Retreat Brampton

About 2.2k and the truck is rated at 3.5k.
What i worried about is will it drop the back of the truck too much.

Thanks
Joe

Far better to buy a WDH Air bags DONT and CANT return weight back to the front wheels, removed by the coupling up of a van.

Air bags only lift what is above them so all you will do is lift the load higher and basically still have the weight off the front wheels.
What you should do is measure up to bottom of wheel arches when loaded and unhitched.

Hitch the van on and remeasure. Pull up your WDH and it will go back nearly to prev measurement.
It most certainly wont by lifting with air bags.

A proven fact and the subject of endless threads mostly by non believers.

work it out and already have one ready to install

A Weight Distribution Hitch Usually made by Hayman Reece

And wont bend chassis like air bags will

Would hurt to have both?

Read what others have said about bending chassis

Its not uncommon and if you dont overload you wont need them
I have Polyairs in my 100 ser and never bother with them I have progressive coil springs which IMO are far better.

Wait till you get van before wasting money you may not need them.

However someone taking tow capacity off towball !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok thanks for all the advice i'll cancell the air assist and save $1100 as for the

However someone taking tow capacity off towball !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know Stupid

Joe 09,

For your safety and everyone elses safety please put your rig over the scales FULLY LOADED, with full fuel, water, food clothes and bedding, and see what it weighs,

allow about a 10% safety factor and see where you stand.

Bruce

Which version of the BT50 do you have cos a DX can only tow 2250kg

Its the flasher ones that can tow more Read the page I posted for correct capacities.

It is a requirement to have 3500kg towballs, thats why its there.

The correct way to determine towing capacity is

The vehicle manufacturers limits or the towbars limits

WHICHEVER IS THE LESSER

SO if you have a vehicle with a 3000kg capacity but it has a towbar rated at 2500kg thats all you can have.

Most bars are rated as high as the car but not always as in the case of Patrols which usually have 3000 or 3500kg bars but a 3.0 Auto can only tow 2500kg.

Be aware be safe.

I prefer to have a heavier tow vehicle so that should my vans brakes fail it wont push me around so much as it will with a lighter vehicle.

I use a WDH and ALWAYS tow in 4th gear

Actually according to Vic roads you can tow a van whos GTM does not exceed the vehicles capacity

EG a van with an ATM of 2700kg may be towed by an auto 3.0 Patrol provided its GTM does not exceed 2499kg.
as per this reply to an question I asked when a guy on C & M disputed the ATM limit

From: Technical Enquiries
To: Graham
Sent: Friday, July 31, 2009 2:08 PM
Subject: RE: Maximum legal towing weights of caravans


Graham,

Yes,you can tow the caravan under the following conditions.

1 / You do not exceed the vehicle manufacturers tow capacity of 2500 kg for the vehicle, ( this means that the caravan cannot exceed its GTM, of 2500 kg,even though it has an greater ATM ).

2 / Your vehicle must have a compliant tow bar fitted and it must be correctly rated,the RTA do not have any requirements on "ball weight".

Regards

M M
RTA Tech Enq





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Graham [mailto:graham-h@iinet.net.au]
Sent: Friday, 31 July 2009 1:31 PM
To: Technical Enquiries
Subject: Maximum legal towing weights of caravans


Following a rather robust discussion on an Internet forum I wish to ask you to clarify the following

This was the question

I have a vehicle that has a manufacturers recommended towing capacity of 2500kg with a ball weight of 225kg.
I have a caravan that has a tare of 2000kg.
The ATM of this van is 3000kg. The van is loaded up to the 2500kg recommended by the tow vehicles manufacturer. Am I allowed to tow this van.


My answer was that no he couldnt because it is the ATM that governs the max legal towable weight as per here


The tow-vehicle - and the tow-bar - must both have a Towing Rating that exceeds the ATM Rating of the caravan/trailer.
Could you please refer me to a document that supports the correct view

Thank You
Graham

I still wonder if they are correct but However.

Hi Graham,

Your follow up states Vicroads, but the person quotes RTA and has RTA Tech Enq. in signature.

RTA has been defunct in Victoria since the late eighties, this reply is not from NSW maybe??

Cheers,
John

Well I sent the enquiry to Vic Rds and thats the reply I got back.

As you say it came from the RTA so Vic Rds must have sent it on.

I guess it applies nationwide.

Hi Graham,

In my previous working life I looked after a fleet in Victoria of not only passenger Vehicles but specialised vehicles eg, EPV, crane borers with over dimensional permits etc.

Dealt with Vicroads on a daily basis, never did it have RTA in their replies and their Email address always had @vicroads.vic.gov.au (which is missing from your example email)


By the way I said "maybe" it came from the RTA which only NSW use currently!!

I think this is not a genuine email IMHO


Cheers,
John

PS: Why did you send your query to Vicroads and not to Queensland Transport??

You can think what you like but I assure you the text is a copy of a genuine email.
I am very offended that you would think I would fake something like this.

I only deleted the name of the person who replied out of respect and for privacy.

IF you doubt it copy and send the message to the RTA if you MM me I will provide the name of the person.
I actuall got another rather curt reply when I queried the answer

I was actually in WA at the time and the query came from a Victorian Forum member

What difference does it make the answer came from the RTA and I guarantee it is genuine This is the address it came from

Technical_Enquiries@rta.nsw.gov.au

I asked the question and got that answe,r where it came from was good enough for me.



So does that make you happy.

Hi Graham,

Thanks for your reply, you can be offended, but you answered my question

"Technical_Enquiries@rta.nsw.gov.au" this is not Vicroads, I asked if it came from NSW it did.

You have posted false information by saying Vicroads and I think you need to apologise to all members.

Some members may say I am being trivial, but if members put incorrect information and it is followed who pays the fine??

Cheers,
John

I have nothing to apologise for I said I asked Vic Roads which I did and the answer came back as I posted.

I was unaware there was any difference.
There is an RTA Queensland and New South Wales so why is Victoria different

It doesnt really matter its what was written as the reply that does and it was backed up in a recent court case about an overloading??? spat and the judge said it was the GTM that mattered.

If that is so I wonder why manufacturers state an ATM limit for their products towing capacity.

More correctly Queensland call it Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Graham,

A lovely play on words you said you asked Vicroads why would RTA NSW answer you.

If you sent it to RTA Qld here is their link http://www.rta.qld.gov.au/
what sort of answer would you expect??

"It doesnt really matter its what was written as the reply that does and it was backed up in a recent court case about an overloading??? spat and the judge said it was the GTM that mattered. " Can you please give us the link to this judgement!!!

This is not about who is the winner but correct and corroborated information
not here say for members to make their own judgment.

Cheers,
John

No I cant it was in a newspaper.

If you know so much publish a correction if there is one and I dont think there is
Whether I made a mistake as to where I made the initial enquiry I cant remember I do remember querying Vic Roads.

Whether they forwarded it I dont know but does seem strange but the mail is genuine and the answer can be taken as such.

Rather than pick at me a positve answer backing up or completely rubbishing the mail would be productive.
As I said when I queried the answer re manufacturers quoting ATM I got a short sharp "I have answered the question"
So take it as you like I posted a genuine question and reply from a genuine Govt Department
If I made a mistake Im sorry but I dont have the computer I was using at the time and only copied this relevant message across to my new one.

Have a lovely evening

Cheers,
John

A good constuctive reply Im sure

Snipe at me and have nothing to offer in reply

I wonder why I bother