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[32omegalad]

hi guys i have  a problem with my ride hieght .basicly when i hitch the caravan up i have to get two or more people to stand on the hitch.now i know the auto levleing works provideing it senses weight on the back / but problem is i have a very neg nose weight the van is a twin axle and i have tried putting all the stuff in the van.and have tried spring asistors still did not raise the car enough.
any of you guys heard of this before also cant raise the tow ball as it will block the rego plate when van not on
cheers james

[TheBoy]

Yeah, sell the van. Or burn it.

[32omegalad]

Yeah, sell the van. Or burn it.

not a caravan person then ??

[bigall]

1. Is your towball at the correct height iirc it should be between 350mm and 420mm without the van attached and fully loaded car. Check with caravan club etal

2. negative noseweight !!!!!!!  check the recommended noseweight of your van also the  height of the its  tow hitch from the ground  these will be in the vans  handbook or from the manufacturer I dont think you should have negative noseweight

[32omegalad]

thanks
no there should be no neg nose weight this means in my situation the van is pulling up the back of the car.i could add in a bracket but this then blocks the rego plate of which is not legal.the caravan is also at the max mplw wieght for the car to tow.

[TheBoy]

thanks
no there should be no neg nose weight this means in my situation the van is pulling up the back of the car.i could add in a bracket but this then blocks the rego plate of which is not legal.the caravan is also at the max mplw wieght for the car to tow.

So if you have neg nose weight, but shouldn't have, this is a problem with van loading then?

[32omegalad]

i dont take much in the van but to get over this problem im having to load it over but correctly placed the recomended trailer weight just to get it on the tow ball .may have to put standard springs on as i think the ellite ones are sports lowerd if im correct

[TheBoy]

i dont take much in the van but to get over this problem im having to load it over but correctly placed the recomended trailer weight just to get it on the tow ball .may have to put standard springs on as i think the ellite ones are sports lowerd if im correct

No, if you are supposed to have nose weight according to van manual, and you haven't, then the issue is with the van, not the car.

Elite with self levelling is not lowered in any way

[alexandjen]

Have you got anything in the front locker?
What model van have you got?

[Kevin Wood]

If the nose weight is insufficient surely raising the hitch would make matters worse?

Maximum nose weight for an Omega is 75kg IIRC, and it's best to aim for something approaching this if possible.

Also, ideally, the car should have a bit of load in it too. They tow much more stable with a bit of weight in the boot.

Sounds like you need to measure the height of the ball and see if it's within spec for the caravan. If you've got a conventional towbar you could always use a plate to raise the ball and remove it when not towing however, nose weight needs to be sorted before you raise it.

Kevin

[32omegalad]

Have you got anything in the front locker?
What model van have you got?

2000 coachman amara 580/4

[mark.adams]

If its got neg noseweight as you say, if you unhitch it it does the front end ping up in the air?

[davlad22]

How about a set of irmscher lowering springs for your 2000 amara!?!  

[32omegalad]

It does /i can have the van ready to hitch no jokey wheel touching the floor and reverse straight under the hitch.
I have in the front locker two 6kg gas bottles all the bedding and tv blow up bed pots pan s all in the van i have an awning but have not used that yet.The van tows ok but due to the lack of nose weight it rattles aroung on the tow ball standard hitch

[lee4206]

I know nothing about caravans but could it be that someone has put wrong size tyres on it ie larger than standard on the front axle or smaller ones on the rear axle.