the manufacturers tow hitch weight for my Landrover Defender 2020 is 150kg. 7% of the max laden weight of my 2014 Swift Conqueror 480/2 is 103kg. Swift handbook says nose weight 100kg. So which of those 3 figures should I make the nose weight - measured on a Milenco gage? Newbie to solo caravanning so appologies for doing this subject to death.
3 different values for nosewheel weights.
- Thread starter Morwenna
- Start date
You go with the lower 100 kg as specified by Swift. The 4-7% range is a guide for where other more specific figures aren’t laid down. If you had a trailer with a 200 kg hitch weight then the Defenders tow hitch limit of 150 kg would be used. Enjoy the new Landie
To clarify the above slightly, there are three weights associated with towing:
The maximum load the towbar will take;
The maximum load the towing vehicle chassis will take;
The maximum hitch weight that the caravan chassis will withstand.
You should use whichever of the above is the lowest.
For most 'standard' sized UK caravans with an Al-Ko chassis the maximum hitch weight (usually known as the noseweight) is 100Kg. Many cars are limited to something around 80Kg plus or minus. The towbar limit is in the same ballpark.
So if your vehicle chassis will take 90Kg, your towbar will take 85Kg, and your caravan is 100Kg then 85Kg is the figure you should use. The towbar will have a maximum load shown on its label, the vehicle chassis figure will be in the handbook or on the manufacturer web site, and the caravan chassis figure should be in the caravan handbook.
I would suggest, generally speaking, that you load the caravan to give a noseweight of a couple of Kg below the target weight to allow for measurement errors. Milenco make a (so-called) calibrated noseweight gauge, or you can get a towball gauge made by Reich. Some contributors on here will argue that the Reich unit effectively raises the height of the towball by a few centimetres which make give an incorrect reading but that error is relatively small (if indeed there is any) and I would suggest can be ignored.
Good luck.
The maximum load the towbar will take;
The maximum load the towing vehicle chassis will take;
The maximum hitch weight that the caravan chassis will withstand.
You should use whichever of the above is the lowest.
For most 'standard' sized UK caravans with an Al-Ko chassis the maximum hitch weight (usually known as the noseweight) is 100Kg. Many cars are limited to something around 80Kg plus or minus. The towbar limit is in the same ballpark.
So if your vehicle chassis will take 90Kg, your towbar will take 85Kg, and your caravan is 100Kg then 85Kg is the figure you should use. The towbar will have a maximum load shown on its label, the vehicle chassis figure will be in the handbook or on the manufacturer web site, and the caravan chassis figure should be in the caravan handbook.
I would suggest, generally speaking, that you load the caravan to give a noseweight of a couple of Kg below the target weight to allow for measurement errors. Milenco make a (so-called) calibrated noseweight gauge, or you can get a towball gauge made by Reich. Some contributors on here will argue that the Reich unit effectively raises the height of the towball by a few centimetres which make give an incorrect reading but that error is relatively small (if indeed there is any) and I would suggest can be ignored.
Good luck.
I used the bathroom scales method for noseweight when I first loaded the caravan and then used the Milenco gauge to see what its reading was. After that I use the Milenco which was effectively self calibrated by the bathroom scales method.
The 7% figure is the upper limit and you should be able to manage with something lower down to about 5%.
I have not seen the Swift literature where the nose weight is given but is not the maximum the ALKO hitch can take and not a required figure.
Most cars limits are lower than 100 kg and making that the correct figure would be bad for sales if nothing else.
I have not seen the Swift literature where the nose weight is given but is not the maximum the ALKO hitch can take and not a required figure.
Most cars limits are lower than 100 kg and making that the correct figure would be bad for sales if nothing else.
Many thanks everyone. 100kg nose wheel weight it is. New Lamrover is just amazing. Don't compare it to previous Defenders. Its apples and pears. I love it to bits!!
7% is NOT an upper limit - it's just the top figure of a recommendation that arithmetically fits the 100 kg noseweight limit applied to the A-frame of most British caravans.
10% is better than 7% - BUT - few car-caravan combinations have all their limits which can achieve that.
I'm not trying to confuse the issue. Nose load is needed to help maintain the stability of a trailer, but there is no fixed correct value It does not mean it is sensible or even necessary to use up all the available capacity.
The capacity is determined by the "S " value or nose load limits for the car, and the trailer. You have to be guided by the lowest "S" value if there is a difference.
The amount of nose load needed is only needs to be enough to enable the outfit remains controllable.
The optimum, nose load value for any given outfit cannot be easily calculated, as it is dependant on many different factors, some of which include road conditions, and how actually distribute the load inside your trailer, so it can vary from journey to journey. And whilst it is generally the case that more is better than less, there is nothing gained by using more than is necessary.
It has been found that for caravans, aiming for about 5 to 7% of MTPLM does usually produce an effective value. However that can be a problem with some tow vehicles where the cars "S" value may only have the capacity to allow 4%. Perhaps this suggests the match might be poor, but due to the variabilities involved it might work perfectly well.
The capacity is determined by the "S " value or nose load limits for the car, and the trailer. You have to be guided by the lowest "S" value if there is a difference.
The amount of nose load needed is only needs to be enough to enable the outfit remains controllable.
The optimum, nose load value for any given outfit cannot be easily calculated, as it is dependant on many different factors, some of which include road conditions, and how actually distribute the load inside your trailer, so it can vary from journey to journey. And whilst it is generally the case that more is better than less, there is nothing gained by using more than is necessary.
It has been found that for caravans, aiming for about 5 to 7% of MTPLM does usually produce an effective value. However that can be a problem with some tow vehicles where the cars "S" value may only have the capacity to allow 4%. Perhaps this suggests the match might be poor, but due to the variabilities involved it might work perfectly well.
Actually the guideline by Swift is for between 5-7% with the heavier nose weight preferred, but at 100kg maximum due to rating of ALKO hitch. I don't think there is any legislation regarding the nose weight of a trailer under 3500kg, but the legislation does cover the maximum load on the rear axle.
BTW can we assume that you have a B+E driving licence as you will be exceeding the 3500kg limit for a B driving licence?
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