Level riders?
Submitted: Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 12:59
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pprass
Some advice from caravan owners please -
I have ordered a Coromal Pioneer offroader (tandem wheels & 1.35 tonne unladen) which has a Treg hitch and I am trying to decide whever I need level riders or not. The tow vehicle is a Patrol TD6 and as I will be going offroad with the van, I thought that putting on level riders would negate the benefit of having a Treg hitch - ie it would limit the angle and flexibility that the hitch is designed for.
I was told by the caravan dealer that I could put in a set of Polyair bags in the back of the Patrol, however I don't see that they will do the same job as level riders do - ie spread the weight from the back of the vehicle onto the front wheels evenly.
What do other offroad caravan owners do? Do you have level riders and just take them off when you go bush? The Coromal apparently has an excellent
suspension system that stops the sway effect so apart from a sag in the back it seems that driving slowly on bush tracks would not be a problem.
Thanks for any assistance.
Peter
Reply By: Member - Dalb (SA) - Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 14:33
Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 14:33
Peter
I have a LC 100series TD and tow a Coromal 535 tandem off-road pop top van. As I already had the load levellers, I continued to use them when I swapped from my Falcon to the LC recently. The Coromal sits like a dream with or without the levellers, but I use them just in case they may help in an emergency situation.
I think the real question for you is how will your loaded van affect your
suspension - If the tails drops at all, then you will need to either beef up the
suspension and/or use levellers. You probably wont know this until you hook them up.
I have not weighed my van, but strongly suspect the tare weight
well exceeds the manufacturers specs. I am sure
mine weighs about 2t when loaded for a long trip.
cheers, Dalb
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Follow Up By: pprass - Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 16:08
Thursday, May 24, 2007 at 16:08
Brian - nice picture of the Coromal!
I already have raised and stiffened
suspension on the Patrol, so from what you are saying I probably should wait and see how the van sits on the vehicle before I make any decision on level riders. I should also
check it out after it is fully loaded. Thanks for sharing your experience.
BTW - Do you use your external shower? If you do, do you know if there is a way of drwaing the water out of just one tank? We are getting dual 82 ltr tanks and I wanted to use one for the shower and one for
drinking water. In that way I can fill the shower tank with whatever water is available and not waste good
drinking water.
Peter
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