Prado 150 3 door - a little sagy when towing.

Hi. I fitted the Firestone Airbags to my 120 series. I felt the fittings and quality to be superior to the other brand. I found this out after we had fitted them to my brothers 200 series and one of the hoses kept popping out. Mine have done about 10000k on dirt and I run them between 5 & 8 Lb. Others have posted on here that you can get them from an American site. I think it was called Trucksprings, but I could never get a reply from them so I bought mine from Sydney. Cheers,Bob

I would go to a weigh bridge and find out accurately what your loaded caravan weighs and more importantly what your tow-ball mass is. Is your tow-ball mass within the specification of your Prado? If so, I would then set up your Weight Distribution Hitch correctly from scratch. Please ensure you have at least 4 spare chain links.

If you have OME springs, you should not need airbags as well.

Does your rig feel unstable at speed?

SC

And are you using an appropriate WDH correctly adjusted to suit the Ball weight?
Ozjohn.

Thanks to those who have responded. Yes I do have a hay man reese WDH and it is correctly set up with correct camber and using 5 links off the chain. At speed of say 100k the car and van drive very well.
The Prado is rated to tow 3ton and the tare weight of the crusader Is 2290 so we have plenty to spare . This is one reason we bought the ZR 3 door? Ask mentioned the bum is not too low - I was just keen to straighten it up a tad.
People I have spoken to tell me that using air bags just gives it that bit of help when towing.

Check out Thread id: 86441, very interesting reading re what you can't do with the WD system.
Eg

"General Operating Instructions for the use of Load Levelling Devices

• Disengage the Spring Bars of the Load Leveller / Weight Distribution system when
driving or reversing into and out of driveways.
• The Load Leveller / Weight Distribution system must be disengaged (the spring/torsion
bars must be released) when –
o Negotiating rough, uneven terrain
o Entering or exiting
?? driveways,
?? short steep gutters,
?? access ramps,
?? speed humps and dips
o negotiating tight, acute turns at low speeds, such as when reversing or
manoeuvring; or
o when travelling up/down abrupt steep inclines
?? i.e. severe, undulating road surfaces, creek crossings etc
• Drivers must proceed with caution when negotiating corrugated roads and approach
inclines slowly whilst the Load Leveller / Weight Distribution system is in use.
o Disengagement of the torsion / spring bars may be necessary to prevent undue
load and stress on the frame / towing coupling and/or hitch assembly.
The above is a general summary of various manufacturers Operating Instructions for the use of Load Levelling Devices. Refer to the manufacturer of your load levelling device/s and/or towing equipment for specific details."

Note the reference to undulating road surfaces. This would cover most country roads.

Best of luck, after some research I went with Air Bag Man Firestone air bags.
Wayne