Why is a Weight Distribution Hitch Important?

Towing without weight distribution is a risk that you are putting yourself and other road users into. Towing heavy trailers and caravans without the proper weight distribution hitch for a vehicle can place excessive weight on the rear end of your vehicle.

Ever been in a situation where you have a fully loaded caravan and you realise it is overloaded?

It’s very easy to reach your maximum load without even trying. Place food, gas bottles, load the fridge, clothes, sleeping items, bikes and hey you are at capacity. You realise you haven’t packed the BBQ and kids toys, camp chairs? What will you do? The first thing to look at is: Have you over packed? Too much food and clothing adds up, maybe you need to reconsider what you need to take.

If you take the lot and distribute it better between the car and caravan? Will this lessen the weight on the towing load? It can be a nightmare, but one that you need to avoid at all costs. You also need to make sure your tow vehicle can cope with the weight when fully loaded.

The last thing you need is issues when towing. Once you have the weight sorted you need to ensure you have a weight distribution hitch to ease the pressure on the tow vehicle and assist you when on the road.

How does a weight distribution hitch work?

The weight distribution hitch connects to the towbar receiver. Carasel can assist you in getting the correct one to fit your vehicle. Two adjustable load rated drawbars are horizontally suspended beneath the drawbar frame of the trailer or caravan. This is then tensioned up on the drawbars. They are adjustable to ease the weight of the down ball load and distribute more evenly across the vehicle and the caravan axles.

Why is the weight distribution hitch important?

Without the weight distribution hitch, you are placing the safety of yourself and other road users on the road. Towing heavy trailers without this can place excessive load weight on the rear end of your vehicle. It overloads the suspension and causes severe sagging at the rear of the vehicle. This leads to unnecessary and severely unsafe swaying and can lead to fatal results. It’s a scenario no one wants to live through. Towing accessories for vehicles are there for a reason and this is one accessory you cannot do without.

How do you calculate the weight distribution to make sure you have the correct one?

Firstly to ease the stress you can visit us at Carasel, we can get the information we need and set you up with the best weight distribution hitch for you. You will have peace of mind that your choice is right from the first time you use it.

Weight distribution hitches come in three different sizes and its vital to make sure you get the right one.

There are weight ratings 270kg, 360kg & 545kg and you need to know 3 things in order to have the correct size when towing.

• Know the inside size of the of the square opening on the receiver.
• The rating of the hitch needs to match or exceed the gross trailer weight, otherwise known as the GTW.

Weight distribution set up.

While it sounds quite detailed, installing your weight distribution parts are very easy to fit and can be done by yourself.

• Firstly, set up the coupling head by lining up your vehicle with the trailer/caravan on a flat surface using the jockey wheel to level the trailer.
• Measure the height of the height of the front and back wheel arches of the vehicle.
• Adjust the coupling head to the required angle using the leveling blocks that are supplied.
• Attach the spring bars fitted with the chains.
• Once the lift brackets are fitted onto the trailer arms, the lift chains can be attached.
• Now you are done, and it is as easy as raising the lift bracket and securing the lock in pins.

Tips and Reminders for a Safe Trip

Always think when packing for a trip

• Have I packed just the essential items needed?
• Do I need cases of drinks, or will a few suffice?
• Am I packing heaps of food "just in case" or can I go to a shop close by?
• Do I need to bring all the saucepans and frypans or do I just need one pot and fry pan?
• Should I take all the kid’s bikes and scooters or can they just take one of these to ride?
• Try your best not to pack heaps of clothes, yes, you need to pack for all weathers, but can you just pack limited clothes or can you wash while you are away?

Think of the game Tetris, limited space means limited items, utilise spaces, pack a pot into the frypan, put socks for a few days inside runners, there are ways to cut pack on storage and utilise spaces. When calculating the tow weight, you need to include the weight of potential passengers, maximum amount of fuel, luggage and little extras like water tanks and gas bottles. Everything adds up but weight needs to be the most important factor when you are towing.