First trip this weekend!

If you think you may have a problem take it easy for the first mile or so but, if the handle is flat down and the 'green' is showing on the button once you're hitched up, you should be safe.

Enjoy your stay.

Sometimes after reversing with the caravan hitched, you need to pull forward a little to take the 'push' of the hydraulic damper off.

Also when unhitched the the stabiliser handle will not go flat until you insert the red dummy ball into the hitch socket. Assuming this is what you meant by "once the car is out"

That's exactly what I mean....I tried holding the dummy ball in the socket and then pushing handle down, but still no luck.....Ah well. I will find out for sure on Saturday lol!

Maybe next time I just pull forward a little like you mentioned and that should hopefully make it easier....I will learn :)

Just hitch up and take it easy until you find your feet  

As long as once you have hitched up you wind the jockey wheel down again and the caravan starts to lift the rear of the car then you are good to go.

Enjoy your first adventure 

My last caravan was a real struggle to get the bar up or down when the pads had been changed - I had to resort to climbing on it and using my legs to get it down.  It did get easier after a couple of trips. 

Enjoy your weekend. 

For the avoidance of any doubt/confusion, this means wind up the jockey wheel so that the rear of the car is raised in order to check that the caravan is definitely connected onto the tow ball, wind the jockey wheel back down, then pull it up to stow it in its slot in the A frame securely before driving off.  I’m sure you worked this out for yourself, but just in case...

Avoidance!! you have doubtless confused me.

Winding the jockey wheel, as if to move it down, (turn the handle anti clockwise)  raises the car to check for proper attachment.

Hey guys, Everything went fine. Hitchup and detach was smooth....I found that once I stop, pull the car forward an inch and viola....easy.

Only issue really was this massive Trigano Awning....What a pain in the A**e!

Going to buy one of those air awnings...they look much easier...Any recommendations??

Malvern Hills next.

The red bal is an additional security device, either bought separately, or as part of an Alko hitch lock kit. It is not required to depress the hitch stabiliser handle, and is not supplied with a new caravan.

Though the stabiliser handle can be very stiff, sometimes too much for a woman to lock/unlock, it sounds like you have a problem in that area. A strip down, clean, check for pad damage might be called for. Also, the extended neck on a genuine Alko ball helps the fit, but is painted black when new. The thin layer of paint needs to be cleaned off the ball before use.

Kampa sell more than the rest put together. Air inflation takes under ten minutes 😋 Squaring up and pegging out can easily exceed an hours work, depending on how much of a seal you want around the skirt. Air awnings are great, we have one, but troublesome on sloping ground. In both cases, the use of screw pegs fitted with an electric drill wil half the effort, doubly so when removing them.