Hello and newbie nose weight question
Hello all, We have just joined the caravan ranks and are enjoying our older "tester" van. We don't have any caravanning friends so can't get helpful tips but we're hoping this forum will help fill the void and I thought I would try to get some thoughts
on nose weight as I am getting conflicting messages when talking to people on site.
I thought nose weight to be an important thing to get right but seems a lot of people are very relaxed about it (some saying they have never checked it). Should I be concerned to get it right?
Secondly, with the front compartment empty save for spare wheel and gas container, and everything else loaded over the axle, my nose weight is stil higher than it should be by some way. Aside from moving the gas bottle and spare wheel into my caravan, what
else can I do? I have read not to compensate by loading to the rear as this could lead to pitching or snaking.
I wondered if it was the water tank but can see no mention of draining it down everytime, is this what I am missing?
Cheers, Peter.
Comments
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Peter,your situation is not uncommon. In general it is better to have as much nose weight as your vehicle can cope with, without exceeding the vehicle nose weight limit but at the end of the day if you still have too much nose weight you have no option but
to move things further back or into the tow vehicle if it has enough weight capacity.0 -
The best thing to move is the spare wheel, could you carry it in the car, or inside the van? I would not move the gas bottle.
Which van do you have ?
I reckon you are talking about water in the HW tank, it does not necessarily need to be emptied, but can be if necessary.
If it is a cold water tank, then you should empty it.
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A cold water tank would be separate and much bigger, so your HW one will probably hold max 10litres of water, which will be cold until you heat it up.
If you do decide to empty it (NB, you MUST drain everything down for winter or risk frost damage) Remember to keep the electric element switched off until you have refilled it.
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Lunar do not seem to have handbooks on-line, but you may find some help here.....
http://www.lunarcaravans.com/owners-lounge
I would contact Lunar and ask about a handbook.
Do you know the model year?
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Thanks KjellNN, I will contact Lunar and see if I can get a manual. its a 2001 model.
So I guess jeffcc, if I am needing to the 8kg to get down to where I need to be it would be one way to do it. Might put nose weight scale on and do a before and after draining.
Is nose weight such a big deal to get right or am I being obsessive?0 -
What is the nose weight limit for your car? If less than 100kg, you must not exceed the car's limit.
The AlKo hitch usually has a 100kg limit,so if that is less than your car, you must not exceed that.
Otherwise you want it to be as near as possible to the limit.
Once you have achieved the correct weight, if you always load the van the same way you do not need to check it every time you tow.
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Welcome to caravanning. I always drain the hot water tank and then fill it on site. I know it is not a lot of weight, but if you are having problems with noseweight every little helps. What items are you putting in the 'van and where are they situated?
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Caravans with an Al-Ko chassis have a max nose weight of 100 kg. However unless you have a large 4x4 it is likely that your tow car has less than that, often about 75kg. It is important to go with whichever is the least but ideally load up to its limit. I would definitely leave the gas bottle in the front locker so that you are not continually having to disconnect it. You can of course move heavy items a little further rearwards to achieve the desired nose weight. Whilst you want to avoid putting heavy weights at the very rear, many load some weight to the rear of the axle, low down. For example I had a Bailey Seville which loaded with two gas bottles started out at nearly 100kg. It was a case of moving some items just behind the axle to get it down to 80 kg. it then towed in a very stable manner. Whilst you say that many folk don't bother it is best to check in the early stages with an unfamiliar outfit. Most of us load our caravans exactly the same way every trip and you do get to know what it takes to achieve the correct weight.
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I suspect that moving your spare wheel and draining your water heater will drastically reduce the nose weight. When storing heavier items inside the van, it's best to place them directly above the axle and on the floor. Others on here who tow with the
spare wheel in the van have said that canvas bags are available to keep them in. I have an Alko spare wheel carrier - while it is good for stowing it close and low to centre of gravity, they aren't so good if and when you need to get to the spare and haveing
tried it, I wouldn't get one had it not come fitted. Obviously, when you get set up on site the spare wheel can go back in the locker out of the way. Don't forget to flip the water heater drain tap back off before reconnecting your water pump. If you're
struggling for a caravan manual, the instructions for a lot of the fittings (water heater, room heater, toilet etc) are available free online from Truma, Thetford etc websites as are all the details for Alko hitches, stabilisers, brakes etc. Enjoy your 'new'
van, we haven't looked back after getting ours last year.0 -
To answer your original question, noseweight is crucial for for a good stable tow, so no, you are not being obsessive. I must admit my Coachman is always a problem to keep below 100kg but the Tucson takes that easily (another plus point for 4x4s - eat your words Geoff). I took our spare wheel carrier off and flogged it on Ebay, it was so difficult to access and always caked with mud etc. besides, the spare is brilliant for adjusting nose weight by moving it forward to increase and back to decrease it. I'd take issue with Tirril about the gas bottle though, keep it in the nose locker yes, where it sits safely upright and is well ventilated, but I always disconnect it before travelling.
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........... I'd take issue with Tirril about the gas bottle though, keep it in the nose locker yes, where it sits safely upright and is well ventilated, but I always disconnect it before travelling.
Ours is always turned off at the bottle, but NEVER disconnected.
Why would you feel it necessary to disconnect it?
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........... I'd take issue with Tirril about the gas bottle though, keep it in the nose locker yes, where it sits safely upright and is well ventilated, but I always disconnect it before travelling.
Ours is always turned off at the bottle, but NEVER disconnected.
Why would you feel it necessary to disconnect it?
Write your comments here... I'm puzzled too. How is it safer if you disconnect? I turn the gas off but leave the hose connected. It could be argued that disconnecting is actually allowing gas to leak back.
Tirril
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beg your pardon chaps - and especially Tirril, I'm sure years ago when I first started vanning I read somewhere that you should always disconnect before towing so I've been doing it ever since, however I can't find any ref to it now so I bow to your
superior knowledge - one thing less to worry about when I pack up next week! Thanks,0 -
Probably poor terminology. I would imagine that they meant shut the gas off.
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