Tested: AL-KO Off-Road pin coupling

I’ve got an embarrassing confession to make – well, three – embarrassing for someone who tows and reviews caravans and camper trailers regularly, that is.

That’s the number of times I’ve had a caravan fall off my ball or pin while travelling. Thankfully, each happened at slow speed and caused no damage, but each was my fault.

In all three cases it was because I hadn’t locked the coupling fully. In one case, I got distracted; in another, I simply forgot, while in the third with a DO-35 pin coupling, I still had load on the jockey wheel when I pressed the locking button and the blade didn’t engage its locking groove properly. Mea culpa.

However, if I’d been using AL-KO’s latest Click Lock Off-Road pin coupling those things wouldn’t have happened.

Like the high-end Hitch-Ezy designed to connect large off-road caravans, the AL-KO coupling automatically double locks onto its small, unique tongue-mounted pin for a safe and secure connection without fiddling with levers, latches, pins or caps.

Designed and developed in Australia and rated to 3.5 tonnes, the Click Lock coupling is designed to be fool proof, which is good news for once a year caravanners, or careless reviewers.

You simply wind the jockey wheel down to lower the coupling onto the pin until the rear, red indicator button ‘clicks’ out, confirming that the coupling is double-locked, providing clear indication that the coupling has latched securely onto its pin.

This is AL-KO’s clear point of difference to the Cruisemaster DO-35 that has been the ‘go-to’ off-road coupling of choice of most serious off-road caravan and camper trailer manufacturers for many years.

On the Cruisemaster, you need to release the locking pin manually, whereas this operation is automatic on the Click Lock (and also on the more expensive Hitch-Ezy) coupling.

When it comes to unhitching, simply depress the AL-KO’s top hat, while at the same time depressing the positive latching indicator in one swift motion. Then raise the coupling off the pin, using your jockey wheel.

I first encountered the AL-KO Click Lock on an Aussie-built Bailey Pamplona caravan and to be honest, I first treated it with suspicion, given my past ‘off-hitch’ experiences.

Initially, I found the ‘positive lock’ button counter-intuitive, as I expected it to need pushing in to lock, then the reverse to unlock. But I soon became aware that the opposite was the case.

As with the DO-35 and the Hitch-Ezy, it’s possible with the aid of your tow car’s reversing camera to hitch up single handedly if you pre-tilt the coupling head at about 45 degrees and reverse into it.

It’s also been retro-fitted successfully to a friend’s camping trailer, with the added advantage of the Click Lock over some other off-road couplings being that its integrated head incorporates maintenance-free dust seals.

As you’d expect for an off-road coupling, the head and yoke articulate on separate planes, independent of each other, allowing the tow vehicle and caravan or trailer combination to overcome steep departure, ramp-over or declines at the same time as alternating off-camber sections not afforded by a standard ball coupling.

Another benefit of this articulation that you don’t want to contemplate is that if your camper or caravan rolls behind you on a steep slope, it won’t necessarily drag your tow vehicle with it.

While some new off-road campers and caravans now come fitted with the new AK-LO pin coupling, some people, like my friend, are choosing to replace fiddlier poly-block off-road couplings with this much more user-friendly unit.

Another advantage of the Click Lock coupling is that it sits just 83mm above your tongue, making it ideal for tow vehicles with barn doors. Also, you’re not governed by maximum height restriction as you would with a ball coupling, making it an attractive proposition for those who have raised their tow vehicle to gain higher ground clearance.

Changing over is a simple DIY job provided your A-frame has the industry-standard four-bolt mounting pattern, although you might wish to borrow a torque wrench to be sure your coupling is secured to manufacturers’ standards.

So, what does it cost? Around $300 or less if you go shopping – a lot cheaper than a Cruisemaster DO-35 or Hitch-Ezy, although despite the AL-KO’s ease of operation, these two remain the premium products in the off-road coupling market for their proven operation under all conditions and their build quality.