Is my weight distribution safe?
Hi, we will be setting off on our first caravan trip to the New Forest tomorrow morning and I'm a bit confused about nose wheel weight despite having read everything I can find and spending hours on YouTube.
My van is a Swift Corniche with a MTPLM of 1500kg. The minimum nose wheel weight should be at least 5% of the MTPLM which is 75kg.
I am really struggling to get the weight up to that minimum despite loading the front locker with 2 gas bottles and a Cadak bbq and moving all the bedding to the front of the van along with a 20kg gazebo, water drum and waste drum.
I am now at 75kg but was under the impression that the heavier weights should be over the wheels which would obviously reduce my nose wheel weight down to @40kg if I did that.
Is the weight distribution ok with all the added weight now at the front of the van?
How would I be able to reach the minimum nose weight if the van was empty and I didn't have any equipment to front load it up?
Comments
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In answer to your first question, you should be fine with the weight shifted to the front of the caravan.
Regarding towing without any equipment, you would probably find it rather uncomfortable and possibly unstable with such a low nose weight.
Do you have any heavy items at the back?
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Are you measuring the weight at the jockey wheel or the hitch, as any reading at the hitch [the number that counts] will be lower than that at the jockey wheel. It is all to do with levers and force x distance from the axle.
Just move things forward. It is surprising how little you will have to move as the further you move things from the axle the greater effect it has on the nose weight.
The things to avoid are heavy weights at the tail of the van and anything heavy stored high up.
Colin
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Quite a few vans seem to be manufactured with an unstable balance such as low nose weight when empty, restoring the necessary distribution when loaded. The 1/7 of MTPLM on the hitch is a theoretical number which is often an unachievable ideal. Your Alko chassis is specified with a maximum towing weight at the hitch of 100Kg. Your car/ towbar will have a maximum hitch weight depending on its make. Heavy SUVs may exceed 100Kg but for many saloons it will be in the region of 75-85Kg. Those specifications are the weights that you should aim to comply with, even if it requires moving your payload forward of the axle. Low nose weights will significantly and dramatically increase the risk of snaking, which is something that you need to avoid at any cost. Depending on your car/ caravan, a nose weight of around 85Kg may be a good starting point. As has been advised earlier in this thread, small amounts of redistribution can make a surprising difference. Moving your EHU cable from over the axle to your front locker is one example. A point to consider is the accuracy of your nose weight gauge. Milenco ones meet BS specifications, many don’t. Finally, stability while driving up a gradient is better than when towing downhill. Beware of that difference when overtaking a lorry, downhill with a low nose weight.
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I can understand how on acceleration it would diminish and on deceleration it would increase, but oh, I'd love to see how it could be measured.
Colin
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