Exceed 2019 Suspension upgrade for towing large caravan

[denisp]

Further to what I was saying, under GVM upgrade topic on 21.2.20 I wrote a bit about our tug and tow numbers.
Hope that helps.
Denis

[old Jack]

Thread that Denis is referring to is;

https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=58945

I have only ever towed heavier than my Challengers loaded weight once and this was not relaxing drive.

OJ.

[orthodoxs]

Cheapest I have found the Anderson hitch is on Ebay for $879, anyone know of any cheaper from reputable places? Or bought from this ebay store, they look to be based in AUS at least.
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Andersen...AAAOSw0WtfNNNl[/QUOTE]

Last December i was planning to buy the Anderson WDH, the original manufacturer's US site gives Titan RV as its sole authorized outlet in Australia, the hitches sold by them are made specifically for Aussies, in the US for ADR compliance, in that the ball is exactly 50mm not the US equivalent, some of those sold on Ebay may not be the right one to use here. Titan RV also has a reseller on Ebay. It would be best if you call titan rv up and discuss, they were very helpful. If you find a cheaper price they should be able to price match i suppose. Also the newer version which they sell has a collar to prevent the lining from extruding upwards. There are various heights available, pls discuss which is the right one for your caravan. In case, you are planning for a lift in your suspension and your caravan is low riding, the ones with a longer drop is the right one to keep the caravan level. The tongue can be inverted also, for accommodating high riding A frames (lifted off road caravans) but may not allow the back door of the PS from opening. You can also exchange the tongue ( if its from TRV) if you made a mistake in your estimates (Was offered to me) or just buy the longer one and cut it off, to make it shorter if needed .

https://www.titanrv.com.au/weight-distribution-hitch.php

Have a look here Eventually, I didn't buy one as i had spent all the budget on other additions and the long haired one tightened the purse stings, with my fingers still in it.

[josmond]

Cheapest I have found the Anderson hitch is on Ebay for $879, anyone know of any cheaper from reputable places? Or bought from this ebay store, they look to be based in AUS at least.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Andersen-4-Drop-Weight-Distribution-Hitch/143571266824?hash=item216d83ad08:g:T1AAAOSw0WtfNNNl

Last December i was planning to buy the Anderson WDH, the original manufacturer's US site gives Titan RV as its sole authorized outlet in Australia, the hitches sold by them are made specifically for Aussies, in the US for ADR compliance, in that the ball is exactly 50mm not the US equivalent, some of those sold on Ebay may not be the right one to use here. Titan RV also has a reseller on Ebay. It would be best if you call titan rv up and discuss, they were very helpful. If you find a cheaper price they should be able to price match i suppose. Also the newer version which they sell has a collar to prevent the lining from extruding upwards. There are various heights available, pls discuss which is the right one for your caravan. In case, you are planning for a lift in your suspension and your caravan is low riding, the ones with a longer drop is the right one to keep the caravan level. The tongue can be inverted also, for accommodating high riding A frames (lifted off road caravans) but may not allow the back door of the PS from opening. You can also exchange the tongue ( if its from TRV) if you made a mistake in your estimates (Was offered to me) or just buy the longer one and cut it off, to make it shorter if needed .

https://www.titanrv.com.au/weight-distribution-hitch.php

Have a look here Eventually, I didn't buy one as i had spent all the budget on other additions and the long haired one tightened the purse stings, with my fingers still in it.

Thanks, I'll pay the extra and go with them then to be safe.
I have the bump stops and the springs are on order and should hopefully arrive on Friday, if not Monday.

So your caravan weighs 3100kg when loaded. That is firstly the upper limit for the PS.
What is the Tare of the caravan?
You said 2400kg originally so you have loaded it by nearly 3/4 of a tonne! Read your compliance plate, and if it not what you were told, go back to the dealer and get him to sort it or take the caravan back.
Our New Age Wallaby was 1970kg tare at purchase and since then we have added about 90kg of bits.
The ATM of the caravan is 2420kg so our payload is about 360kg max, which we try to keep 50kg under by loading the PS to about 95% of its maximum and the axle loads similarly loaded to close to that.
Some while ago I posted the figures for our PS and caravan load perhaps you could look it up and get an idea of what you should be aiming for.
Regards,
Denis

I think I originally said 2.5 for tare weight, just checked the plate and it is 2553, I probably should have done the weighbridge when it was empty to confirm, maybe once the water tanks are empty I'll also unpack everything and get the tare weight as well.


And thank you all for the advice, as mentioned I know that I am pushing the limits and the car/van combination probably isn't the best. I should have convinced the "long haired one" that we don't need the larger van and to go with a smaller one. I believe with empty tanks the weight will go down enough and I'll be under the limits. I checked the other day and both tanks are in front of the axles which would be why the TB weight jumped from 220kg to 280kg when full.

Once everything is sorted I'll also pay the $200 and get the mobile weigh company to come out and do a full and more accurate measure.

[orthodoxs]

I believe with empty tanks the weight will go down enough and I'll be under the limits. I checked the other day and both tanks are in front of the axles which would be why the TB weight jumped from 220kg to 280kg when full.
[/QUOTE]

I had thought that all Caravan makers, prioritize the placement of paired water tanks to be fore and aft & sub-adjacent to the axel for the best weight dynamics. Pls find out from more knowledgeable folks about the water tanks, you may need to discuss with the manufacturer as to why it was placed, both in the front? perhaps the most forward tank is a grey water tank? it is quite easy to move the most forward tank to a position immediately behind the axles, just need to drill a few more fixation points in the cross beams and shift the tank with brackets there. If it is a grey water tank, don't bother. Also find out if 1 tank is dedicated exclusively for drinking water, if so then discard the option and connect both the tanks together. Dedicated drinking water tank is not necessary, filling fresh chlorinated tap water before each trip will sterilize the tank due to the residual chlorine in tap water, also drinking water is usually passed through a filter below the kitchen sink.
May i ask how many batteries, the weight of them and where their location is? a 100AH AGM is approx. 30 Kgs, lithium 100AH 10 kgs will be equal to 160 AH AGM (as they can be discharged nearly fully).. Multiple lead batteries sitting on the A frame or front boot may unduly affect the ball weight, possibly more than the water stored near the axle. If they are already lithium, then no possibility of weight reduction on the batteries.

[nj swb]

I checked the other day and both tanks are in front of the axles which would be why the TB weight jumped from 220kg to 280kg when full.

Where is your waste tank? If that's behind the axles have your weights checked with full waste and empty water tanks. If your ball weight gets down around 160 that could be getting low - but with tandem axles should still be ok. Perhaps take it for a test drive like that, just so you know what it's like.

[orthodoxs]

Not every caravan has a grey water tank, as they are only mandatory within National parks, both the OP''s tanks maybe clean tanks. Many caravans have only a corrugated tube to the nearest drain or tree, with a responsibility not to use any toxic or nonbiodegradable stuff.

[Ian H]

Grey tanks can be mandatory in a lot of places other than National Parks. Many overnight rest stops also require them and it's becoming more common in other free camp areas too. Our new van has no grey tank fitted to save weight. We have a small 25L portable grey tank which serves the purpose and is only used when required.

[orthodoxs]

Grey tanks can be mandatory in a lot of places other than National Parks. Many overnight rest stops also require them and it's becoming more common in other free camp areas too. Our new van has no grey tank fitted to save weight. We have a small 25L portable grey tank which serves the purpose and is only used when required.

That's true, many caravans have a portable 25-40litre wheeled tank stowed away in the boot, strangely all motorhomes have a mandatory grey water tank built in.

[dragonjon]

hey mate i could organise post for these if that helps you these would suit your set up perfectly

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/303200470951089/

[josmond]

To answer a few of the questions:

The 2 water tanks are in front of the axle are both fresh water tanks and are already linked.
The grey water is behind the axles.

There are 2 110AH AGM batteries that are mounted in external boxes to the chassis just in front of the axles.


Springs and WDH have been ordered and should arrive early next week. So everything should be installed and ready to take it out over the NSW school holidays.



Slightly unrelated, but considering the weight we will be pulling, is there any relatively cheap performance upgrades that we should be considering? Things such as the iDrive?

[Ian H]

The only upgrade for towing would be the MM Auto Mate. I have an iDrive but that's not going to help. Locking the TC and being able to monitor your transmission temps is what you need to do.

If you don't fit Auto Mate then tow in 4th and get something to give you the temp read out like an Ultra Gauge or a cheaper option of Torque Pro on you phone with a cheap sender unit in the OBDII port.

[old Jack]

The Pajero Sport has the 8 speed Aisin auto trans so it does not need Auto Mate, the factory AT program is very good. Marshall looked at whether it was worth his development cost to do Auto Mate for the Pajero Sport and the small improvement he would would be able to achieve would not be worth it.

An iDrive will not change the performance if you really want to do something then a Engine ECU remap is the only real choice.

OJ.

[Ian H]

oh yeah sorry, I was thinking Pajero, not Sport.

[Flying]

being able to monitor your transmission temps is what you need to do.

x2
I get very high trans temps when towing up / down hills... you have to be able to monitor it.