Weight Distributing Hitches

Weight Distributing Hitches

This is one of the most difficult things a newbie has to come to grips with. Considering the present range of A'liners only, you need one of these set ups if the actual ball weight of your van EXCEEDS the allowable ball weight as contained in your vehicle's hand book. Most Cruiseliners will need a mini hitch and Hayman Reece are the leaders in this field at present. A mini hitch is pictured below. If your tow vehicle already has a towbar with a normal tongue, chances are this hitch will bolt straight on. All that is happening here is two "torsion" rods have been attached to your van via small chains and in doing so have transferred some of the towball weight to the front wheels of the vehicle. This restores steering geometry, stops your headlights pointing at the moon, reduces tyre wear, gives you back control of the rig and as mentioned above it transfer some of the weight. Prices start around $80.00 and we strongly suggest that you buy from a specialist. Used units are frequently advertised in Caravan World in the Swap or Sell section up the back of the magazine. Be aware that you may run into problems with the bars touching the jockey wheel and in extreme case you may have to get the jockey wheel modified or moved to the centre of the A-frame.

The unit pictured below is the big daddy of them all as you can adjust the actual towball height as well. Ideally your van should be DOWN at the front by 25mm minimum. If you intend going off road with a lot of gear it is possibly the only option. There is an intermediate model similar to the mini-hitch using two bars each side. Also in this section of the site is an article on older "used" level rides as they were called in the olden days. If you are on a tight budget please take a look at this, as you regularly find them for sale in markets. They mostly don't interfere with the jockey wall and only need a touch of silver paint to make them match your pride and joy.

Also worth thinking about is the Towmaster Stabiliser/Equaliser - particularly if you have one of the popular small SUV's such as the CRV, Rav 4 or Forester as the larger more common units look like overkill. This is used by a lot of club members as it only needs one bar so there are ZERO jockey wheel problems. Its main claim to fame is it also stops sway. More info in the A-Clinic section if this interests you. Interestingly this type of unit has been used for years in the UK as their vans tend to be a lot lighter than ours. With ball weights being lower in the UK snaking can occur. Rather oddly there is absolutely nothing on the Internet on this product except a few odd references to dealers who fit the unit. In the A-Clinic section, author Collyn Rivers has a good technical overview of why problems occur in the first place. Collyn's website has an excellent FAQ on towing/RV problems and this is well worth reading. Most A'van dealers will supply and fit all brands of towing equipment.

Bob Eustace

Drawing courtesy of Caravan Accessories Sydney