Thread: caravan sway

Originally Posted by petesh

The Hayman Reece I am referring to is the 800lb weightr distribution hitch. This is adjustable and would give me a few inches. I have seen other D4 and RRS sers doing this and it seems to work.

Do not use a WDH on your vehicle - even Hayman Reece do not recommend it.

Get a Mitch Hitch. Mitchell Bros 4x4 & more - Online 4x4 Store - Discovery 3 Hi Rise Tow Hitch

Here is how it looks on my RRS





Garry

Swaying at speed is usually a result of not enough weight on the tow hitch or too much weight behind the trailer axle, Regards Frank.

If your van is swaying around then like others have said the weight distribution is wrong and very wrong given how good these vehicles are at towing heavy basically unstable weights.

I towed our 2.5 ton off road van which has a relatively high centre of gravity even with the three water tanks filled up to the 10th get together on the weekend and was amazed at how stable it is at any speed. Even on steep rutted dirt road downhill sections the vehicle automatically stabilized if the van started to push on sharp corners. Having said that there was no sway or feeling of pushing rather just the noise the DSG makes when activating plus the light coming on the dash to warn you.

Good luck sorting this out as something sounds quite wrong for it to be doing what your describing.

cheers,
Terry

Originally Posted by petesh

I have just bought a 2008 Range Rover and tow a 21'6'" Paramount caravan weight 2500kg. I am new to the world of towing with a range rover, having previously using a Pajero with a WDH. As per the Range Rover manual and info on this site I do not use a WDH with my new set up. My problem is that I keep getting a sway up at around 100kph and I have no idea how to stop it, or what is causing it. I have tried moving annex and heavy items over the wheel and reduced the amount of water in front tanks. Still have issues. I feel the problem may be that the tow hitch on the range rover is too low by a couple of inches to allow the caravan to tow level. Does anyone have any advice? will using the Hayman Reece tow hitch (without the bars) help?

Hi Petesh,

You do need to check the basics. The caravan should be level when towed, and although you cannot use WDH with the RRS, you can use a different lug to achieve the correct height. If you cannot find one with a high enough rating, the actual height adjustable WDH head can still be used. ( just don't use the torsion bars ) The WDH heads are rated at 3500kg and you won't haven't any capacity issues. ( it is a great lump of steel though ) Note that most tandem axle caravans ( particularly those with leaf springs ) will have increased ball weight applied, as the caravan A frame is raised above level. I would take the advice of others, and ensure any extra weight that has been added to the van, is over the axles. I would also have the actual ball weight of your van ( loaded ) confirmed.

You can also buy tow balls of various heights, up to a bout 50mm higher than standard.

A simple way to bring the height up and it weighs a lot less than a HR hitch and it is very easy to adjust for different heights.

As you can see this hitch has done a bit of work. Google Rapid Hitch.

Is your van dual or single axle? Have you thought that maybe the axle(s) are out of line? It has happened before. You may find that tyres on one side are more worn than the other. Can happen on a new van even. Worth a check, as you seem to have tried the weight distribution line.


Harv

Originally Posted by mowog

A simple way to bring the height up and it weighs a lot less than a HR hitch and it is very easy to adjust for different heights.

As you can see this hitch has done a bit of work. Google Rapid Hitch.

Thank you for the informative email. i will try to find a dealer where I can try one. I saw one of these on a defender a couple of days ago and i called rapid hitch to buy one and they told me that they do not have one that fits an RRS because the bar does not go back far enough fo the pin to be installed. I notice that your bar is just under the knuckle, on the RRS it is about 100mm lower and goes under the spare wheel, so it is a fair way back. and the knuckle gets in the way. It does the same to the HR at full height and I am hoping that if I have to take that option I can adjust the HR by dropping one hole.