weight distribution hitch and/or sway control

Carolyn and Peter
So the Van all up is 330kg, and that is without water [255kg approx], but does that weight include your caravan payload items, food clothing annexe, full gas bottles and all the usual stuff we seem to lug?, if yes then you will well and truly exceed the ATM it seems.

Weight distribution hitches [although a nuisance] assist to redistribute some weight from rear axle to front axle and a bit to trailer axles. In many cases they are not necessary unless an inordinate amount of weight is removed from front axles. A level car/van may not mean all is well with weights on axles/loss of weight from front wheels. You will benefit from weighing the front wheels/axle with no van, then with van on to get a feel for what weight is being removed from front-steer wheels.Isuzu owners manual will likely contain a guide as to weights and use of a WDH. Long wheel base vehicles with a short distance from rear axle to tow ball usually means less weight removed from front wheels.
I use a WDH on my Landcruiser 200 as my rig is on the max, 345kg tow ball and nearly 3.5 tonne ATM. I have convinced myself that the rig is more stable in challenging terrain with some of the weight re distributed forward.Happy towing.
Bob

Hi Carolyn & Peter,

As you have said, GCM is a different matter and in fact the one you might have the biggest problem with.

Assuming though that you are willing to limit what you carry in both the vehicle and the van to remain within the manufacturers recommended weights, you will have a heavy combination which is very likely to benefit from a weight distribution and sway device.

Your rear suspension has been upgraded and the rig sits level but I suggest measuring the distance from ground to wheel arch on the front before and after putting the van onto the tow ball. Even if the vehicle moves up at the front by only a small margin, I would still suggest some correction.

I use the Andersen Hitch which acts as a weight distribution device to move weight from the back to the front axle as well as providing a friction mechanism to reduce sway. I am very happy with mine and believe it is worth every cent. The way it settles the van onto the road both laterally and horizontally is very impressive.

Some argue that it is unsafe to tow a trailer that is heavier than the vehicle. I disagree with this.

It is certainly going to be safer to tow a 3t van with a prime mover but that doesn’t make it unsafe to tow a combination where you are within all specs provided by the makers.

Do note though that you may need to drive slower in some circumstances (eg down steep hills) than you would if you bought a RAM or F250 etc.

Hope this helps

Skull

A WDH 'transfers' weight from the rear wheels to the front wheels. To really assess your needs, weigh each axle without the van then with the van. In my case hooking up the van overloaded the rear axle, the WDH brought that back under the limit. A side effect is that my steering is less floaty with the WDH. Before weights became an issue, I towed the same combo for years without WDH, using Lovells HD springs and Polyair airbags with no issues, and off road still remove the WDH.

To me some of the questions your asking would tell me your not that experienced at towing and that is where people get into trouble pushing the limits of their vehicle and their own capabilities and relying on these devices to cover up an unstable and unsafe towing set up. It would be safer to tow a lighter van for a few yrs and have a bigger safety margin between it and the tow vehicles capabilities. Then if a 3t plus van can be justified get an appropriate tow vehicle like an F-truck so your not putting you your family and others at risk


I have never had to tow something heavier than the tow vehicle and probably wouldn't have the need to do so and I have more than enough experience to be competently able to as I have been driving trucks for around 28 yrs. It boils down to the size of the van you think you need and the size of the van that you actually need which is quite often smaller and more importantly lighter so if something should happen to say the vans breaks your vehicle is still able to pull all that weight up safely so you don't fly down a mountain range with it pushing you.


It's something worth trying on flat ground and every body who tows should experience what it's like to try and stop their vehicle with the van or trailer brakes disconnected to get a taste of reality and then turn to the wife and say yeah were good to go and watch her reaction.


Something else to remember is your vehicles towing limits are often greatly reduced when you leave the tarmac for dirt tracks again that's where having a bigger safety margin comes into play happy travels.

You can't go wrong with the Hayman Reese WDH. I have one with 750kg bars and found it makes towing like chalk and cheese with and without it, especially towing two heavy horses which tend to move about a lot. They take some weight off the van axles and the tug rear axle and transfer some to the tug front axle. You can prove this on a weighbridge. Apart from towing level at all times when you hit dips in the road the back axle on the tug tends not to hit the bump stops as often. Improves you steering too and whilst some may laugh I found they improved the fuel economy because when towing level the whole rig just glides along as opposed to getting slower and slower and having to drop a gear to get back up to cruising speed all the time. If you have the chain up type just make sure you don't over tighten the chains or you will have trouble moving from a standstill on gravel surfaces (which proves they work I suppose)
I've never used sway control devices but as with the WDH I think no matter how experienced you are at towing, with the loads you mention they would be just an added safety measure should the need arise and they come in to play. The ALKO seems to be fairly common as standard equipment on many vans these days. You don't say what the D-max weighed but don't forget you can load that up to its rated GVM rather than make the van heavier than the tug and whilst having the van heavier it is preferable to have as much weight as possible on the tug to give you a nice firm footprint for steering, braking, crosswinds, wet roads, etc. Some of the larger 5th wheelers I see being towed essentially by what are no more than an empty ute worry me about what would happen in an emergency when evasive action is required or when turning on wet roads, etc.

Quote- "2. What is to be gained from sway control devices- is it worth the money? What is the most reliable setup for your money? Anybody had experience with the Hayes Sway Master?"

I am yet to here from anyone with genuine experience of them no matter what the brand. The only ones with real experience would be those who have had their van attempt to get out of control and have lived to tell the day. The great majority of us have them fitted hoping that we will never have any experience with them but have them just in case anything extreme happens and they can save us. We all trust that their advertising blurb is kosher.