Load Levellers - Level Rides

The picture above shows load levellers that do not foul the jockey wheel. If you do go down this track it pays to check this very valid point. The ones shown were picked up at a Sunday Market at Pottsville for just $45! They are on Siggy and Heather's Forester to compensate for up to 90KG of extra water carried under the table and two bikes. Another point to remember with load levellers is they all require a fair bit of strength to put them in position. So if you are a little on the frail side you can get extension handles to make lifting them into the cradle a little bit easier. We have used the 2 bar Hayman Reese type that are just a tee shape on a previous van.

All level rides don't foul the jockey wheel

Email Siggy and Heather on what happened to them when they extended and further strengthened their rear chassis and spare wheel to carry bikes. This made the front way too light and caused dreadful swaying. There is a large article on bike racks in the April 2001 issue of A-Clinic. It is bad practice to put all the light things in your vehicle. Again experiment to get it right. Tyre pressures when towing are CRITICAL. Look in your vehicle's hand book. The Forester book says 41PSI. We have found this too harsh and use 35PSI. Tyres are wearing completely evenly (54,000 kms) so we feel this is a correct move. Tyre pressure in your A'van is extremely important. Stick EXACTLY to the recommended pressure in the A'van manual - ours for instance is 26PSI, but yours could well be different depending on model.

There is a wealth of information on the Australian Hayman Reese Web Site. This has a good run down on various things pertaining to towing and is the market leader when it comes to load levelers/weight distributing hitches.

Another extremely popular load leveler is the Brisbane made Towmaster Stabiliser. Many A'van club members swear by this unit as it also stops sway. It is entirely different to anything else on the market as it installs on one side only. This of course instantly solves the problem of fouling the jockey wheel. At present there is absolutely NOTHING on the net. They are sold by Oasis in Vic (03) 9761 4933, Caravan Accessories in NSW (02) 9588 3400, Camec in Queensland (07) 3273 7666 and Austin's in Tassie (03) 6435 2643. You can contact the manufacturers in Brisbane direct:-

PO Box 5061
Brendale, Queensland 4500
Phone (07) 3205 3777 Freecall 1800 777 218

So in summing up, if your laden ball weight EXCEEDS the maximum loading as stated in your owners manual you MUST use some sort of load equaliser to transfer some of the rear weight to the front of your tow vehicle. A good time to sort this out is when you pick up your van - ask your dealer as he has done it hundreds of times before or talk to your favourite tow bar chappie. Using A-Forum is another good way to find out what other club members have fitted and how it performs.

Bob Eustace