Noseweight (again)
Hello All, absolute newbie with a question regarding nose weight.
I am very happy that my 'maximum' nose-weight is 100kg, this is based on car limitations, towbar max towing capacity, and the 5-7% ratio. So I am happy with how the weight figure is achieved.
My question is - if it is the 'maximum' nose-weight, does this also mean 'optimum' nose-weight.
We pack light and to be honest I am struggling to achieve 100kg at the nose with heavy internal items (empty waste tubs, awning, picnic chairs) over the axle where possible.
Does anyone find that reducing the measured nose-weight below 'maximum' enhances stability and road handling therefore achieving 'optimum' nose-weight. I am aware that every combination of car/caravan will behave slightly differently, but I have a 2.0 Kuga AWD with Alddis Avante. I measure with the Milenco calibrated nose gauge.
I'm a little afraid to play with weights as I'm aware the consequences could be grave, however whenever I read 'do not exceed xxx kg' that's pretty much a warning to keep below that limit where possible.
Many thanks for any experiences or advice you may wish to share.
JP
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No idea what MPTLM your caravan is D. Ours is 1,500 kg and although car max is 100kg I aim for 85 kg. However I don't check every trip. We mainly tour and the caravan is loaded in the same manner with similar loads on each trip. When I do check these days I find it is between 82kg and 87kg generally and I am happy with that. I use a set of bathroom scales bought for that purpose as I can easily check calibration by standing on them
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Hello Dipppingin. The question of nose weights is a regular topic on this forum. You have rightly surmised that 100kg is the MAXIMUM for your car/caravan and this must not be exceeded. However, you should aim to get as close to is as possible to give maximum stability. My max is also 100 kgs and I aim for a nose weight as near 90+ kgs as I can. With my caravan I achieve this quite easily but with some outfits it is nearly impossible. The only advice I can give is to play about with the loading of your caravan using the principle of heaviest low and over the axle and light at either end. I see you put your awning above the axle. Whilst this is sound in principle this is probably the heaviest single item you carry so try moving it forward towards the front of the caravan. I have 2 gas bottles and a Gaz bottle in the front gas storage box where I also put the electric cable. Can you get the spare wheel at the front of the caravan? Is your toilet at the rear of the caravan? If so, maybe you should empty the reservoir of clean water before you tow (1 ltr of water = 1 kg). It all helps.
We were all newbies once so don't be afraid to ask any questions you want to.
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My experience is a little different in that for the last five years, I have always towed a twin axle van which tend to be more stable. However, I agree with comeyras that it is best to try and get as close to the maximum without exceeding it. I am governed by the maximum hitch load of 100kg on the Alko chassis since my car will take 140kg on the towbar and I always try to get it just over the 90kg mark. I find if it's any lower, the ride tends to be a bit 'bouncy'.
What I am surprised about is that you carry the awning in the van, albeit over the axles. Based on my experience of our last van - a TA Barcelona, I was 20kg over maximum weight with only the bare essentials in it - certainly no clothes or food. Even with our present van with a 360kg payload, I wouldn't consider putting the awning in the van.
Even though it may be over the axle, it is still going to have a 'pendulum' effect if anything goes wrong.
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My 1500Kg caravans nose weight is normally in the range 80 to 90Kg and is very stable to tow.
I suggest that you consider taking your loaded van to a weigh bridge and checking the total weight of your caravan is also within limits.
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The optimum nose weight is 5-7% of your caravans weight . provided you do not exceed your cars maximum noseweight or the tow hitch`s maximum noseweight which is 100KG.
You do not need to achieve 100kgs to tow safely I like 75-85Kgs on a caravan of 1350Kgs.
The snag with an unnecessarily high a noseweight is the wear on the rear suspension especially if you are loading the car internally as well and you leave no room for error.
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Thanks all, went out this afternoon for the first time. Measured the nose at 87kg and suffered significant snaking within 1 minute on open road.
Stopped and moved the weightier items a little further over the axle and it smoothed out very well, which was a relief!
I did notice some unusual movements along the line of the car / van. I guess this is where the van is pushing down onto the towbar as you go over bumps and rolls in the road, just an unusual feeling more than a problem.
Did some good reverse parking as well so all ready for first trip!
Thanks for all the advice.... JP
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Yes, both van and caravan checked and correct, the car is at fully laden rate. I was surprised what a difference a small weight shift made to the stability of the van.
We've made notes on load position so hopefully we can emulate the set up each time we move. Apart from food it's unlikely the load will change whatever the time of year.
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It surprises me that your outfit seems to be so sensitive to noseweight changes. I tow an 1800kg single axle at about 90% weight ratio and, under normal conditions, I have found little difference in the way mine handles whether the noseweight is 50kg or 80kg. Only on downhill stretches do I notice a certain degree of nervousness if the noseweight is at the lower value, but even that isn't disconcerting..
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Mine certainly feels twitchy when unladen with 63kg on the nose. 1500kg MPTLM and when unladen with battery, mover a gas bottle probably 1350 (ish). Not frightening just twitchy. No idea what caravan you have would it be a continental with longer A frame?
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My towing days are over now, but I always towed with the maximum allowable noseweight, usually 75 or 80kg. And always kept my speed down to 60mph especially on dowhill sections of motorway.And never ever put heavy items behind the caravans axle/ axles.
Saw plenty of overtaking units snaking, but thankfully none come a cropper, and never had a snake on my outfits in over 30+ years.
Twitching when being overtaken by trucks, I always steered slightly away from them when possible. To dissapate the Bow wave, Mainly used a Westphalia stabiliser(thats going back) which i moved from unit to unit.
Some of it luck, but a safe experience. Dont try to keep to tight timetables...drive safely.
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Don't forget you must also keep the load in the caravan within the max weight. Most modern caravan's have a small payload. My awning has to travel in the car as it would overload the caravan. I suggest you try to find a weighbridge when the caravan is loaded. You may be surprised how easy it is to be overloaded. I too have a Kuga. A great towcar.
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HI , Nose weight is usually only concerned with the towing vehicle . The max nose weights of couplings range between 75 Kgs and 350 kgs for the AKS 3504 . max towing weight 3500 Kgs ..The towing hitches seem to range around 150kgs for nose weight . The nose weight quoted is the Static nose weight as you drive the vehicle the nose weight varies . I have never been able to find figures for dynamic nose weights from hard breaking to hared acceleration. I never load my caravan to max nose weight always keep it at about 60 / 70 % .I did tow with a Ford S max max towing of 1800 kgs ,my caravan is 1700 kgs so some times on very hard breaking i seems to have a light steering wheel.Changed my car now .
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Agree , towed for 40 years ,also with artics , ( wish i could say 20 !! ) driving fast causes most of them . Seen loads over the years newbies .showing off ,signal slow down , get 2 fingers , down the road ,where are they ,jacked knifed
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Just my own (unqualified) thoughts.
I do feel that a caravans unladen ‘natural’ weighting plays a part, when it comes to stability. My previous Senator had a high unladen noseweight, around 110 kg’s. My current Challenger has a much more reasonable (imo) natural noseweight, around 65 kg’s. Even though the Challenger is around 100 kg’s heavier and slightly longer, it feels much more stable. Since I had my ‘snaking’ incident, maybe 25 years ago, I’ve always been very wary when it comes to speed and conditions. Overtaking on a downhill section is something I try to avoid, but so far the Challenger has behaved itself.
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If you wish to tow at 100km/h in Germany, one of the conditions is that the noseweight MUST be set at the maximum level that is technically permitted. Otherwise you are limited to 80km/h.
Instantaneous peak dynamic loads on the towball will probably be in the order of 8 to10 times the maximum allowable static load.
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I am a newbie to caravaning and want to ensure I get the right nose weight (I am happy that I understand the correct figure)
I am looking at purchasing a guage but am torn between the Milneco or Maypole. The Maypole seems to be good value but am wary of buying 'cheap & cheerful' that cannotn be relied upon to give me an accurate reading.
Any thoughts or recommendations please ?
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Bathroom scales and a suitably sized block of wood - cheap as chips.
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How do you measure nose weight with a twin axle caravan?
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Can anyone help? How do you measure the nose weight on a twin axle caravan?
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No need to take any measuring equipment with you. Once you have loaded the van and checked the nose weight at home there is no need to keep rechecking. In fact, when you get used to your van you can tell if the nose weight is about right by manually lifting. If you can’t raise the hitch manually it’s too heavy!
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