TOWING PREPARATION

Hi Guys,

We are preparing to hit the road as soon as lockdown ends and the borders open. In preparation for our big trip, I have a towing question.

We recently made a few modifications to our LandCruiser Sahara, including a 2in lift kit as well slightly more aggressive tyres. Since the upgrade, we now find that our DO35 hitch sits higher and when we hitch our new Jayco Silverline caravan it has a noticeable ‘Nose-Up’ pitch. Will towing a caravan nose-up pitch effect our towing stability or fuel economy in any way? Should we look at replacing our car hitch with one that sits lower?

Thank for a great magazine and thanks for all your advice.

David Sajfar

A G’day Dave,

This is an important question that we get asked every so often, but are always happy to help with.

You should ›ind in your owner’s manual comments on the pitch or levelness of the Silverline and it will read that you need to keep it as close to parallel as possible to a flat road when towing. Not all owner’s manuals are as detailed as Jayco’s — theirs are some of the best — but it is common to ›ind in manuals.

Why it is important is mainly about leverage and weights. Although it will be a small effect,