Headlights Too High

Plenty of options, here's one!Helper Springs

I feel the same when my lights are too high. And also when others have unadjusted lights or fog lights on when shouldn't .
If you are only occassionly loaded you could go to air bags to lift it, which would also make the drive nicer, or adjust the lights to suit,most vehicles are easy to do, that's the cheaper option.

It's not difficult to adjust your headlights down a little - just an adjustment screw on each headlight - give it a few turns on each headlight and check to see where your beams are going - see where they come up to on other vehicles in the traffic and you'll be able to determine if they likely to be a problem for other road users (I understand it's a European requirement that you can adjust this from the driver's seat so many European cars will have a knob on the dashboard which adjusts headlight beam height.)

I adjust the lights myself. Sorry mate - but you should have known better and adjusted them yourself, especially before a long trip. Not only is it legal but it is remiss of you to knowingly blind oncoming drivers. Quite blunt I suppose and not trying to upset you you either. Just talking straight up.

We now have some air bags fitted to the rear as part of our GVM upgrade. They were installed by the engineer to aid stability for the weight increase.

Luckily they also lift the rear when you increase the pressure and thus restore the departure angle back to normal and the lights set so they don't blind oncoming driver. I was losing skin off the knuckles every time that I adjusted the lights.

Phil

Hi Laurie,
Just another thought to your problem,you say you are heavily loaded in the ute,"under the 1 tonne capacity", but you may be under the capacity in your ute ,but I am sure with Utes that your tow ball weight must be reduced ,corresponding to the extra weight you have in the back,ie if you are allowed 250kg on your tow ball ,that is with no load in the tray and for every kg that goes in the tray ,there is a reduction in the capacity of your tow ball weight,some I have seen that if you have the legal load in the tray ,the tow ball weight comes down to 80 kgs?
Regards
John

Headlight adjustment is dead easy.
If you alter them, ie, 3 turns downwards, after the trip you can rotate the same adjusters 3 times the other way.
3steps forwards and then 3 steps back generally means you are at the same place!

Before you load up turn on the lights and see where the bright spots are on the shed wall.
Then adjust downwards to cater for any alteration to the spot position when loaded.

If you mark the shed wall for both loaded and unloaded situations then you can replicate the need anytime for either condition.

Rear loading the trailer is a sure way to an almost certain disaster.

Is the absolute no no way to counteract ballweight.

It sounds like your ute was overloaded to be that bad. Overload or another leaf in the spring would be the way to go

BP - It is more than important - it is CRITICAL - that you adjust your headlights every time you load up, regardless of what you have installed for suspension, or what you are carrying.

Blinding, badly adjusted headlights are a regular feature of our roads, and they feature as a major factor in numerous serious crashes.
For truckies, regular blinding headlights are a PIA they can do without.

However, I personally find manufacturers do little to help as regards headlight adjustment, with many adjusting mechanisms confusing, difficult to find, difficult to operate, and difficult to get correct adjustment.
Some have hand-operated adjusters that are difficult to grasp and get your hand into. Many use adjustment screws that require you to carry a phillips screwdriver at all times.

This is the way I do my headlight adjustments.
I select a level patch of ground (concrete preferably), at least 10 metres away from in front of a wall or shed door, when fully loaded and fuelled up.

Acquire a piece of wood (a garden stake will do), and hold it vertically in front of the headlight.
Mark the position of the exact centre of your headlight with a marker pen, or even better, nail a small cross-piece to the stake at this height.

Place the stake against the wall or door and turn your headlights on and flick them onto high beam.

The centre of the headlight beam on the wall or door, when on high beam, must be exactly in line with the crosspiece or mark on the stake - or even slightly below it.
The centre of the beam must not be higher than the crosspiece or mark.
Adjust headlights to meet the above requirement.

Once you have adjusted the high beam to this level, low beam will be in the correct position to prevent blinding oncoming drivers.

If necessary, adjust the sideways adjustment as well, to ensure the lights are pointing evenly ahead, each side.

Cheers, Ron.

Properly adjusted headlights should also go down and to the left slightly when dipped.
USA vehicles throw to the right and have to be adjusted accordingly.

PeterH

A vehicle I used to have, a cheap and, some would say, crappy Kia Sportage.

Though I have moved on, I believe it was a highly under-rated small 4WD. Helped extract more than a few name brands on Fraser Island.

But I digress. Back to topic. It had driver adjustable headlights. If the Koreans can do it for just a few bucks, why cannot mainstream manufacturers do it for their thousands?

Driver-adjustable headlights should be compulsory, IMO.

Cheers

Saying that headlight should be adjusted with the high beams running straight and level is not exactly true and may be part of the problem.

Passenger car vehicles that have headlights lower to the ground do have correct adjustment with the headlight beams being straight and level.

BUT
My toyota manual shows a difference between the 2wd and the 4wd version ...... the 4wd being nearly a foot higher at the headlights.

The 4wd which is taller and softer in the tail ..... is specified with a downward inclination in the headlights with the vehicle unloaded ..... not much bit it is as speced.

This is an issue with light utes because they bare pretty much all the payload on the rear wheels.

BTW ..... I have not yet owed a vehicle that came to me with the headlights correctly adjusted ...... and there is a dramatic difference between sealed beams and halogen inserts ...... if halogen inserts have been retro fitted quite some adjustment is required.

cheers

HI,
Many moons ago I worked on 150 car fleet of yellow cabs .
On the monthly service/overhaul headlight aiming was just routine .
procedure
1x car length away from wall ,level ground ,vehicle square to wall 90degrees
light height and pattern on wall at same height ,both sides[ biased to slightly lower 10mm]
have the patterns slightly biased towards left 10 mm or so

An indication of pattern at night is to pull up one car length behind a commodore and the headlight pattern is very readable on the boot

I would go up to 3-5 car lengths and do the same as above [at some point in that distance the pattern will be un readable that's obviously no good ]

4wd vary a lot depending upon vehicle height trial and error or refer manual

Iron man sells helper springs for leaf sprung utes about 150 $ can be diy also

If u tow and cannot set headlights or rectify vehicle sitting down at rear the vehicle should not be driven . Similar to the driver with huge excessive weight on towball . agh agh !

cheers swampy

G'day Laurie ,
I think I have just worked out who you are , Bega Photographer have to be you .
Anyway your springs , do you have a Spring Works in your area , if you do load the Ute up and let them have a look , they will come up with a fix , might cost a few bucks but it will be a proper fix .

Regards Jacko , ( do you remember me from APF )