Weight Distribution Hitch

Peter
They are the maximum allowable weights. The dry Kerb weight of the LC 200 standard may be around 2700kg to which you add passengers fuel etc and the GCM means you should not exceed, similar with GCM.
Bob

Yes the max GVM is 3300kg so his weight of 3580 hooked up is over GVM.
You have to comply with all the individual weights as well as the GCM(which is a sum of 3300kg on the vehicle and 3500 towed)
You can't have more on either than allowable.

As I understand it, Bob's GVM for the cruiser will be 3800kg with the Lovell suspension upgrade making his GCM 7300kg. (Note: the 200 series does not have a manufacturers stated GCM, so that it is the sum of the car's GVM and the towing capacity, ie 3800 + 3500)

Regards

Chris

As long as it is an "engineered" and signed off with paperwork for the upgraded GVM then that is ok. Mate of mine was told that 200 had GVM of 3300kg's as does Toyota's brochure here

Your mate is correct. The Lovells (3800) and ARB (3580) GVM upgrades are plated and endorsed on your rego.

Regards

Chris

Can anyone on the forum recomend a "good towin course", as I am getting very confused over all the discussions and endless theories on this.

Thanks in advance.

PM sent

Your vehicle manual should specify the allowable tow weight and maximum towball weight. The towbar should also have it's rating on a data plate. So all you can tow is the lesser of these. The actual towball weight should be about 10% of the van weight. When your van is hitched and WDH used the wheel measurement should be back to near the unloaded measurements.

Me too onemore every time I read the posts on this subject, I'm no better off.

Everyones got their own different opinion, some vehicle manufacturers will not warrant their warranties if u use a WDH

Too much info. mind boggling

Air bags dont fix it like a WDH does All an air bag does is lift the load above it.

Imagine this as per the wheelbarrow scenario above.

The rear suspension of your car is the wheelbarrows legs

push down on the wheelbarrows handles. The front goes up

Put two bricks under the legs (similar ot pumping up air bags)

Push down on the handles What happens, front goes up just the same only its all a bit higher.

Same thing in the car and if you weighed the front before and after pumping up your bags you would get the same result.

If airbags fixed it why would we spend $700 on a WDH when a couple of hundred on airbags would do the job NOT.

The reason Aussie use the 10-15% rule is that our vans are often built with rear set axles and dont put all the weight in the center like Geist and Adria do and they therefore get away with a lighter weight.

Even though if you put bricks under the legs of the barrow it should still be harder to to tip back because the nose and everything in it are pointing even further down hill.

Im lazy and was using an empty one LOl

It was to emphasise a point Not a literal wheelbarrow

Right on Nutta.
It gets back to that level rig that I went on about. If the car has its tail dragging then the front is up, the opposite to snoopyone’s example. Pump up the air bags until the rig is level and the front is then at the same height. Normal service is resumed.
Clive.

Well why as I have airbags does my car not come back level when I pump them up and hook the van on.

As you say airbags are to carry a heavier load IN THE CAR not hanging a metre behind the axle

Probably something to do with a 300kg ballweight.

A bit different with just a camper on the back.

I know about weight distribution thats why I have a WDH.

The original poster put the weights up which must account for something

Of course if you have only a light load on the towball it may appear to be level but a run over a weighbridge may decide the weight is not returned on the front.
This has been an endless discussion on here and other forums and the consensus has been at odds with your theory.

Incidentally is that a D shackle attaching the chain to the A frame.

Illegal here.

Nice picture of Mount Cook though.

Was better when the Old Pukaki Inn was there

Some good feedback as well as some healthy debate. Thanks to all for your input, some advice has encouraged more work.

My van effectively has a GVM upgrade but it is not certified, I am indeed aware of the technical non compliant situation and potential ramifications of same. I have investigated getting Lovell's to issue compliance plate and may do that in the future just to minimise needing to satisfy somebody sometime that I have a safe and stable rig. My primary objective is to satisfy myself that weight and handling of the rig is as reasonably safe and stable, as it can be [hence 6.5 Tonne hitch and other improvements to be sure to be sure].

I have previously measured the height set up with two prior Vans using reference points as suggested by contributors and will do so for good order again with current set up.

My objective in this trial was to learn exactly what happened with front wheel weight with and without the WDH as opposed to just relying on the position of the reference points. I purposely have not cranked the chains up past what I considered was an appropriate amount of tension. My reasoning was that I wanted to maintain as many links in the chain so as to increase the fulcrum - [distance or is it the radius] the WDH bars can travel, before reaching maximum travel and causing stress/damage. The vehicle did return close to pre load position but no measurements taken this time.

Also I am sure if I crank the chain up a notch, I can achieve original front wheel weight.

I did not clarify my request as well as I may have and probably should have simply said something like - given the size and weight of the tow vehicle and the van, is the front wheel weight loss of the 100kg [1520kg with Tow Ball Mass applied as opposed to 1620kg without any TBM] do any readers have an informed view as to any ramifications of that weight loss.

Bob

On our rig with tension applied to WDH around 90kgs goes back on front wheels of the tow tug and around 45kgs goes back on van wheels. I can vouch that when travelling loose gravel roads with no WDH tension used anything other than light braking can cause front wheel lock up. Same goes for damp bitumen roads.

Graham
I am interested to learn the net effect of the weight transfer to front/rear wheels.

What was the [original] weight on front and rear wheels prior to attaching the WDH? also, did the position of the Vehicle return to where it was prior to putting the van/tow ball mass onto the vehicle? [assuming you had reference point measurements]

This information will assist me in better understanding how much weight is transferred back if the vehicle returns to pre load position and as it relates to vehicle position [obviously every vehicle will differ]


Bob

I should clarify when I said 'our rig' it was with this same van but tow tug then was R50 Pathfinder, much shorter wheel base than current Navara D40 so weight transfer would be different now. As for actual weights on front, rear & van axles I no long have these figures, and the with the van hooked up the front of the tow tug did not return to same height as it was without van hooked up, but only by about 10-15mm. With this set up van/tug were pretty darn level. Without van on tug was sloping fwd, ie rear of tug slightly higher than front. As it is with current tug.

Forgot to mention so as to make it clear that the 135kg odd that was transfered to front of tug & van wheels, came off the rear wheels, NOT off the ball weight as some folk mistakenly think.

Also keep in mind that while a wdh reduces weight from tugs rear wheels it increased the pressure between the ball and the ball coupling, ball wears more, so we use 'dry lube' on the ball & wdh cams, have no problem in dusty conditions.