Hawk Toyota Aurion 2010

Gold Coast Crow

New Member
Nov 6, 2022
13
9
3
Gold Coast
Hi there, we are in the process of searching for a Jayco Slide out pop top, A few years ago we hired a Swan for a trial and found the back end sagged… I thought that the weights were about right, but maybe I need to load the car and trailer different.
Any way, I was looking for advice on whether 1. A Distribution Hitch would help achieve less sag? 2. Would an Eagle or Hawk be achievable? BTW it doesn’t need to be a fancy Off Road version.
Any help would be much appreciated as we know a Dove or a Swift would be fine but would prefer the extra size if possible…. I guess there is also the option of upgrading the suspension but this could be expensive and effect the comfort without the van.
 

fangios

New Member
Aug 13, 2022
14
1
3
Morninton Peninsula, Victoria
Your biggest issue is your Aurion is front wheel drive. Therefore the towball weight on the back is actually taking weight off the front wheels (your driving wheels, which could lead to a dangerous lack of grip, especially in the wet. Front wheel drive cars are not recommended for towing heavy loads. But if you need to use it, then yes, I would recommend a weight distribution hitch to transfer some weight back to the front, and probably some heavy duty rear springs to help deal with the sag. Keeping the ball weight light would be the key
 

millers

Active Member
Mar 25, 2011
282
246
43
Adelaide
You will need to look into the WDH to see that the Aurion is able to handle the torque (twist). I would not lighten the ball weight any less than normal (approximately 10%) because this may cause the van to sway. If the WDH transfers enough force to the front it may remove the rear sag (balance the car) so then you need to determine if either the front or back is too low / high for good suspension movement.

It does come down to how comfortable you feel driving it. If the WDH levels it and it feels comfortable to drive when towing and it stops, turns and handles bumps well then you will have solved the problem.