Alko atc locked brakes after uncoupling

Yes. If you get chance, get someone to film with camera phone as you slowly back your van up, you will see that the bit of the tow hitch behind the ball concertinas up.  Usually covered with ridged rubber. Once you have stopped reversing, you simply need to ease forward very slowly slightly to release the brakes again. You need to do this every time after reversing with van hitched up. Very, very gently and under full control. We often do it with jockey wheel down but not locked, just prior to uncoupling. If you are on a very steep slope, you could put a couple of bricks in front of caravan wheels as well.

Sounds about right to me.

After you’ve reversed the van just move it forward a few inches so you can see the rubber gaiter stretch, apply the van handbrake and unplug the electric lead before uncoupling. That will release the brakes and prevent the ATC working.

It always worked for us.

You beat me, TDA. I was too busy watching Shetland.😀

That's great, thanks for the advice. I will make sure that is top of my to do list every time I reverse. I was absolutely gutted when I arrived home with my new caravan to find that it had what I thought a serious fault. Now it makes more sense and having been through the pain, it is something that I really hope that I will never forget to do in future!!! 

That’s the term I was trying to think of “rubber gaiter”😁

You’ll be fine, everyone has to learn all these little things. Slow and steady when reversing is always the best way. All too easy to burn out a clutch as many have found to their cost.

Good to hear you are going on a CL, many would find it daunting for some reason, but little different to any other site. Don’t be worried about asking for help or advice, Sites are usually very friendly places. On Club Sites Wardens are very used to new owners, first time outers, and most CL owners have vans themselves, or at least lots of experience. May the sun shine for your first trip..............😁

I doubt you'll forget, Jack.😄

Enjoy your van.

It's difficult to unhitch if the coupling is compressed .... 

No, there is confusion here right from the start between the ATC and the auto reverse system.

The ATC , the electronic stability aid, in no way is affected by reversing, but the auto reverse system is.

However, if you had not "cleanly" uncoupled the electrics that also power the ATC, the slight remake would have started it applying the brakes, then the final separation would leave it now without power where it was at that moment, the brakes possibly on.

It should if set up correctly only be appling about 40% of the brake system's maximum but this still could make moving it challenging. The cure is to reconnect the electrics and let it go through the pre-check, that should be audibly self evident. Then don't wiggle the plug, but aim to very smartly pull it out in a single unhesitating action, a clean single break.

The auto reverse, trips the brake's shoe cam so the push back on the hitch seen as a different thing to the push the van over running ahead creates. This tripping comes from the reverse rolling of the wheels of the van. It happens that this can cause the brakes to drag if the distance reversed is not enough to fully trip the cam. Therefore, it is good advice to before uncoupling to ease forward so the cam is not part tripped.

But any tension, compression or side loading on the ball, also can make uncoupling that a challenge so try to uncouple with no undue load on the ball. if the gradient etc allows you to do that.

Posting removed.

Thanks OCSID. My van was so locked up my car wouldn't budge it an inch in either direction when coupled back up. When I phoned the dealers and spoke the workshop manager he suggested what you said about re-coupling, leaving my engine running and unplugging and replugging the electrics 2 or 3 times to see if it would reset itself. When I tried this, I heard a very short whirring and clunk but it stayed firmly stuck

Unfortunately because I wasn't able to be there when the technician came out to fix it, I didn't get to see what he actually did but as previously mentioned it couldn't have been much because he was fully done within 10 minutes of arrival

Just wish I knew what he actually did for future reference

Thanks to you all again for the really useful advice and support and yes I am hoping that I will never forget to pull a little forward before uncoupling in future and fingers crossed it was a one off

I am also not arrogant enough to think that I don't need help and a little advice when I get to sites and will readily ask whoever is available anything I am not sure about

Ours is an older and less sophisticated purely mechanical system, but it still took me surprisingly long to work out why sometimes it was so hard to uncouple. I post this merely to reassure you that you're not alone, jackeade!