Mismatch of ride height?

[getaway]

G'day everyone.

I have a slight problem in the mismatch of ride height between my van and my towing vehicle.

With the van and tow vehicle empty and sitting on level ground the drawbar of the van is 3 1/2" (90mm) lower than the tow ball.
The van is level with the ground (spirit level was used) As I see it I have a number of options to equalise the ride height.

1. Fit a "cam lock" adjustable ball mount. (quite expensive)

2. Fit larger rims and tyres to the van (I need to change the van wheels anyway) The van currently has 14" Holden wheels. Tyres are very old and cracked! Was thinking 15"X7" Sunrasier wheels with "LT" rubber to suit. (although if I go too big I will have clearance issues).

3. Buy a tongue with ball mount 100mm Lower than the standard one. (as the height mismatch is only 90mm this will in effect be 10mm too much).

The adjustable cam lock ball mount comes as part of a "hayman Reece" package. It is also a weight distribution hitch available in 550 and 750 hitch weights (don't know what the 550-750 denotes) maybe kg?

Do I need a weight distribution hitch? Tare weight of van is 700kg. Owners manual of tow vehicle (2000 Ford Courier twin cab ute) says original fitment (factory fitted) tow bar not for use with weight distribution hitch!

I can't believe how difficult this is becoming.So many options.
It is very hard to decide what is the best option. ie what is legally acceptable and which path to take that won't affect my insurance.

Any thoughts, feedback, ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

Mick.

[minicamper]

Hi Getaway, what sort of towbar do you currently have?
I had the same problem with my Ute and a car trailer. the Ute has a Hayman Reese heavy duty bar (the one with the removable square box tongue and retaining pin)

We just pulled it out, turned it over fitted the ball again and hey presto...

[Deleted]

Hi Mick
I am assuming the 14" Holden wheels are HK/T/G not later model stud pattern (HQ and Commodore)
Early chev 5 stud wheels are the same stud pattern as early Holden to 1971. Maybe shop for a set of 16" rims and fit narrow 4 x 4 tyres . Maybe 600 or 650 X 16" tyres will give the van the hieght it needs. Mind you with an increase in van hieght comes instability and wind drag.

Have you tried towing the van with the current set up . You might find it tows OK. Providing you have reasonable tow ball weight and all your gear in the van is stowed low and towards the front. The "Nose up to towball" attitude may not be such a big problem

Reddo

[getaway]

Thanks guys.

Unfortunately I've allready bought new tyres 14" LT.

as suggested HK,HT,HG stud pattern.

The tow vehicle has Hayman Reece type square box type tongue,

The thing the tow ball bolts on to is allready turned around the other way. Not a lot of room in the wheel well. Don't think anything else would fit. I suspect I may have clearance issues if I attempted to fit a bigger wheel.

Mick.

[Roehm3108]

And I don't suppose you can just buy the adjustable cam thingy on its own and fit it to the existing towbar??? Or will an engineer may up a tongue to the correct height??
Ray

[getaway]

Many thanks guys.

I think I shall just bite the bullet and buy the cam lock adjustable ball mount.

Hayman Reece is a reputable company! This fitment will be safe and no doubt keep the insurance company happy.

Mick.

[whippy]

You can get a variety of different fittings that go into the Hayman Reese square which can raise or lower your tow bar, I had to get one that raises the tow ball 3 inches. If I remember correctly, it wasn't that dear (under $100)

Glynn

[whippy]

Hey Mick, I just realised who I am communicating with. I just got out the Hayman Reese fitting.



As you can see you can adjust it several different ways,

Glynn