AKS, ATC and AAA – The trio for maximum safety when towing

25 years of AKS, 125,000 ATCs installed and AAA from five manufacturers as standard

Even though towing vehicles, i.e. car/caravan combinations, are among the safest means of transport on Germany's roads, the risks while driving should not be underestimated. Therefore, AL-KO has been investing in towing safety since the early 1990s to make driving even safer and more pleasant with innovative technical components. AL-KO products from its caravanning division have long been indispensable – the AKS stabiliser coupling is celebrating its 25th anniversary, the ATC anti-skid system, introduced to the market nearly ten years ago, has now been installed 125,000 times in Europe and in many cases is fitted as standard. The self-adjusting brake AAA Premium Brake completes the safety trio. Although it's only been on the market for two years, its success is already following in the footsteps of the other two AL-KO safety products. The innovative brake is fitted as standard by five caravan manufacturers in Germany and has already been retrofitted into thousands of caravans. And as the trend towards increased safety continues, this trio of high-quality and highly efficient safety products will ensure safe driving in the future.

Thanks to the ATC anti-skid system, the AKS stabiliser coupling and the AL-KO Automatic Adjustment (AAA) Premium Brake, it is now possible to minimise risks from a technical standpoint. The perfect interplay between all of these components continuously ensures maximum safety – especially in critical situations such as small evasive manoeuvres, tyre blow-outs, side wind on bridges or air turbulence when overtaking. The caravan swings about and can become uncontrollable. In these situations, stabilisation systems such as AL-KO’s ATC anti-skid system aid the driver because they generally prevent the caravan from swaying. A special sensor system constantly controls the driving stability of the caravan. Vibrations are detected early, the trailer brake is activated immediately when needed and the car and caravan unit is gently slowed down. This has the effect of returning the trailer to its track automatically. The ATC display can be mounted on the dashboard as an additional safety indicator, informing the driver about the state of the ATC. To date, the ATC has been installed 125,000 times in Europe. In an increasing number of caravan models the ATC is part of the standard equipment – also causing many caravanners to desire a retrofit solution.

In addition to oscillations from side to side, driving stability may also be massively impacted by the trailer's up and down movements. In these situations, stabiliser couplings come to the rescue. The AL-KO AKS stabiliser coupling is a special version of the trailer coupling and suppresses any swaying and pitching motions that occur. The first AKS went into mass production in 1990 and was called AKS 2000; back then it was still equipped with two friction linings.

Optimally adjusted brakes are a key component of safety. The new AL-KO Automatic Adjustment (AAA) Premium Brake with automatic brake adjustment for caravans ensures maximum braking effect in any situation. The robust brake is automatically adjusted when needed, ensuring optimum brake clearance at all times. Thus, the brakes are always perfectly adjusted over the entire lifespan of the wheel brake. Even the infamous collision shock is a thing of the past. In Germany, five caravan brands fit the AAA as standard – in the current 2016 season in most or even all of their models. This means AL-KO is a clear market leader in Europe in this sector.

Further information about AL-KO Vehicle Technology is available online at www.al-ko.com and in AL-KO Customer Centre of caravan dealers. There is also a video on YouTube about AL-KO ATC & ATC Display at www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTCP6OkrAD4 and a video about AL-KO AAA Premium Brake for caravans at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO34N3X1jWo