Legal Ball Weights.....towing
Submitted: Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:17
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Member - Donald_L
Hi there all,
I have looked at the older posts but I cannot find a specific reference to any revised/current national regulation that allows a load levelling hitch
(Hayman Reece etc or vehicle OEM supplied part) to assist in reducing the effective ball weights hence raising the figures /capacity of the towing vehicle to match the van (10% of van gross weight) etc
What is the latest as my 1999 ST GU Nissan is 200KG down load limit & I want to remain legal.
Any reference to current regulations appreciated
cheers
Donald
Reply By: Utemad - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:42
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:42
I read somewhere that a weight distribution hitch cannot be used as an excuse for exceeding the ball weight of the vehicle.
The ball weight doesn't actually change. It is just redistributed.
Utemad
AnswerID:
68787
Reply By: Rosscoe - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:53
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:53
Went looking into this a couple of years ago because I have an off-road caravan with a Treg coupling. Early versions of the Treg block showed signs of failure when used with the HR WDH. Later versions have no such problems.
My understanding is that you must adhere to the vehicle manufacture's recommendations. i.e. what's in the owners handbook.
My manual says a WDH is recommended for towing a van of my van's weight.
I don't believe, but could be wrong, that you can have a larger ball weight than specified in the manual, regardless of a WDH or not.
Likewise you cannot tow a larger AGM than specified and the ball weight should be with in 10 to 15% of the AGM.
I'm about to take off for 3 months and will be looking for a weigh
bridge before I go so that I can accurately record all thre important measurements -AGM, Weight on the Trailer axles, and ball weight.
AnswerID:
68789
Reply By: towbar - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 14:14
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 14:14
the Weight Dist hitch does not increase the ball weight .The maximum ball weight allowed can be found on the compliance plate of the towbar .Compliance plate should state 2 weights a=pulling weight and b=down weight.The wdh will only help manage the load more effectively ie reduced sway ,better braking and steering etc.Wdh does not increase the ball weight.
hope this helps in some way b safe
AnswerID:
68813
Reply By: Truckster (Vic) - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 14:46
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 14:46
Try the 4wd association. they have heaps of specs, adn regs regarding this stuff. if they dont have the correct info, they will tell you who does.
Nissan will be useful, Vicroads/RTA/Qld etc all the same.
AnswerID:
68818
Reply By: Member - Rohan K - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 16:14
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 16:14
Donald, try the National Caravan & Recreational Vehicle Towing Guide
AnswerID:
68830
Reply By: The Banjo - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 16:21
Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 16:21
As utemad says, the LL hitch just shifts some weight to the front but the download on the ball is still there (and the hitch itself adds some to that). Best to set it all up and measure the download without the car ..... scales of some sort.
AnswerID:
68833
Reply By: Member - Donald_L - Wednesday, Jul 21, 2004 at 22:40