Towing Help - Load Leveler Options

[kcustom73]

New to the board. So far very informative.

Bought my 2008 Santa Fe GLS 3.3L AWD late last fall as my families hauler / tow vehicle.

Went for our first camping trip this weekend towing our travel trailer (trailer is 2500# fully loaded) and did not have a problem.

I did find that the rear of the SF was a bit to low which also made the front of trailer low also (chains hitting the ground in certain area).

My question is has anybody tried adding a load leveling system to their Santa Fe? If so, which one? Talking to a colleague of mine and on his minivan he uses an Air-ride system that might work with the SF. Anybody have experience with one of these.

Thank you,
Kevin

[Don67]

Welcome to the forum, kcustom73 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/00000732.gif)

I haven't tried a leveling system, but based on my experience with a camper I can suggest the following:

1. If your drawbar steps down, remount the ball upside down so it steps up instead. It won't help with the squatting but it will greatly improve ground clearance and keep the trailer level. The dealer-supplied drawbar is Corvette-low if you install everything right side up.
2. Check your tongue weight by putting a scale under it, and make sure it is 10% of total weight (ie: 250 pounds in your case).
3. Move heavy objects (such as a loaded beer cooler, assuming you're a real camper) from your trunk to your trailer axle if possible. Unfortunately this isn't always convenient, depending on trailer design.
4. Make sure you're using trailer brakes at 2500 pounds. Hyundai recommends trailer brakes at 1650 pounds, and as someone who occasionally fudges this limit on shorter trips by pulling up to 1800 pounds without brakes, I would definitely not try 2500.

This post has been edited by Don67: Jul 6 2009, 01:48 PM

[apk]

Interesting differences between the states and europe, here the 7 seaters have self levelling suspension as standard, but alos have noseweight limits of 80kg on the auto (~190lb) and 88kg (210lb) on the manual. What is the noseweight limit on yours? as my dad has just picked up his santa fe today and wants to tow a caravan and also have a couple of bikes on the towbar, but the noseweight is a bit low for this, I just wonder how Hyundai have arrived at our noseweight, as surely if you can go higher, then the issue is not with the car.

[Don67]

apk,

If my translation is correct and "noseweight" refers to the vertical load on the hitch (we call it "tongue weight" over here, which is kind of gross now that I think about it), Hyundai generally sets it at 10% of maximum trailer weight. ie: 350 pounds for a vehicle rated to tow 3500 pounds. Should be in your dad's owner's manual.

[azjerry]

OTOH I'm not sure nose weight is any less gross than tongue weight. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[JTO]

Years ago I had a light-weight load leveling hitch made by Reese for my minivan. It was a great setup, the bars & hitch were small & light so it was easy to use and store. It was more than enough for my 2500 lb trailer.

[kcustom73]

Don67,

I had planned on flipping my draw bar. I currently have it setup 2" down and when I flip it will give me 3/4" up (I think, got to verify that one). As for shifthing stuff around, I load my trailer to prevent sway (heavy stuff in front of the trailer axle) which does not help with the low stance of the SF.

I belive bringing the front back down makes for a safer tow vehicle (better stopping and steering).

The trailer does have trailer breaks and stopping it last weekend was not an issue.

[Don67]

You probably have a page in your owner's manual that looks like this: http://www.myhyundai.com.ph/service.php?id...nfo&page=25

Note that Hyundai specifies "non-equalizing hitch". I suspect this is simply for liability reasons, since an improperly adjusted weight-distribution hitch can cause stability problems, but you might want to check with your dealer before going this route.

[Don67]

Kevin,

Agreed, there must be downward force on the hitch for stability... 10% of the total trailer weight should be resting on the hitch. But you can have too much of a good thing. Anything over 15% makes the tow vehicle sag and lose steering control.

I was front-loading my trailer (a Palomino P-2100) for the same reason as you, until I realized just how nose-heavy it was becoming. Checking the manufacturer's specs explained why:

Dry Axle Weight: 1394 lb (85% of total weight)
Dry Hitch Weight: 243 lb (15% of total weight + most of propane which sits near the hitch)
Dry Total Weight: 1637 b (water tank is evenly distributed over the axle)

Conclusion: The Palomino P-2100 is very nose-heavy by design, therefore cargo should be evenly distributed across the axle with a slight bias to the rear.

What make & model of camper do you own?

[azjerry]

I found this thread describing air springs for the SF.
Air Springs

[kcustom73]

Don67

You make a good point that I might have a front heavy trailer. I'm pulling an older (1986) Bonair 1690 travel trailer (16 feet). My wife didn't like the idea of a "pop-up" trailer. We are trifty packers compared to a lot of people so don't carry excesive gear with us. All of the wet weight is on the axle.

I do believe the trailer is front heavy with the battery and 2x 20lbs propnae tanks. I'll have to check the tongue weight, but there not a lot of stuff that I can remove to lighten up my load (the cargo are of the SF was fairly empty: wagon for the little one, 15W solar panel, 3 chairs, a little fire wood and my tool kit).

Don't think I want to get a weight distribution hitch but something more along the lines of an in-coil air bag:
Firestone Coil-Rite

What do you think?

[kcustom73]

azjerry, thanks for the link.

[Don67]

Don67

You make a good point that I might have a front heavy trailer. I'm pulling an older (1986) Bonair 1690 travel trailer (16 feet). My wife didn't like the idea of a "pop-up" trailer. We are trifty packers compared to a lot of people so don't carry excesive gear with us. All of the wet weight is on the axle.

I do believe the trailer is front heavy with the battery and 2x 20lbs propnae tanks. I'll have to check the tongue weight, but there not a lot of stuff that I can remove to lighten up my load (the cargo are of the SF was fairly empty: wagon for the little one, 15W solar panel, 3 chairs, a little fire wood and my tool kit).

Don't think I want to get a weight distribution hitch but something more along the lines of an in-coil air bag:
Firestone Coil-Rite

What do you think?

Keep in mind that anything moved from the trunk of the Santa Fe (or front of the camper) to behind the camper's axle not only stops pushing down but also starts lifting up. 50 pounds moved around, for example, might actually lighten the hitch by, say, 60 or 70 pounds. Raising the mounting point by inverting the drawbar will shift a few more pounds off the hitch, while visibly leveling the trailer. Altogether this might be all you need.

The Firestone kit looks fairly easy to install, and would actually be pretty cool. My only questions would be (1) The potential for air leaks at the connections, as well as the general durability of the hoses and bladder, and (2) how easily you can go back to stock suspension after removing parts and drilling holes. Hopefully somebody with some experience can chime in on this. I might be curious about getting one myself.

[iandeborah]

Hi all,

just recently asked a question of Hyundai Australia in regards to the use of a Hayman Reese Weight Distribution Hitch, very commonly used in Australia when towing a caravan.

Their response was worrying, and similar to what Dona67 mentions from the cars manual...and means I shouldn't be using it to tow the caravan! So, the airbag inside the rear coils might be the way to go.

"Dear Ian,

Hyundai Australia have advised that as previously advised, weight distribution hitches work like levers, altering the geometry of the towbar.
Altering the geometry may increase the load beyond its rated capacity. To determine the effects of the aftermarket hitch in terms of height, angle, distance and the resulting change in loads from the original, it will need to be inspected by a suitably qualified automotive engineer. Hyundai Motor Company Australia do not recommend the use of aftermarket tow hitches".

Cheers
Ian

[apk]

apk,

If my translation is correct and "noseweight" refers to the vertical load on the hitch (we call it "tongue weight" over here, which is kind of gross now that I think about it), Hyundai generally sets it at 10% of maximum trailer weight. ie: 350 pounds for a vehicle rated to tow 3500 pounds. Should be in your dad's owner's manual.

The uk limit is 80kg for the auto, which is about 180lb, half of what you are referring to, however as said we have self levelling rear suspension as standard on the 7 seaters, so I wonder if the restriction could be due to the self levelling limit?

[Don67]

The uk limit is 80kg for the auto, which is about 180lb, half of what you are referring to, however as said we have self levelling rear suspension as standard on the 7 seaters, so I wonder if the restriction could be due to the self levelling limit?

Perhaps... although I can't imagine why. Maybe somebody with a 5-seater can compare notes.

What is the total towing capacity on that model? I thought all Euro-spec Santa Fes were rated to tow 4,000 pounds, which would require a tongue weight of approximately 400 pounds. With only 180 pounds on the hitch, a 4,000 pound trailer would sway so badly that any small car foolish enough to pass it would surely be punted into the weeds. Something is wrong here.

[McLarrick]

Perhaps... although I can't imagine why. Maybe somebody with a 5-seater can compare notes.

What is the total towing capacity on that model? I thought all Euro-spec Santa Fes were rated to tow 4,000 pounds, which would require a tongue weight of approximately 400 pounds. With only 180 pounds on the hitch, a 4,000 pound trailer would sway so badly that any small car foolish enough to pass it would surely be punted into the weeds. Something is wrong here.

No, the specs are correct. Below is what the owner's manual says:

Braked trailer - gasoline engine - any transmission - trailer weight: 2,000 kg - tongue weight: 80 kg
Braked trailer - diesel engine - manual transmission - trailer weight: 2,200 kg - tongue weight: 88 kg
Braked trailer - diesel engine - automatic transmission - trailer weight: 2,000 kg - tongue weight: 80 kg
Unbraked trailer - any engine - any transmission - trailer weight: 750 kg - tongue weight: 30 kg

Are we supposed to use double-axle (4-wheel) trailers in Europe, maybe? They should have lower tongue weight compared to the 2-wheel ones.

This post has been edited by McLarrick: Jul 9 2009, 04:43 PM

[kcustom73]

I have ordred the Firestone Ride-rite for my SF. Should be getting it in the next few weeks. I'll post back once I get it installed and maybe again after I've done my long distance camping trip.

[apk]

Its funny the different "opinions/standards" in different places, I have towed 1000kg caravans with a 1200kg car with a nose weight of 60-70kgs, with no problems, surely 10% at SF's limit of 2000kg is going to cause serious damage, not sure of figures but I think the payload is something like 300kg, so with 200kg nose/tongue weight it doesn't leave much for driver/passenger etc?

[azjerry]

I have ordred the Firestone Ride-rite for my SF. Should be getting it in the next few weeks. I'll post back once I get it installed and maybe again after I've done my long distance camping trip.

Wondering if you've had a chance to install and use these yet. Anxiously waiting for your report. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/happy.gif)