Noseweight advice
I tow a 2013 Coachman Pastiche 560/4 with a MTPLM of 1630kgs. I've recently changed my towcar from a Hyundai Santa Fe (Kerbweight 1977kgs and max noseweight 100kgs) to a Skoda Kodiaq Edition 4x4 (Kerbweight 1798kgs and max noseweight 80kgs). Considering the Kodiaq is the current towcar of the year I have been very disappointed with the towing stability of my outfit and despite careful loading and checking of tyre pressures I've had a few episodes of snaking (between 50 and 60 mph in the absence of strong winds), including one event where the car's towing stability assist activated the ABS to bring it under control. The caravan is fitted with ATC and an Al-Ko stabiliser hitch.
I purchased a noseweight gauge and found that the noseweight of my Coachman when totally emptied for winter (apart from two standard gas bottles in the front locker) was over 100kgs.
Please can anyone offer advice, firstly on whether I'm expecting too much of my towcar at a 90% match (bearing in mind I have 30 years towing experience) and secondly whether it's normal to have to remove gas bottles and add "ballast" behind the axle of an empty caravan to reduce the noseweight to an acceptable level. If I remove the gas bottles from the front locker, where is the safest place to carry them?
Thanks in advance to anyone with useful advice.
Comments
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Sadly there are some caravans that, in my view, are too heavy on the nose when empty and difficult to balance. Never had that problem myself and present caravan is very light noseweight when empty at around 63kg and makes a tad skittish towing empty at around 1350kg. Not a problem however as I leave gas bottles (and of course battery) on board when towing to service and keep speed down to 50mph.
The ratio of noseweight to laden caravan for your set up is similar to that when my caravan is unladen (about 0.49% of caravan weight) and so I am not greatly surprised that you are finding the outfit skittish with an 80kg noseweight if that is what you achieve. I personally would prefer that with a caravan of that weight the noseweight was over 90kg and preferably 95kg. I see your problem with that but cannot offer any suggestions.
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I am sure there is lots of information out there re how to balance your caravan etc, and some old timers will chip in with lots of this information, but as an experienced ex professional driver, if you have all that going on in "the absence of strong winds" with all the stability aids you have available I would seriously not tow at 90 pct, this IMO could have serious consequencies. Coachman are famous for having heavy vans, I have a 2008 Amara 550/5 MTPLM 1575 but tow with a Kia Sorento auto, not dissimilar to the SF. Have to say I dont have such problems with the nose weight due to the extra weight in the rear to provide bunk beds, and i always put the heavy stuff we carry over the axle or in the rear. Good luck with that one, there is a thread on here somewhere re how the tow car of the rear is decided is not really representative of how is works in the real world. Sorry I could not be more helpful
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Personally, I would want a heavier tow car and one with a greater nose weight allowance in order to tow a van of that weight. I realise it's not what you want to hear, DA, but it doesn't sound a good or safe match to me. Sorry.
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I would not be too concerned about the 90% match but the low noseweight I would not be happy with. When I bought our X-Trail in 2005 I did consider other cars but some had a towball loading of only 75kg and were discounted straight away. Unless anticipating sticking to MPTLM 'vans of under 1350kg I would not contemplate a car with an 80kg hitch limit.
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My last car had a max hitch load of 'just' 75kg, I never considered it a problem & never had a problem, though the car did have self levelling rear suspension. My current car's max nose weight isn't much more at 85kg despite its size & being on the same platform as a ML that has a max nose weight of 150kg. Certainly wouldn't discount a tow car for not having a 150kg nose weight
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Are you using as high a pressure as is allowed on the towcar's rear tyres?
I ask because getting particularly the rear of the car as stiff as possible to sideways deflections is a powerful characteristic in towing stability. Inflating the tyres to higher pressures will increase that important stiffness.
Whilst it might not be the issue it is something so easy to try and will help to some extent.
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Thanks for the advice and comments. I have used maximum pressure in the tow car's rear tyres but it looks like the only really safe option is to reconsider my choice of caravan or towcar. I really like the Kodiaq in all other respects so will probably try to trade my Coachman for a lighter van.
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I too have a heavy Coachman, but its fine behind my heavy Coachman. I suspect my nose weight is heavy but have never really checked, with my car its not an issue.
But your van like mine is a heavier model Coachman, and from 2015 they made lighter vans. I wish I had waited because I like the brand!
TF
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A long drawbar and long amount of body forward of the axle (pivot point) will INCREASE noseweight.
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The reality is some car/Caravan combinations work better than others and it isn’t not the fault of the car or Caravan. I would prefer to have a tow car with a higher nose weight limit especially given I find it challenging to get my current van down to 90kg let alone 80. However I thought some Kodiaq versions have 100kg nose weight limit?
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Quite right MM, no offence taken at your somewhat amusing quip! I still don't know how that happened. Senior moment, or the PC's over active predictive script? Never mind I'll just go & sit in the corner for a minute!
I should also have added that in over 35 years of tugging, I have always found that my vans behaved better with a heavier nose weight than a light one. All vans tend to be more skittish when towed with a light, or worse still, with a too nose high attitude.
TF
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Nah, it was obviously humour. I think you missed the smiley, LL.
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I don't think that 5/10kg over the recommended nose weight that the car manufacturers state would do any harm at all. if you look at SWL of a chain in a block and tackle or a 10 tonne crane it would lift twice that amount but at your own risk but could lift an extra tonne or two quite safely. ( I was in H&S and had to test chains for lifting ). my handbook states max tongue weight (jeep) as 124kg where as all the online matching services give it as 90/95kg. I'll stick to what jeep states.
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With a low nose weight and a heavy van as much load as possible should be above and slightly in front of the van axle at floor level .
vans which have a central axle and a short drawbar are more prone to a seesaw effect so as much weight as possible should be in the car without overloading the rear axle. Beware that to much load at the rear can itself cause snaking .A soft suspension heavily loaded tends to take to take weight off the front axle giving the same effect as aquaplaning
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Hi guys hope you can advise me, my other half and myself have decided to buy 2 ebikes and want to put a bike rack on the A frame. This will put my nose weight over by about 70kg but still with in the mtplm, if i was to put my awning further back and get nose weight back to 100kg would that affect the handling of the van. my van is a Compass Rallye 574 being towed with a RRS 3.6.
thank you
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