Jockey Wheels with Nose gauge
Hi All
Picking up a new caravan in Jan 2018 and was of the mind to ask dealer to fit one of those jockey wheels which also have the nose gauge indicator on them, Was wondering has anyone fitted one and if so they any good? and do they save time? or are they just a waste of time & money?
await replies thanks all!
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A nose gauge is something that I used quite frequently at first but as I got to know how to load our caravan to achieve the correct nose weight I used it less, in fact hardly ever.
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Unless you can get it for free don't bother. Bathroom scales and a piece of wood under the hook probably more accurate. I load my caravan the same way each time so have a pretty good idea of the noseweight - I aim for 90kgs + (my max allowed is 100kgs)
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Hi All
So general feeling is waste of time then? we do own the yellow milenco one and as you say tend not to use it so much but thought with new van may be worth investing in?
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We have one, and have found that depending on how long a tour we are on, affects the way the c/van gets loaded,they it also seems better when manoeuvring as it is wider and the spring tends to make a smoother ride.
They are quite heavy so we always carry it in the van when traveling
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We have an Alko one fitted. It is much better constructed, has a wider wheel and also acts as suspension when moving the van with the power mover. As a result it puts a lot less strain on both the jockey and the hitch when manovering the van, particularly in the deep gravel where we store it.
The above were the main reason we bought it. It is a bonus that it also displays load on the hitch.
In answer to your question, if you only want it for the weighing aspect, it is probably not worth the money.
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Although I have a noseweight gauge I have always felt that the bathroom scale and piece of wood method is more accurate. However, and thinking about the jockey wheel noseweight system, couldn't I just put the existing jockey wheel onto the bathroom scales and not bother about the bit of wood that could quite easily damage the stabiliser pads if the wood is located in the hitch? The reading, I think, should show less as the jockey wheel is nearer to the caravan wheels but if I know what the equivalent weight should be, (eg 90kg at the hitch = 87kg at the jockey wheel), then it should be an easier and quite accurate method.
Anyone got any scientific thoughts that either proves or disproves this theory / idea?
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I use scales method. I don't put the wooden 'stick' in the cup of the hitch but on the flat area behind. Makes the reading a bit lower but probably only 2kg at most if say 3'' behind cup. I would not wish to place under jockey wheel as it seems more faff.
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We bought one from Towsure, which indicated the weight, in coloured bands, just beneath the crank handle. It broke almost immediately, and so did the replacement. So while it’s obviously much easier to use than some of the above suggestions, it wasn’t fit for purpose. The market leader for portable nose weight gauges is the Milenco, which being light and compact, is probably the next best thing to a dedicated fixture such as weighing jockey wheels.
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Block of wood and bathroom scales - cheap and effective. What's not to like?
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Carting bathroom scales around?
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remember what they are called, GAUGES. this means that they are not accurate and just an indicator. they work on a spring system and when you compress and release springs they go weaker and become even less accurate. how many are calibrated and how many get tested after each season. none. get a cheap set of scales from argos, weigh yourself at a chemists and see how far out they are and most have a wheel at the bottom to adjust the dial indicator to get it nearly right, or do what EasyT says and have an accurate set at home.
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Me and bathroom scales just do not get on, whenever I use them they upset me so best avoided.
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I have the milenco noseweight gauge which because the stick-on scale fell off I recalibrated to suit our current tow car at 85 kg. Very generously our caravanning friends bought me a jockey wheel with a built in gauge for my birthday. Absolutely useless, never read the same thing twice and when compared to my Milenco gauge it was nowhere near by about 20kg, enough to be dangerously out.
In deference to others who are confident they load their vans to exactly the same noseweight every time I'm afraid I always check the noseweight every time I hitch up other than to put it in or take it out of storage.
Has paid off a couple of times once when I forgot to empty the hot and cold water tanks and another time when my brother had without my knowledge put several cases of drink under the front bed locker then forgotten to tell me!
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Hi All
Some really great comments! but like dmiller555 when I now use the bathroom scales they tell me to get off! and then say one at a time please..lol
Anyway will probably stick to the old Milenco yellow pole which seems to tell me the right thing give or take!
But never the less a good discussion overall so thanks everyone who commented!
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Have the BPW one, was on the van when we bought it. I don’t think it’s all that accurate but it serves as an ‘approximate indicator’ and as has been pointed out above, it gives the jockey wheel some suspension movement over rough ground when on the mover. Whilst I can’t tell to the kg what the noseweight is, I can instantly see if the noseweight is way too high or way too low prior to hitching.
I wouldn’t buy one specially though
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I have the Al-Ko noseweight jockey wheel which I fitted myself. It's not rocket science. No need for dealer to fit it for you and charge for the privelege. As others have said the van moves easily over rough surfaces and nose weight can be checked every time without fiddling with extra guages or bathroom scales which just take up useable weight.
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We have one and I would agree it is very useful, particularly in deep gravel. However, as it is over twice as heavy as the standard jockey, there is certainly no weight saving on the van, unless it is removed for traveling. Given the extra 5 kg, so close to the hitch, it could even compromise the ideal hitch load.
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