twin axle.

I think when I fit mine I'll replace them bolts and nylocs with S/Steel ones. That air release screw should have been nipped up really Dave, just use the end of the lifting lever to tighten and undo. You did well considering the tools you were using :)

I fitted the Bailey one to my Swift as it's all Alko Chassis. According to Alko site you can place a jack on the chassis or the double part of the chassis either side of the axel no where else.

Great Jack dave although I do carry a small bottle Jack worst nightmare has got to be getting a puncture on a smart motorway or not so smart another great video enjoy sunny hunny been to searles plenty of times

On the jack the top piece will unscrew to give you extra height I fitted it on our van very good system

Hi . You have to remember a flat tyre drops your height by 4to5 inches a thick block won’t let you get the jack in place. Great content though

Tried to buy this system in NZ but not able to. Even tried Australia. Made same type from heavy angle iron and had engineer weld in supports to each side also jack retention pipe to stop jack slipping. Turn out a great lifting port with bottle jack either 2 or 4 ton.

Well done Dave, fiddly job, I find jobs like that often need a swear box. Fitted Kojacks on a couple of our vans, not too easy to access and getting the jack stable and engaged is sometimes a bit of a fuss, had to use it too regularly for levelling on the drive, so got a trolley jack. Need a good piece of scaff board or similar to go beneath any jack to get a stable platform on soft or dodgy ground. Thankfully in 30 years and a lot of trips, never had a puncture on a van. Have a Kojack in my garage for a twin axle, never fitted it, so will end up in a car boot along with lots of other redundant stuff one day! Due to dodgy knees I cheat nowadays with an E and P system, though would most likely still get Mayday out to change a wheel in any case, as it is the law of Sod that it will not likely happen in a great place…..

I wouldn’t be sticking my fingers under the wheel to see if it’s jacked up enough, if the seal in that jack goes your fingers are crushed into that nice concrete driveway you’ve got there…just an observation… Maybe a proper jacking pad?, using one would give you more height on the jack so less jacking but make sure you have enough room to get the jack out when you drop the van Cheers for the video, very informative 👍

Great video, well put together and very informative. Another job on the list for me to do next month on our caravan.

Iv jacked up loads of alko caravans, the frame doesn't bend if you put it in the right place

Hi dave I had these on my caravan. Very useful. Campervan now. But I may be strong. But the kojak didn't look square to the chassis. The reference I was using. On your view through wheel & flap. Didn't look parallel to floor of caravan & top of jack

Hi. Dave Some great points made there on jacking points on the caravan frame. It's a problem when on the side of the road/motorway we don't have a jack as such. I have the jack but no jacking point on the frame 😕 we have RAC and like you use that as a default. Great video cheers Paul and Sarah

Just a quickie (which might need sanity-checking by someone else). At 13:00, where you're using the horizontal spirit level on the bracket to make adjustments to ensure it is level before tightening the bolts, it's worth mentioning that you have to be sure you've double-checked that the van itself is level front-to-back before you start the fitting process. Nice video, thumbs up from me. I always make a point of reading others comments because it refines everything but that wouldn't happen unless you'd taken the trouble to make the video in the first place. I'm new to this game and have only been out once and it was a bit of a nightmare (I i won't go into it 😅). I hate the idea of not being able to change a wheel myself, but on my 2010 Bailey Pageant the spare is slung under the middle of the axle and i wouldn't fancy jacking up to fish it out when needed. I go local (with decent mobile signals) do will probably rely on RAC/AA, but when I start going further afield I'm probably going to fit a Kojack and keep the spare in the van when towing.

Great vlog Dave, will be getting the twin axle system for my caravan. Cheers Terry

Had the same issue dave found the jack didn't lift enough hight so I use two bits of decking board

I have a twin axle caravan with a quad motor mover. Unfortunately these get in the way of the mounting holes so you can't use one of these jacks :( One piece of a advice I'd like to offer though is always carry an axle stand with you to pop under the chassis once you've jacked it up. If the ground becomes a little unstable or you're on a road with large lorries flying past which can sway the caravan this can potentially make it unstable too. The axle stand could save your limbs or your life!

Hi David, when you fitted the bolts on the brackets, the washers should have gone between the chassis and the nuts, that my way of thinking 🤔 and not the bolts. I like the idea of the bottle jack with the telescopic lifting ram, 👌

Great video except a couple of safety issues. NEVER go under anything only supported with a jack, putting fingers under a wheel is a huge no no, imagine if the jack collapsed when your fingers were underneath, would make going to the loo interesting. Also putting your head under it, I hope I don't need to explain that one. Jacking anything is an incredibly dangerous act that if you are lucky you will never need to do at the side of a road with vehicles passing at speed. Thank you for another well produced video.

Good job done there Dave 👍. No worries now if you get a puncture (not that you want one). I fitted the Alko side lift jack but I prefer the kojack bottle jack. Don’t know why Alko didn’t go this way? Did you notice at around 22 min 20 secs the opposite wheel had moved forward from the chock ? Great informative video. Cheers, Rob & Gail 😀

Excellent video Dave. I also live in Norfolk. Brand new to caravans and watching your video when you visited Greentrees i spotted a nice caravan at the end of the video. So thanks to you i bought it. I pick it up in a few weeks. 18th July. What torque wrench have you got mate? Thank you both again for your videos. Im learning alot from them. All the best.

Great Volg ! All i would say if you have a standard bottle jack (Aldi 5 ton) you can use this even if its a bit tall, by running the punctured tyre up your levelling ramp to get under the axle jacking point before lifting .

Electronic legs..great on twin wheeler.

Hi, great video. Our new van has this already fitted, but now, having watched video, I can use the jacking system safely. Never thought about being attached to the car for safety if it was on site. Thanks, Paul and Jo .

Hi Dave, we have a German Caravan on an Alko chassis with built in Jacking point witch is galvanised, and use a Alko scissor Jack, not had to use it in an emergency yet but had a test run, seems to work fine, very informative Video Bob

Looks really good will look at purchasing one

I have the AL-KO side lift jack that came with the caravan it's not the easiest to use, I may change it for this system. 👍

Interesting, I fitted the AL-KO ones that come with a standard jack, just as easy but yours raised the caravan quicker. Can't believe the manufacturers don't fit them as standard, especially as it needs with a spare wheel.

Hi Dave Great job considering you seemed to be working blind. Think I may have to invest in one thanks for the advice. ATB Joe & Tracey 👍

Great video has made me think and definitely getting the kojack this I no exactly how to fit it .After watching your indepth video brilliant and a massive thankyou .ps also agree its nice to have a new caravan because your caravan is always loosing money so it's waying up the options .your caravan is emaculate all the best terry emm

I see on eBay that the LoJack scissor jack is 1/2 the price of the bottle jack version, and it comes with the bolt on jack points as well, better deal if you are being cost efficient…😁

Great vlog .. such great info ..maybe a daft question but does that stay on the caravan all the time now?

Good clear video. Thank you

great video .. my motor mover is behind the wheels .yours are in front of the wheel ..which means you are able to fit the brackets quite easily.. has anyone managed to fit the kojack with a motor mover hindering access to the bolt holes? tia

These definitely look super handy thank you, ha definitely can’t go wrong with a a load of bit timber. Something I keep in my car is a tyre puncture plugging kit just in case, won’t work on side walls and certain areas but very handy if need to sort something fast and temporary. Oh also need to carry some sort of pump a battery one or a compressor that works off the car battery. Thanks though will get some of these jacking points. Sam

Great video, very informative. One question….. How much clearance do I need beside the bracket? On my Bailey Phoenix+ 640, the grey waste pipe runs close to the pre-drilled holes for the offside bracket. I’d like to make sure I can fit the bracket, before ordering a set.

Great video, i had seen this on Caravan Escapades as you had suggested, its a good product. I have an Elddis caravan with a BPW chassis which means i cannot fit this to my van. Unfortunately Purpleline only make a kit for ALCO chassis which is a shame. Anyway another great video, look forward to the next one.

🔥🔥 Love this experience L189

looks great

Great job. Top man

I always have a aerosol tyre weld can in my car and an electric pump ..I think it would seal the tyre to get you home ..not had to use it yet tho so not sure tbh

Thats a great video, i learn something every day, never thought about not jacking up on alko chassis. So now my dilemma is should i fit this system as you have so excellent demonstrated or as you pointed out just ring mayday or whoever, after all i cannot remember the last time i was anywhere and i didnt have a phone signal. 🤔

I have the Kojack system the same as yours. I am assuming that you know that the ram of the hydraulic jack is in 3 parts outer ram, inner ram and also a screw in/out part this last part should be undone to give you enought lift on the jack. Hope this helps

We have kojack to excellent jack.

You have a lovely van, keep it, and just do the extras. The extra 20k can be sent to me to dispose of....

Hi, I am also thinking of buying this jacking system. However I also have a tyre sealant added to my wheels to help prevent a flat tyre. Should I get a puncture it automatically seals and prevents the tyre from going down. Very easy to instal and will hopefully prevent a flat on a narrow country road. Regards Peter.

Got one fitted love it but that handle is not good, it lets it down should of been a solid handle. Buts it’s a nice bit of kit just incase

Why do so many caravan builders and designers use the AL-KO chassis there is absolutely no torsional diagonal rigidity what so ever, every time you use the corner steadies the body is under stress and the sealed joints eventually start leaking I speak from experience having owned a Bailey.

I have a kojak. Jacking system except mine has a hydraulic scissor jack

We carry a bottle jack. We found out the hard way that an ordinary jack does not do the business.

In regard to jacking up the caravan following a puncture years ago I experienced such an issue on our way to our holiday destination. The situation wasn't helped by the fact the puncture was to the side where I would access the spare-wheel rack. By using a combination of caravan steadies and the Jockey wheel I managed to lift the side of the van high enough to removed the punctured wheel and access the rack, not recommended using the steadies to support the weight of the van but in an emergency?

Hi Dave You said the safest place to jack up a caravan is the axle yet you put the kojack on the chassis I'm a little confused, surely this will bend the chassis Confused of Belvedere

Would you drop leg steadies when changing wheel

Hi David, did you have to drill the holes in the chassis or were they already there. Thanks Richard.

Hi Dave. How about using an airbag jack .......looking at ebay I see that they can lift several tons....would that be a solution ?

This was a very interesting video because I already have a bottle jack and I didn’t know how I was going to put the jack on the chassis to lift it up. I think I will have to get that kit. Just out of interest where did you get yours from? Thanks Dave

it would have been nice to see it done with a flat tyre and on the side of the road ??

Do you need to have the caravan level before fitting the brackets ?

Hi Dave Just watched your video on the Kojak could you tell me can the jack be swivelled round as I have a twin axle fitted with an all wheel drive powertouch motor mover? Thank you Brian

Hi Dave do you get a bag or box to store the Jack

Have you considered how high the jack must lift from a fully flat tyre to allow for an inflated spare to be fitted. My Coachman tyre wall is about 5” so the jack must lift that height above just getting an inflated tyre off the ground. Even with an inflated tyre ou we’re at the full extent of travel. Is the jack therefor not for changing a flat tyre?

The bolts will be washer faced the washer should go on the back with the nut.

Kwik-Fit will soon sort it. 😉

I cringed never put your hand under the wheel

Can't believe you put fingers under the wheel to verify there's a gap. No accounting for Darwinism 😮