Adapting a Suzuki Alto to take an A frame

[olley]

Wife has decided that at the moment she won't use public transport so I need to A frame the Alto or we will be stuck on sites.
After a phone around it becomes apparent that Alto's aren't popular and no one it seems makes a frame them, Armatage said if I drove it up to them they would make one for around £900 but that means wifey has to drive her car while I drive the RV, she's not keen as its 190 miles so I said ok I will make one. bit bored so fancy doing it anyway.

Pulled the front of the Alto to see whats what.

Ordered some steel box and used the existing front cross member as a pattern.

Did a dry fit to the car, all seems fine.

Back in the workshop and set up the pins bought from Jason on RVOC, I had to make new spacers to suit the distance I wanted them to protrude out the front of the car.

New spacers made and rebushed the clevis pin holes to suit 1/2" clevis pins, the bushes where made oversize so I could shrink fit them into the pin holes.

Bought a hitch and made the arms out of 30x30x3mm box, with some 30x3mm bent over at the ends to take the clevis pins. And no I am not a welder.

Fitted a socket under the bonnet and wired it to the rear lights.

Fitted the brake cable supplied by Armatage but I didn't like the clevis for the brake pedal or the method of connecting the end of the cable to the hitch so bought some fancy shiney marine swageless fittings. And with that we are done, just tested it on my daughters car just pulled it around the block. The arms are bolted to the hitch so I remove them after use which make it all reasonably light to carry around but a bit more of a faff to set up.

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

Good on you for doing the job and saving a small fortune i am sure.

My hat is off to you. More than chuffed to be honest for you...well done you!

Regards Kev

 

[footscray188c]

Nice job.

 

[pappajohn]

An additional cross bar just forward of the eye clevises wouldn't go amiss to prevent the arms trying to pull together and push apart under braking.
Any stress and strain is too much stress and strain.

 

[PeteH]

Co-incidently I have just repurposed one from a Peugeot 205. to fit a P-107. But I already had the Caratow rig,. I used "Farm Gate" eyes I had from an electric gate project!. I now have to fabricate a tow hitch for my Garden trailer. As No one makes one for a P-107.

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[Northernraider]

Surprised altos ain't popular ...i have one from towtal

 

[pelican]

Please tell me how the brakes are activated

 

[pappajohn]

Please tell me how the brakes are activated

Generically, the hitch end of the inner is secured to a lever on the sliding hitch.
The outer in a captive bracket on the frame.
Car end, the inner has a clevis fork which fits over the brake pedal and is secured with a pin through a drilled hole in the pedal.
The outer is secured where it passes through a drilled hole on the bulkhead to line up with the pedal.
When you brake the momentum of the car causes the hitch to slide forwards and the lever pulls the inner cable.
The inner cable then pulls on the brake pedal slowing the car. .

 

[olley]

An additional cross bar just forward of the eye clevises wouldn't go amiss to prevent the arms trying to pull together and push apart under braking.
Any stress and strain is too much stress and strain.

Not needed John your over engineering it beyond even what I do. The car forms the base of a triangle, those pins are 16mm dia and with the pin nuts done up on the 25mm sleeves you get a solid fixing back to the cross member .
Even if they could move the 12mm bolts on the hitch wouldn't let them.
The weakest point is the cross member fixing to the chassis, if anything is likely to fail its that, but with the mediocre accelerate of my RV that's not likely.

 

[olley]

Generically, the hitch end of the inner is secured to a lever on the sliding hitch.
The outer in a captive bracket on the frame.
Car end, the inner has a clevis fork which fits over the brake pedal and is secured with a pin through a drilled hole in the pedal.
The outer is secured where it passes through a drilled hole on the bulkhead to line up with the pedal.
When you brake the momentum of the car causes the hitch to slide forwards and the lever pulls the inner cable.
The inner cable then pulls on the brake pedal slowing the car. .

I have just fitted mine and I didn't understand that.

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[pappajohn]

Not needed John your over engineering it beyond even what I do. The car forms the base of a triangle, those pins are 16mm dia and with the pin nuts done up on the 25mm sleeves you get a solid fixing back to the cross member .
Even if they could move the 12mm bolts on the hitch wouldn't let them.
The weakest point is the cross member fixing to the chassis, if anything is likely to fail its that, but with the mediocre accelerate of my RV that's not likely.

You're probably right.
If you saw my first A frame for my Suzuki jeep...... No sliding hitch so no brakes and nearly weighed as much as the jeep.
Very similar clevis style at the car end but I cut and bent the 60mm box section where you welded bits on.

As for not understanding my diatribe.... It was a generic explanation and different methods could be used.

 

[bigtwin]

Please tell me how the brakes are activated

I thought the same; there doesn’t seem to be any means of applying the car’s brakes.

I understood that if brakes are fitted, they most be operable when under tow.

Ian

 

[olley]

The hitch can slide under braking as it does it pulls on a cable which is connected to a cable at the front of the car, this cable is in turn connected to your brake pedal so as you brake the brake pedal in the car is pulled on.
Do I need it on a 9.25 ton RV? No but it makes it legal.

 

[olley]

If you look at the last picture near the electric cable near the car you can see the brake cable laying on the ground, then if you look under the 6 on the number plate you can the little stub it connects to.

 

[tonyidle]

Wife has decided that at the moment she won't use public transport so I need to A frame the Alto or we will be stuck on sites.
After a phone around it becomes apparent that Alto's aren't popular and no one it seems makes a frame them, Armatage said if I drove it up to them they would make one for around £900 but that means wifey has to drive her car while I drive the RV, she's not keen as its 190 miles so I said ok I will make one. bit bored so fancy doing it anyway.

Pulled the front of the Alto to see whats what.
View attachment 410898

Ordered some steel box and used the existing front cross member as a pattern.
View attachment 410899

Did a dry fit to the car, all seems fine.
View attachment 410901

Back in the workshop and set up the pins bought from Jason on RVOC, I had to make new spacers to suit the distance I wanted them to protrude out the front of the car.
View attachment 410904

New spacers made and rebushed the clevis pin holes to suit 1/2" clevis pins, the bushes where made oversize so I could shrink fit them into the pin holes.

View attachment 410905

Bought a hitch and made the arms out of 30x30x3mm box, with some 30x3mm bent over at the ends to take the clevis pins. And no I am not a welder.
View attachment 410906

Fitted a socket under the bonnet and wired it to the rear lights.
View attachment 410920

Fitted the brake cable supplied by Armatage but I didn't like the clevis for the brake pedal or the method of connecting the end of the cable to the hitch so bought some fancy shiney marine swageless fittings. And with that we are done, just tested it on my daughters car just pulled it around the block. The arms are bolted to the hitch so I remove them after use which make it all reasonably light to carry around but a bit more of a faff to set up.
View attachment 410921

Nice job! You could save a bit of weight and tidy things up even more by removing the redundant handbrake lever .

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[olley]

True hadn't thought of that.

 

[Northernraider]

Nice job! You could save a bit of weight and tidy things up even more by removing the redundant handbrake lever .

True hadn't thought of that.

I've found i actually use the handbrake on mine ...if you unhitch on a slope it saves the hitch whacking your back bumper

 

[Reallyretired]

Our toad is an alto. Caratow did the new cross member etc.

 

[PeteH]

The brake cable should be connected to the handbrake and tripped by a breakaway cable, that is Legally required to put the brake ON if the device detaches from the towing vehicle, in order to stop the towed item running amuck and causing more mayhem. ALL caravans have that feature. As do braked trailers. Even un-braked trailers should have a Safety Chain by law, as my little garden Trailer came with (Free from the BIL ).

 

[PeteH]

Our toad is an alto. Caratow did the new cross member etc.

They (and others too) will do just the pull-bar, for most cars. But if you have the gear and skills, like much of DIY, the cost is less the materials more the Labour. As well as the satisfaction of a job which is well done. My welding too is not Fancy, But I have hung my life on it more than once, getting penetration is the key factor.

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[Geo]

My Mrs says your right
Didnt even know she could weld

 

[tonyidle]

getting penetration is the key factor

I learned that lesson in my teens

 

[tonyidle]

The brake cable should be connected to the handbrake and tripped by a breakaway cable, that is Legally required to put the brake ON if the device detaches from the towing vehicle, in order to stop the towed item running amuck and causing more mayhem. ALL caravans have that feature. As do braked trailers. Even un-braked trailers should have a Safety Chain by law, as my little garden Trailer came with (Free from the BIL ).

True - the key element is the handbrake ratchet or gas strut so the brakes stay on if the trailer detaches - wasn't thinking .

 

[PeteH]

I learned that lesson in my teens

After I typed it. I sat waiting for that one!

Your all very predictable!

 

[olley]

True - the key element is the handbrake ratchet or gas strut so the brakes stay on if the trailer detaches - wasn't thinking .

Now you tell me! I just cut it off with the gas axe.

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[tonyidle]

Now you tell me! I just cut it off with the gas axe.

I might have believed you if you hadn't mentioned the gas axe

 

[tonyidle]

After I typed it. I sat waiting for that one!

Your all very predictable!

............................ at welding classes .

 

[olley]

Here's a picture of it all connected ready for Peterborough.
First time I have used an A frame so a little bit concerned but we arrived at Peterborough without a hitch, apart from the wife asking if I had taken the rv of Sorn, opps forgot so pulled into a layby and did it then.

 

[PeteH]

Here's a picture of it all connected ready for Peterborough.
First time I have used an A frame so a little bit concerned but we arrived at Peterborough without a hitch, apart from the wife asking if I had taken the rv of Sorn, opps forgot so pulled into a layby and did it then.
View attachment 411818

Looks the business. In fact the Blue Ox unit I had for my R-V in the US looked not dissimilar . I had a 4WD Tacoma on it. ( which I think is the UK Hilux?).

 

[olley]

Couple of mods if I was building them again Pete.
Instead of using 30x3mm box for the arms I would use 30x2mm then 25mm box would fit inside so I could make them in two pieces, next a shouldered bolt in the 2nd hole to allow the arms to swing in when not in use. Thinking about it I may do that anyway.

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