End bed caravan stowage

Sep 16, 2018
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We currently have a Unicorn Valencia which has a fixed French bed and rear bathroom. We store a lot under the bed, chairs, awning etc, just behind the axle, which also helps reduce the nose weight.

We're thinking of converting to a rear end bed, but how does the stowage work out, we wouldn't want to put anything heavy that far back, do you have to carry more in the car or is there stowage near the axle in an end bed van.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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We currently have a Unicorn Valencia which has a fixed French bed and rear bathroom. We store a lot under the bed, chairs, awning etc, just behind the axle, which also helps reduce the nose weight.

We're thinking of converting to a rear end bed, but how does the stowage work out, we wouldn't want to put anything heavy that far back, do you have to carry more in the car or is there stowage near the axle in an end bed van.
You need to look at specific models for their stowage arrangements. The end bed that we had we placed equipment along the floor from front to back. Heavy stuff like awning over the axle. Lafumas one between the front seats the other behind the awning. Other bits then laid on top as required. Made getting to the toilet on trips a bit of a faff. But the van travelled well.
 
Nov 16, 2015
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We had a Coachman 545 with rear island bed, lots of storage but, we got into a big snake after filling under the bed with chairs etc. So tended to store more things in the car, two aqua rolls between front benches and the chairs on either side. Changed to the Coachman 560 with side fixed bed , prefered the layout in the end.
 
Jan 31, 2018
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We put the aquaroll under the bed and some bits and bobs but heavy stuff always goes in the car with our mind bed-don't like that much weight in the caravan tbh full stop no matter where it is but we are lucky to have a Navara which has a cavernous load bay with the canopy on.
 
Sep 26, 2018
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Our Cabrera when empty has a very heavy nose weight (150kg+), we have to pack all the crockery and pots and pans in plastic boxes and put under the bed to meet the 100kg nose weight
 
Jan 3, 2012
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We had a Bailey Ranger 460/4 we used to put lightweight stuff under the fixed bed at front we put the Aquaroll between the front benches and the chairs either side like (Hutch) with a Milenco cargo bar to hold them in place .
 
May 7, 2012
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I think you will have to be more careful if you go for the rear bed. Like you we do have a lot of things in our bed which is a transverse one just behind the axle and which has caused no problems. A rear bed though would move all this weight too far back, especially if it has wardrobes and storage on the back wall meaning a lot of clothing is there as well.
I would certainly not put an awning there and personally I think awnings in the caravan will put many over the MTPLM and it is better in the car. Trying to balance out a load at the rear by loading more at the front could cause problems because it can create a pendulum and as Hutch says that can cause a snake. With this layout I think a lot more thought is needed when loading, possibly a higher towing ratio than might otherwise be the case would help.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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Rear island bed does pose issues for storage when travelling. We carried hardly anything under the bed when travelling as did not want the tail wagging the dog.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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The issue of end loading is not as black and white as some have hinted. Inevitably the chassis and bodywork fixtures and fittings of the caravan that are located behind the axle already means some of the caravans mass is well behind the axle, and yet this does not cause a problem.

As with so many aspects of caravanning, making small changes to loading are very unlikely to cause a stepchange in stability, there is usually a transition towards instability which becomes more obvious and good drivers should be able to detect these changes well before they are about to become inherently dangerous.

Instability is always worse at higher speeds, so in all cases if you detect the early signs of instability then slow down and when convenient stop and readdress the loading problem.

As always its a case of being sensible. The aim should be to keep as little weight as possible from the ends of the caravan but careful experimentation should reveal how much weight you can place near the ends without it exceeding the capability of the trailer or tow vehicle.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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The issue of end loading is not as black and white as some have hinted. Inevitably the chassis and bodywork fixtures and fittings of the caravan that are located behind the axle already means some of the caravans mass is well behind the axle, and yet this does not cause a problem.

As with so many aspects of caravanning, making small changes to loading are very unlikely to cause a stepchange in stability, there is usually a transition towards instability which becomes more obvious and good drivers should be able to detect these changes well before they are about to become inherently dangerous.

Instability is always worse at higher speeds, so in all cases if you detect the early signs of instability then slow down and when convenient stop and readdress the loading problem.

As always its a case of being sensible. The aim should be to keep as little weight as possible from the ends of the caravan but careful experimentation should reveal how much weight you can place near the ends without it exceeding the capability of the trailer or tow vehicle.

The majority of caravans with the rear island bed have the bathroom in the middle or over the rear axle. I would think that most caravans with a rear island bed are twin axles however I think there are a few exceptions.
Also most people with a rear island bed will travel with it made up i.e. pillows, blankets, duvets etc which all contribute towards weight at the rear so adding anything under the bed may aggravate the problem unless you can counterbalance by having an awning, etc in the front of the caravan to increase the nose weight.
As you say the main aim should be to keep any heavy weights away from the rear of a caravan with a rear island bed. It is suggested that a recommended nose weight gauge is used until it can be determine that one has the correct nose weight for the caravan.
 
Nov 16, 2015
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As everyone has stated, balance of the caravan is essential, but it's not the old hand that need to know . The newbies, coming into caravanning, might have had a years experience of a smaller caravan, and decided to go for a larger one, and then seeing all that space under the rear bed throw lots of stuff under there, ( I have the T shirt) and then one day a massive misshap happens.
The silence in the car is only over whellmed by the sigh of relief, and the decrease in speed of the car and caravan. And then the removing of equipment from under that bed.
 
Jun 20, 2005
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As everyone has stated, balance of the caravan is essential, but it's not the old hand that need to know . The newbies, coming into caravanning, might have had a years experience of a smaller caravan, and decided to go for a larger one, and then seeing all that space under the rear bed throw lots of stuff under there, ( I have the T shirt) and then one day a massive misshap happens.
The silence in the car is only over whellmed by the sigh of relief, and the decrease in speed of the car and caravan. And then the removing of equipment from under that bed.
And a change of trousers😉😉
 
May 7, 2012
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I think reading the Prof's post that what he suggests is load the rear lightly at first and then add a bit each time you use the caravan. Drive carefully and see where the caravan starts to sway. At that point you have gone too far, so stop and move the extra forward. Possibly not a bad idea, and certainly workable.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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It is suggested that a recommended nose weight gauge is used until it can be determine that one has the correct nose weight for the caravan.

It is inevitable that any change to the loading strategy, especially end loading will have an effect of the nose load. It's very important therefore whenever a loading strategy is changed the nose load should be checked.

I think reading the Prof's post that what he suggests is load the rear lightly at first and then add a bit each time you use the caravan. Drive carefully and see where the caravan starts to sway. At that point you have gone too far, so stop and move the extra forward. Possibly not a bad idea, and certainly workable.
In essence yes, but if you try this approach you should start to feel the change in handling before the caravan starts to sway. basically it does start swaying you've gone too far.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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It is inevitable that any change to the loading strategy, especially end loading will have an effect of the nose load. It's very important therefore whenever a loading strategy is changed the nose load should be checked.


In essence yes, but if you try this approach you should start to feel the change in handling before the caravan starts to sway. basically it does start swaying you've gone too far.

Which is why it is probably a good idea to use a nose weight gauge before you set off.
 
Sep 16, 2018
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Many thanks for all the input, certainly food for thought. It seems like everything its a compromise. Personally I like to keep weight over the axle or in the car, and all your input confirms my concerns about the end bed design.

However in the end I think that's where we'll end up but with due consideration for loading.

With the Valencia we struggle to reduce the nose weight, with very little up front loaded clothes lockers and the awning three feet behind the axle, we just get it down to 90kgs, which is OK for our car and it tows very well. I'm hoping nose weight's not an issue with rear beds as the made up bed and wardrobe contents should help.

Having experienced tail wagging with a badly loaded trailer im a bit reluctant to try the idea of loading the rear and see how it tows. I certainly would not want to load the rear and compensate by loading the front which is likely to create a bad situation. My concern is that stability is often tested in one off extremes, a passing truck, gust of wind etc. and can't be tested with a 5 mile drive down the road.

Thanks again, much appreciated.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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I assume you are joking about bathroom scales as that method must be terribly inaccurate. We used the Milenco calibrated nose weight gauge.
I would bet my bathroom scales any day against my Milenco calibrated gauge. You don’t get a calibration certificate for the gauge. So how do you know it’s accuracy over its range? Up until this recent pandemic our bathroom scales were regularly calibrated against airport luggage scales and I would confidently arrive at check in knowing if the bathroom scales were 1 kg under my luggage allowance I would be okay. Method used was me alone, then me plus luggage. So without giving my weight away the scales were working within the noseweight range of many vehicles and certainly very close to the most common Alko limit forthe caravans. So after measuring the caravan nose weight using the scales I checked using the Milenco and there was a difference at 80 kg as per the scales, but that allowed me to “ calibrate” my own Milenco gauge for future use when loading the caravan.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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⚖ A fine balancing act😉😉😉
Yes it can be. It generally requires two of us, me to be the weight slave as Mrs OC keeps that sort of information a closely kept secret. So she reads off from the scales as I find holding a 20-30 kg suitcase to my midriff makes seeing below chest level neigh on impossible. A bit like Billy Bunters problems.
 
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Jul 18, 2017
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I would bet my bathroom scales any day against my Milenco calibrated gauge. You don’t get a calibration certificate for the gauge. So how do you know it’s accuracy over its range? Up until this recent pandemic our bathroom scales were regularly calibrated against airport luggage scales and I would confidently arrive at check in knowing if the bathroom scales were 1 kg under my luggage allowance I would be okay. Method used was me alone, then me plus luggage. So without giving my weight away the scales were working within the noseweight range of many vehicles and certainly very close to the most common Alko limit forthe caravans. So after measuring the caravan nose weight using the scales I checked using the Milenco and there was a difference at 80 kg as per the scales, but that allowed me to “ calibrate” my own Milenco gauge for future use when loading the caravan.
I thought John was joking as who wants the faff of cutting up sticks to get to the right height. Most bathroom scales are inaccurate anyway so why worry about a couple of kgs either side. The maximum nose weight for our caravan is 150kg however we prefer it at about 145kg so a tolerance of 5kg is okay. I don't think there is any specific legislation regarding nose weight of a trailer.
 
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Nov 11, 2009
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I thought John was joking as who wants the faff of cutting up sticks to get to the right height. Most bathroom scales are inaccurate anyway so why worry about a couple of kgs either side. The maximum nose weight for our caravan is 150kg however we prefer it at about 145kg so a tolerance of 5kg is okay. I don't think there is any specific legislation regarding nose weight of a trailer.
I suspect most owners think their bathroom scales aren’t accurate but possibly that’s wishful thinking on their part.
 

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