whilst using my noseweight guage do i wind down jockey wheel to level of tow ball with guage in place or do i take jockey wheel out of the equation and let the guage alone take the weight?
how do i measure noseweight
- Thread starter Julie_374476190
- Start date
Julie, careful as you go!
lower jockey wheel onto the gauge, then carefully let the gauge take the weight, until the jockey wheel is just off the floor.
I personally put a block of wood under my gauge so that the a frame doesn't dip too far down and the jockey wheel can be retracted quicker
lower jockey wheel onto the gauge, then carefully let the gauge take the weight, until the jockey wheel is just off the floor.
I personally put a block of wood under my gauge so that the a frame doesn't dip too far down and the jockey wheel can be retracted quicker
Mel
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- Mar 17, 2007
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You also need the corner steadies off the ground. (I know this may be obvious to more experienced vanners, but when you are a newbie, nothing is obvious). Make sure the van is on level ground and the noseweight gauge comes up to the same height as the towball of the car. For many gauges this means standing it on a block of wood/brick etc. Before you start, it is a good plan to put an easily visible mark on the gauge at the correct noseweight; otherwise you end up bending down with your face perilously close to the tow hitch on an oufit which now has 70-100kg of weight balancing on a plastic stick with an inch square footprint. At least one person on this forum has lost teeth when it went horribly wrong.
mel
mel
That was me!!!
I would certainly not recommend the nose weight guages that look like minature "po go sticks". One of those took off at 100Kgs and gave me a damed good upper cut. I smashed several teeth and had a hole in my lower lip big enough to pass a pen through. To say it hurt is an under statement.
I now use the small yellow guage that fit's into the caravan hitch and over the tow ball of the car.
Alternatively, use a set of bathroom scales with a piece of wood on the platform of the scales and zero'd.
With the front jack legs down, wind up the jockey wheel and place the scales under the jockey wheel. now wind the wheel down. raise the front steadies and then adjust the jockey whel so that the height of the hitch is simlar to the height of the tow ball of the car. Now take your weight reading. The general norm is about 75Kgs. But what you need to find out is what the nose weight is for the caravan and what the towbar load is for the car. Then you use the lower of the two as your maximum weight.
A final safety note. Either chock the caravan wheels front and back or apply the hand brake while you are doing the task.
All the best.
Steve L.
I would certainly not recommend the nose weight guages that look like minature "po go sticks". One of those took off at 100Kgs and gave me a damed good upper cut. I smashed several teeth and had a hole in my lower lip big enough to pass a pen through. To say it hurt is an under statement.
I now use the small yellow guage that fit's into the caravan hitch and over the tow ball of the car.
Alternatively, use a set of bathroom scales with a piece of wood on the platform of the scales and zero'd.
With the front jack legs down, wind up the jockey wheel and place the scales under the jockey wheel. now wind the wheel down. raise the front steadies and then adjust the jockey whel so that the height of the hitch is simlar to the height of the tow ball of the car. Now take your weight reading. The general norm is about 75Kgs. But what you need to find out is what the nose weight is for the caravan and what the towbar load is for the car. Then you use the lower of the two as your maximum weight.
A final safety note. Either chock the caravan wheels front and back or apply the hand brake while you are doing the task.
All the best.
Steve L.
- Apr 20, 2009
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Hope you dont mind I'd like toask Steve in Leo a small question.
I now use the small yellow guage that fit's into the caravan hitch and over the tow ball of the car.
Steve how do you get on with it,I used one all last season and found it a nightmare, I could not get it to sit correctly on the towball, it always twisted and no matter how long I spent on it, it would never go right.
Got so fed up, last week I bought a po go style gauge!!!!!!!!!
Should I book a dentist appointment?????????
I now use the small yellow guage that fit's into the caravan hitch and over the tow ball of the car.
Steve how do you get on with it,I used one all last season and found it a nightmare, I could not get it to sit correctly on the towball, it always twisted and no matter how long I spent on it, it would never go right.
Got so fed up, last week I bought a po go style gauge!!!!!!!!!
Should I book a dentist appointment?????????
Fao Kev.
I hitch the van to the car, chock the wheels and then unhook. Fit the yellow guage onto the tow ball and then wind down the van hitch to the guage. Worked fine over the last 5 years for me.
If you see a bloke on site weighing his van in a fullface white crash helmet,------------------ It isn't the stig ----------nor is it me. Could it be you
.
Since giving the pogo stick guage the boomerang treatment, I've been accident free.
Another basic common sense thing I assumed people would do is to weigh the van on relatively level ground. I wouldn't advise weighing un-coupling a van on a 1 in 4 hill/driveway to check nose weight. Take the van a short distance to level ground to check the weight. I don't think there are any caravan pitches so steeply sloping.
Keep smiling.
Steve L.
I hitch the van to the car, chock the wheels and then unhook. Fit the yellow guage onto the tow ball and then wind down the van hitch to the guage. Worked fine over the last 5 years for me.
If you see a bloke on site weighing his van in a fullface white crash helmet,------------------ It isn't the stig ----------nor is it me. Could it be you
.Since giving the pogo stick guage the boomerang treatment, I've been accident free.
Another basic common sense thing I assumed people would do is to weigh the van on relatively level ground. I wouldn't advise weighing un-coupling a van on a 1 in 4 hill/driveway to check nose weight. Take the van a short distance to level ground to check the weight. I don't think there are any caravan pitches so steeply sloping.
Keep smiling.
Steve L.
- Mar 14, 2005
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Clearly it is not common sense, as I have seen some people try and do it on a hill outside their house, also there have been contributors to this forum in the past who have reported that they cant get the same reading of nose weight in different directions on their drive way!Fao Kev.
I hitch the van to the car, chock the wheels and then unhook. Fit the yellow guage onto the tow ball and then wind down the van hitch to the guage. Worked fine over the last 5 years for me.
If you see a bloke on site weighing his van in a fullface white crash helmet,------------------ It isn't the stig ----------nor is it me. Could it be you
Since giving the pogo stick guage the boomerang treatment, I've been accident free.
Another basic common sense thing I assumed people would do is to weigh the van on relatively level ground. I wouldn't advise weighing un-coupling a van on a 1 in 4 hill/driveway to check nose weight. Take the van a short distance to level ground to check the weight. I don't think there are any caravan pitches so steeply sloping.
Keep smiling.
Steve L.
Common sense always has a large potential for error, so do not rely on it.
You can rely on good sense.
- Apr 20, 2009
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Hi Steve L, thanks for the reply think I must be one of the lucky ones with a near level drive, where I can check weights hitch up and go.
Will follow your guide, slowly, calmly, and with precision,and see how I get on, thanks for that.
Cant afford the crash helmet by the way!!
P.s Anyone want to buy a brand new po-go style guage????? LOL
Will follow your guide, slowly, calmly, and with precision,and see how I get on, thanks for that.
Cant afford the crash helmet by the way!!
P.s Anyone want to buy a brand new po-go style guage????? LOL
- Mar 14, 2005
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It has been stated on many occasions that to measure the nose weight correctly, the hitch must be at the same height as when it is attached to the caravan.
The device that Steve L uses has a physical height, which raises the to hitch and thus corrupts the reading.
In the case of an SA, this will definitely measure a lower value than the real hitch load. so it you load up to the maximum allowance using one of these gauges, you will be over loading when the caravan is hitched for real.
TA's are even more sensitive to hitch height and their imposed load can vary dramatically for only a small difference in hitch height.
The device that Steve L uses has a physical height, which raises the to hitch and thus corrupts the reading.
In the case of an SA, this will definitely measure a lower value than the real hitch load. so it you load up to the maximum allowance using one of these gauges, you will be over loading when the caravan is hitched for real.
TA's are even more sensitive to hitch height and their imposed load can vary dramatically for only a small difference in hitch height.
Gagakev l had the same little yellow peril never could get it to sit vertical, nightmare to read, chuck it bought the new Melenco silver one brilliant but expensive at
All,
I have used most gauge types - the long teeth removing one, those built into the jockey wheel and the one that sits on the two ball - the later was useless. I now use a cheap (Argos
I have used most gauge types - the long teeth removing one, those built into the jockey wheel and the one that sits on the two ball - the later was useless. I now use a cheap (Argos
- Jul 30, 2007
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Think ive been doing it wrong......doh!!!
I always thought you had to use a piece of wood and rest it inside the towball and rest this on the bathroom scales(Obviously keeping the van level).
Am i right in saying then that the measurement is taken with the jockey wheel resting on the scales?
I always thought you had to use a piece of wood and rest it inside the towball and rest this on the bathroom scales(Obviously keeping the van level).
Am i right in saying then that the measurement is taken with the jockey wheel resting on the scales?
I can't remember my school day physics and the formula to work out force and leverage, but David's suggestion sounds like a really sensible and safe approach. I had never thought of doing that way either and have also struggled balancing a piece of wood on the hitch!!
Perhaps someone could remind us of the calculation to work out what the differnce in weight will be due to the difference in distance from the axle pivot point to jockey wheel and axle pivot point to centre of tow hitch.
The actual weight measured at the tow hitch must surely be slightly less than that measured at the jockeywheel due to the increased distance from the pivot point.
Perhaps someone could remind us of the calculation to work out what the differnce in weight will be due to the difference in distance from the axle pivot point to jockey wheel and axle pivot point to centre of tow hitch.
The actual weight measured at the tow hitch must surely be slightly less than that measured at the jockeywheel due to the increased distance from the pivot point.
- Mar 14, 2005
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No, Adrian, you've been doing it right (except that the caravan shouldn't be level unless it happens to be level when hitched up to the car, too).
Measuring with the jockey wheel on bathroom scales is only an approximation and will lead to the actual noseweight being somewhat less than what you measure.
Measuring with the jockey wheel on bathroom scales is only an approximation and will lead to the actual noseweight being somewhat less than what you measure.
gagakev i had one and it was always 15kg over the bathroom scales.
I put this down to the extra hight of the guage the scales froom the bath room is set up with a pole that is the same hight as the car when loaded .
I put this down to the extra hight of the guage the scales froom the bath room is set up with a pole that is the same hight as the car when loaded .
Thanks for the calculation Reg.
I couldn't remember if it was force x distance or if there was a square of the distance in there somewhere!!
I couldn't remember if it was force x distance or if there was a square of the distance in there somewhere!!
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