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Subject Topic: towball Post Reply Post New Topic
Personkpnuts81
21/5/2014 at 10:15am
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Hi all I have bought another car to tow my pennine Pullman folding camper may upgrade to a caravan at some stage, my problem is that the tow ball is twenty and a half inches to the centre of the towball when unladen, I queried this with the towbar manufacturers and they say it is the right towbar for the car however because it is a 5 seater eu regulations state they have to allow for the full quota of occupants and there luggage etc which is understandable, however when I load camper and car it is still sitting approx. half an inch to an inch higher than level, as I understand hitch should be level or nose slightly down is this acceptable/safe or should I take it to the manufactures and get them to fit me another towbar etc, apologies for length of post


PersonKelper
21/5/2014 at 10:49am
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Is that with the FC loaded? What nose weight are you getting with the loaded FC?
By the way ... this would be better posted in the Trailer tents and folding camper section.


Personkpnuts81
21/5/2014 at 11:04am
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Kelper thanks I posted hear because I was looking for caravanners as well as folding campers opinions as they all tow, the camper nose weight is 60-65kg there is no way I can get it heavier as I said it is because the tow ball to the centre is 20 inches high before anything is put in the car or the camper hitched whereas it would usually be around 16 and a half inches it is because of eu regulations as explained in the original post the only reason it comes down is because I have loaded the car with the original awning which is heavy, I think if I didn't it would sit up even higher


PersonST1100
21/5/2014 at 12:00pm
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What car is this?


Personkpnuts81
21/5/2014 at 12:09pm
 Location: Warwickshire
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Vauxhall antara


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PersonGrampian91
21/5/2014 at 1:15pm
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Use a spacer block on the trailer hitch.

The figures are attained with a loaded vehicle so it will drop a few inches with the car loaded.

20 inches doesnt sound right though. I would contact the towbar manufacturer. Firstly as a general enquiry about the minimum / maximum requirements and then to ask why yours is outside those requirements.


Personmichell8
21/5/2014 at 2:51pm
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Height should be 13 3/4"-16 1/2" car laden, but 'laden' is fairly subjective, one does not necessarily tow with fully laden car or large caravan with heavy noseweight. Suspension would have to compress 4", even to upper limit of tolerance so towball is too high really. Probably Antara & variants like Chevy version come with different size tyres & yours has ended up too high really.

Is towbar swan neck or flange? If flange you could fit a drop plate but you need to check if that is ok because towbar needs to be approved for drop plate fitting & 4x4 towbars often are so you should be ok if flange towbar.


Personkpnuts81
21/5/2014 at 3:24pm
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Hi all thanks for the replies it is an alko flange towball, as said in opening post it is an eu directive that they have to take into account 5 passengers and luggage + towing and I suppose with a full compliment it would probably be ok, however this just 2 of us and camping gear and folding camper on the back the hitch is still nearly 3/4inch to high, have been in touch with tow-trust who`s tow bar it is and they say they are going to make me a replacement bracket and I have asked them to make it 2inches lower so hopefully all will be ok, if I decide in the future to have a heavier caravan I will just swap the brackets back as the chap who had the car before me had a caravan approx. 1700kg so was fine for him but camper is only 1000kg at the most and noseweight is only 60-65 so it does not make much of an impression on the rear unless I put the full awning in the boot and then its still 3/4inch too high and I do not want to use the full awning unless we go for a fortnight or longer as I have a lightweight porch awning.


Personkpnuts81
21/5/2014 at 3:27pm
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forgot to add that the car and the camper have been loaded as they would if I was going away and the figure of 3/4inch I have quoted are when both loaded


PersonKelper
21/5/2014 at 7:12pm
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To be honest, I wouldn't have through three quarters of an inch is worth worrying about. I bet most rigs are between zero and two inches out of the horizontally perfectly straight line.
Have you tried a spirit level on the tow bar ... how far out is it?


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Personkpnuts81
21/5/2014 at 7:26pm
 Location: Warwickshire
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Kelper it is approx. 1/2inch-3/4 inch above the horizontal, I was told hitch has to be level or nose slightly down,have put a spirit level on the hitch and also along the lower edge of the camper and the angle equates to the aforementioned measurement, I am concerned because hitch is nose up when I am carrying some of the equiptment I will not want to carry but if I don't the hitch is slightly higher again


PersonKelper
22/5/2014 at 1:26am
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I still think you have a minimal problem. Would suggest taking it out for a 'spin' locally, and see if you 'feel' any problems with the set up.


Personkpnuts81
22/5/2014 at 4:38pm
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Hi Kelper the problem is because it is hitch high it means that the camper is high to low from the hitch when it should be level or rear high hitch low


PersonKelper
22/5/2014 at 9:12pm
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Can you put a picture up?


Personkpnuts81
23/5/2014 at 4:47pm
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Hi all have just had another bracket fitted not sure of terminology, that the towball fitted the tow bar company made it for me, they could have ordered me one but it had to come from Holland so they decided to make me one and my towball now sits at 18 inches unladen so hopefully when I hitch my camper it should either be level or slightly nose down hopefully try it over the weekend on my drive

Keith



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