- No obvious fault with wheel or hub
- University of Bath simulating wheel loss under heat conditions
- AL-KO Kober Vehicle Testing Department attempts to replicate wheel loss
Two months after Bailey Caravans first revealed reports of wheels becoming detached from single-axle Unicorn models, the firm has issued a detailed update on its research into the problem.
Technical Director Andi Linklater today revealed a series of initiatives currently undertaken by Bailey to identify the root cause of the problem. He explained that so far “the examination of the units which have experienced this type of failure has revealed no obvious fault with either the wheel or hub assembly or the individual components”.
Appliance of science
Bailey has announced they are working closely with a number of key partners in the industry on the issue. The Bristol firm is currently participating in a Working Group chaired by the National Caravan Council on the subject of wheel detachments. Professor Adrian Hobbs, a specialist in transport safety, has been employed by the Group to look into the potential cause of the wheel detachments. Professor Hobbs has previously looked into similar issues in the automotive industry.
The University of Bath regularly collaborate with Bailey in testing vehicles, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering is using its Chassis and Suspension Dynamometer to try and simulate wheel loss under various heat and load conditions. Meanwhile at Loughborough University the Vehicle Safety Research Laboratory has been commissioned to investigate the causes behind wheel detachments, through analysing activity by the owners of units that have experienced this problem.
Modelling and simulation
As well as working with partners at home, Bailey has also reached out to experts from abroad. The AL-KO Kober Vehicle Testing Department at Kotz in Germany is attempting to replicate wheel loss on a rolling road, in order to ascertain the original cause and experiment with a variety of possible solutions.
Additionally the Bristol firm’s product team are being aided by component suppliers throughout Europe to source alternative parts offered as solutions by the various testing groups.
Advice on tightening wheel bolts
To date Bailey have been unable to find any obvious fault with either the wheel or hub assembly, or the individual components. However they have “been able to eliminate a number of extraneous factors from the search” and “remain confident” that an appropriate solution can be found.
Until then the firm has re-stated the importance of torquing the wheel bolts of a caravan in accordance with the guidelines laid down in the Owner’s manual. Click here to read Bailey’s advice on torque settings.
Click here for full details of how to contact your Approved Bailey Retailer or Service Centre . Alternatively you can telephone the Bailey Customer Helpline on 0117 305 2939 or email helpline@baileycaravans.co.uk
