New to Towing a large trailer, ordering a 16.49.4ob . Will be towing with a D Max 4x4 2008, has heavy tow kit installed for 3toone towing, i now i need to get electric brake controller installed but are there any other surprises i should be getting ready for?
16' Series What is needed on vehicle to tow?
- Thread starter Laurence
- Start date
*Try posting a bit more so your post isn't boring*, I'll be putting airbags in our Prado in time for dellivery of our 16", aprat from that, the towbar and brake controller. Probably the only other thing you will want to do is put a 50amp anderson plug near your trailer plug wired with nice heavy duty cable to your aux or main battery in the car. then do the same the the expanda when you get it and this will be used to charge the van baterie while in transit, or run the fridge - but not both, its unlickley there will be enough current in the single anderson plug setup to both effectively.
Some people run two sets of cable and anderson plugs so that they can run fridge and charge batteries in parrelell,,, what if had in my Swan is the anderson plug just connected directly to the fridge to ensure it gets enough current to keep it cool, and just charged my 260AH batterie fully before leaving home.
In my expanda, ill be doing the same only with the addition of about a 400watt solar setup to charge batteries while in transit and camping etc.
Some people run two sets of cable and anderson plugs so that they can run fridge and charge batteries in parrelell,,, what if had in my Swan is the anderson plug just connected directly to the fridge to ensure it gets enough current to keep it cool, and just charged my 260AH batterie fully before leaving home.
In my expanda, ill be doing the same only with the addition of about a 400watt solar setup to charge batteries while in transit and camping etc.
Hi guys, I am keen to watch this tread too, as we have to put air bags in ours but we r unsure of what brand? We have a 2007 landcruiser Sahara with the electronic height adjustment so I think our only option is airbags as I don't think we can do a lift kit.
Hi Geoff I bought mine here
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/A1-Air-B...ccessories&hash=item35ad12fa68#ht_1682wt_1156
Cheers Grant
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/A1-Air-B...ccessories&hash=item35ad12fa68#ht_1682wt_1156
Cheers Grant
I have Firestone Coilrites from Airbag Man in the Pajero also used them in the Pathie http://www.airbagman.com/
Hi Benandjordansmum
We have just finished putting airbags on our Lexus which should be the same suspension system you have.
There was a lot of discussion about whether or not they would be compatable with the active height control.
Hubby did a lot of investigation and ended getting the airbags through the airbag man in Brisbane.
We now have full use of the active height control and the benifits of airbags.
PM me if you would like more info.
Crystalyn
We have just finished putting airbags on our Lexus which should be the same suspension system you have.
There was a lot of discussion about whether or not they would be compatable with the active height control.
Hubby did a lot of investigation and ended getting the airbags through the airbag man in Brisbane.
We now have full use of the active height control and the benifits of airbags.
PM me if you would like more info.
Crystalyn
we have just fitted coilrites to the patrol made it a lot safer to drive , shocks set at five all round , sits flat and rides great .
Just interested to know if the people who use airbags still use or don't need to use equaliser hitches?
Hi Druryfamily,
This will no doubt be a hot topic of conversation :kev:
At the risk of ridicule "we do not use a WDH"
Big Gee
we can not use wdh we run the tregg with air bags my patrol has a six inch lift and the drop hitch is 12" long so its impossible to run a wdh of any kind , my mate uses the hayman reece wdh and has mixed results he is thinking of ditching it and running air bags also
We have Poly Air bags on the Prado as we have the Tregg coupler fitted to our Panda at present.
Now we are changing to the 18 57.5 model (normal 50mm ball hitch) I have also been thinking of WDB to help spread the load.:decision:
Whats the general thought?:help:
yeah, sorry have a trigg hitch also and go offroad a fair bit so WDH would be a pain in the a#$e
Interesting! So if you go with air bags and no WDH you would have to be more mindful of ball weight?
There was a thread a while ago about this very topic but I cant find it :ranger:
I only use airbags though I have a tregg hitch too.
I only use airbags though I have a tregg hitch too.
This was a post from Stray Dingo from a previous thread
Air bags and suspension are separate from WDHs. Do not substitute bags or suspension for a WDH or vise versa.
WDH is to transfer the weight to the front wheels. If your vehicle is designed to tow with a WDH it should always be used regardless of suspension setup. This provides the correct setup front to back, and also lessens the weight on the rear axle and tyres (check your limits)
However, that load is still distributed across both axles, the vehicle sits lower, and the suspension performance is reduced - the suspension might start to bang the bump stops over bumps or potholes, or just start that soft rocking back and forth when you stop or start, etc. Suspension is there to make the ride smooth not to take load per se. However, as mentioned earlier, there are packages available which enable extra load on the axle also, so it starts getting confusing.... But, any suspension will sag with any load, regardless of type, size, lift or capacity.
Airbags are designed to work with the suspension. The idea is measure the ride height before loading the vehicle (either contents or van). Load and then measure again, on both sides. No the fun bit.... Unload and fill the bag with air, reload, and measure. Unload and add or reduce the air, reload and measure. Keep doing so until the original ride height is reached. Then the suspension will work as designed, there will be less body roll, etc.
As it is measured on both sides, and your usually have two separate values, you can adjust to get an even ride - eg one side of the vehicle you have a fridge which is fully loaded, on the other are some sleeping bags. Naturally the fridge is heavier and will make that side sag lower than the other, affecting your handling, tyre wear and then van sway since you'll keep correcting. Ultimately, the airbags could end up with 35psi under the fridge side, and 20 under the light side to get that balance required.
As the bags work with the suspension, if your suspension has gotten on a bit and already has a permanent sag, the air bags start taking more of the load than they should and the ride will be worse, so you need to make sure the suspension setup is still in good condition. Don't spend on bags thinking that will fix your problems, if the old coils and shocks aren't as good anymore.
In regards to the Hilux vs Prado, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the Hilux has rear leaf suspension designed to take 800kg or so in the tray (over the rear axle) and the Prado has a lesser load so a different setup with the coils and shocks. You should always get more of drop in a passenger vehicle than a ute.
Here is a link to the whole thread
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/644-What-bags?highlight=airbags
Air bags and suspension are separate from WDHs. Do not substitute bags or suspension for a WDH or vise versa.
WDH is to transfer the weight to the front wheels. If your vehicle is designed to tow with a WDH it should always be used regardless of suspension setup. This provides the correct setup front to back, and also lessens the weight on the rear axle and tyres (check your limits)
However, that load is still distributed across both axles, the vehicle sits lower, and the suspension performance is reduced - the suspension might start to bang the bump stops over bumps or potholes, or just start that soft rocking back and forth when you stop or start, etc. Suspension is there to make the ride smooth not to take load per se. However, as mentioned earlier, there are packages available which enable extra load on the axle also, so it starts getting confusing.... But, any suspension will sag with any load, regardless of type, size, lift or capacity.
Airbags are designed to work with the suspension. The idea is measure the ride height before loading the vehicle (either contents or van). Load and then measure again, on both sides. No the fun bit.... Unload and fill the bag with air, reload, and measure. Unload and add or reduce the air, reload and measure. Keep doing so until the original ride height is reached. Then the suspension will work as designed, there will be less body roll, etc.
As it is measured on both sides, and your usually have two separate values, you can adjust to get an even ride - eg one side of the vehicle you have a fridge which is fully loaded, on the other are some sleeping bags. Naturally the fridge is heavier and will make that side sag lower than the other, affecting your handling, tyre wear and then van sway since you'll keep correcting. Ultimately, the airbags could end up with 35psi under the fridge side, and 20 under the light side to get that balance required.
As the bags work with the suspension, if your suspension has gotten on a bit and already has a permanent sag, the air bags start taking more of the load than they should and the ride will be worse, so you need to make sure the suspension setup is still in good condition. Don't spend on bags thinking that will fix your problems, if the old coils and shocks aren't as good anymore.
In regards to the Hilux vs Prado, please correct me if I'm wrong, but the Hilux has rear leaf suspension designed to take 800kg or so in the tray (over the rear axle) and the Prado has a lesser load so a different setup with the coils and shocks. You should always get more of drop in a passenger vehicle than a ute.
Here is a link to the whole thread
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/showthread.php/644-What-bags?highlight=airbags