Towbar tongue advice please

[Mikel]

I drive a new Commodore work car (6cyl sedan) and have towed by new 5m alloy a few times with it. The weight on the back of the car causes the trailer to bottom out in the driveway as I inch into the front yard.

While I realise all sorts of things can be done with suspension including ther fitting of tension bars, I am reluctant to spend money on the company car.

Is there an option to purchase a gooseneck style towbar tongue which would raise the overall clearance of the trailer?

If so, where might I pick one up?

Mikel

[billfisher]

With tension or torsion bars nothing is permanently attached to the car so I wouldn't be put off getting them for a company car. They won't raise the clearance by a large amount though, but it may be enough to fix your problem. #

[jimbamb]

Mikel,
Ive got a set of bars etc from caravan.i.m at sunny coast.will sell if u are interested.PM Me.

[Kerry]

....The weight on the back of the car causes the trailer to bottom out in the driveway as I inch into the front yard.

Do you know what sort of weight the trailer is putting on the towbar? That would be the first thing to check/verify as really a 5m alloy boat shouldn't require stabilizer bars?

Cheers, Kerry.

[coasty]

mine used to hit at the rear due to the angle of entry. i put 2 little wheels off a shopping trolley on it so it just rolls in. you could do this to the front of the trailer

[billfisher]

Kerry,
It doesn't take much weght to lower the back of these modern cars with standard suspension. Even just a heavy duty towbar with nothing attached will do it ! The best solution would be heavier springs or adjustable air shocks, but the original poster said he doesn't want to spend money on a company car.
Also I should mention that torsion bars themselves could have clearance problems if he is already bottoming out on his driveway.

[Kerry]

Billfisher, No it might not take much but until one actually knows exactly what weight the trailer is putting on the towbar then all the other options fall down the list.

Also everything adds up but still unless there's a threesome in the back seat plus the dog and a boot full of luggage then 120-160 kg (max) on the towbar really shouldn't put it down anymore than a full backseat and a boot full of luggage?

From what I've seen of dealer setup trailers one wouldn't have a clue what weight is really on the towbar unless it's weighed.

And yes most types of stabilizer bars will generally require a hitch that protudes even lower then the standard one?

Cheers, Kerry.

[nisrol]

This suprises me that non of you have even thought to enquire if this person has the back seat and boot full of gear which means even if his towball weight was only 10kg he would still bottom out with this effect the stablizers would have non if any affect .
In eny event if you for example put 2 bags of cement in any late model sedan it drops an inch in rear end hight .
And just to add being a late model commodore the dam things are low enough anyhow

cheers andy

[Heath]

Any car with independant rear suspension sags significantly when towing.

I doubt there is anything really you could do to rectify the issue. One thought would be to get a Heyman Reece setup with the slide in goose neck. You can turn them upside down to give you a few extra inches lift. Thats what I did to mine to make it easier to get on and off the car.

[Bob]

Drop the front of the boat trailer on your missus bathroom scales then distribute the load in your boat accordinly .
Regards
Gon Fishun ;D

[Kerry]

Drop the front of the boat trailer on your missus bathroom scales then distribute the load in your boat accordinly....

Yes, but accordingly relative to what?

Cheers, Kerry.

[billfisher]

Taking a large amount of weight off the towbar is the last thing you would want to do as it could lead to a really bad swaying problem. By all means check the weight with bathroom scales, but if it is around 7 - 10% of the boat / trailer weight don't change the weight distribution.

[jimbamb]

stabiliser bars will lift the drawbar either if the trailer or the boot of the car is loaded or both.depends on how much pressure you put on the bars.As stated, the weight on the towball shouldnt exceed the makers specs usually between 140Kg to 180kg(See vehicle handbook or label on towbar)RTA/Qld transport are getting very interested in this and are checking caravans etc.

[Mikel]

Many thanks for all of the assistance on this issue guys.

FYI - the car has no load in the boot and no passengers in the rear seat. Apart from the anchor and safety gear all of the weight in the boat appears to be in the back half. That is, 80 L fuel, 90 hp motor, eskies, battery etc. I would imagine this would also translate to the trailer.

I guess my original idea was to acquire a gooseneck tongue. This won't change the weight issue or the distribution but will raise the overall height of the trailer. It is the trailer that bottoms out in the gutter.

So does apart from the wreckers where I have had no success to date. Does anybody know of anybody?

Thanks again

Mikel

[basserman]

as stated before i would be bolting on a small wheel like the ones on the ski boats that will roll and rise as the drawbar is hitting any pathment

cheap simple and effective soulition that i have seen work on many a steep driveway ;D

[NQCairns]

Mikel try a springworks, there usually you can specify whatever shape/height you want (they would have a foundry) I have an inch thick mild steel tongue on the 4wd, if they cannot do it they would know who can. nq

[jimbamb]

Ive still got the"level rides" if your interested 1/2 new price. includes 2 bars anchors for traoler fitting that fits on tow bar tongue and handle to save ya back puttin them on?????????
would solve prob i recon.If ya put a wheel on the trailer there is a chance u could lift the trailer off the ball if you hit a big enuf hump on the road.that would be really interesting,the boat and trailer hangin on the safety chain.Then you jump on the brakes and the trailer hitch comes up under the car and usually hits the petrol tank... you can figure what might hapen then........ just my opinion!!!!!

[basserman]

if your going over bumps that big then i think you would arleady have problems with the trailer anyway

they wheels i'v seen are no bigger than skateboard wheels so they are only lower than the hitch bar by 1 1/2 iches
sure i have also seen blokes towing thier boats around with the jocky wheels just off the ground and in them cases i could see something happening

[Dignity]

My neighbour has a goosneck on her car, will try and find out where - I'm pretty sure her towbar is a Hayman's Reece.


Basserman, I would suspect the problem Mikel has is not a bump but the angle between the road and the foothpath. It's probably the older style so called Rollover kerbing which some cars even have trouble clearing. I have a similar problem as the driveway for my boat is no cutaway as is the driveway for the car. I get over it by putting a length of long timber in the gutter and it is enough to overcome the problem.

[nisrol]

mikel
try the guy's at wynnum tow bars the might be able to make something for you


cheers andy

[Ashleym]

I have a Haines 470 Breeze and tow it with an AU2 fairlane and had exactly the same problems.
Boat loaded weighed 1080kg and had 110 on the tow ball so within the 7-10% recommended by Hayman Reece.
I picked up a caravan weight distribution kit (to 160kg with four bars) and solved all my problems.
It no longer drags up the first part of the driveway and sits level without the back tyres of the car no longer spreading out at the bottom.
You can easily remove the plate from the back of the work car and put it on the next one.
Cheers
Ash

[Mikel]

Problem solved. many thanks for all the chat around the issue of towing my 5m alloy on the back of a Calais with IRS.

I managed to obtain a goosneck tongue from the wreckers, had to redrill one hole to ensure bolts aligned and off we go. The bottom of the trailer (front) no longer scrapes on the driveway and the towing forward and reverse remains very stable.

Thanks again for all the ideas

Happy boating
Mikel

[JK99]

Out of interest how much did the gooseneck cost?

I have a similar problem. The way the current towbar sits is that is bends over a chrome nudge bar at the back of the 4WD. This poses a hassle because I have to remove the spare to put the trailer on, and then I cant put the spareback on as there's a chance it'll hit the trailer if I make a sharp turn.

Thinking about getting a new tongue and reversing it so it bends under the chrome bar so it hopefully gives enough clearance from the spare.

cheers

[Mikel]

Tongue cost me $22 including ball

Mikel