Ideal Noseweight

[GeorgeandAde]

Just wondering if there is an ideal noseweight for towing,or is it just trial and error whilst keeping within the limits.
My hitch has a maximum limit of 100kg and so does the car.
I realise the importance of correct loading and while moving the caravan load around the van,been able to achieve noseweight figures ranging from 70-100kgs using bathroom scales.
Is it better to try to achieve close to the maximum or as I said,trial and error.
I would imagine the towcars rear suspension would come into the equation as well.
Any thoughts please?
Adrian

 

[xtrailman]

I would go for 90kg.

 

[Mel]

I would also aim toward the limit of the towbar/hitch but staying below it. Our towball limit is 89kg. I aim (or instruct OH to aim) for 85kg. However I have no practical flair so take my answer with caution!
mel

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Adrian,

There is no constant figure for the best nose load. It depends on the car, the trailer, and how they are loaded, so its different for each trip.

What constitutes the ideal nose load is a figure that is within the legal and technical constraints of the outfit, and being big enough to keep the out fit stable. Unfortunately I have no calculating to work out what the figure should be.

The regulations require allow a minimum nose load of 25Kg, or 4% of of the trailers MTPLM (which ever is greater) and the maximum must be no greater than the towbar limit or trailer hitch limit (which ever is lower)

So its rather suck it and see, and I would suggest starting with a figure that is close to the maximum for the outfit, and reduce it in increments of 5Kg until the outfit show signs of becoming unsteady then add 5 or 10Kg just to keep it in the good zone.

There is no advantage of exceeding the ideal figure by a large margin, in fact its adding extra load to the cars suspension which will increase wear.

 

[GeorgeandAde]

Thank you for those replies.
Think I will try it at around 90ish,see how it handles,then gradually reduce it with each trip as Prof John L suggested.
Thanks again.
Adrian

 

[xtrailman]

No if the car handles ok, with no excessive rear end "sag", then stay with around 90kg.
Thats more or less the advice given from the uni bath studies.

 

[Steve L]

What you have to remember with nose weight is that most cars are front wheel drive and as you increase the load behind the rear wheels, the downward pressure on the front wheels lightens.
I've had Diahatsu F70's which carry nose weight well and Renault 25's that were so soggy on the back it was rediculas. For 25 years plus, I've used 75kgs as my bench mark hitch weight. I've arrived at this weight because it wasn't too heavy to cause drag on the over run hitch of the van and it gave my outfit a level appearence.
I very often see cars towing with the back of the car on the ground and the front sky hunting. I even see 4x4's doing the same, so heaven only knows what hitch weight they run with.

 

[Lutz]

As one must not exceed the car manufacturer's maximum permissible rear axle load regardless of whether the car is towing or solo, the noseweight doesn't make the rear end sag any more than if the boot were fully laden without the caravan at the back.

 

[xtrailman]

Thats assuming the rear springs aren't ready for replacement.
Besides i have always found normal road cars drop 1" to 1.5" on the rear, even new and not overloaded.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Ray,

If the cars springs are not to specification, then that is not a nose weight issue; its a car maintenance issue.

As we know the EU regulations require a loaded tow ball height of between 350 to 420mm on private cars. If its outside of those limits then its up to the driver to find out why.

 

[Lutz]

Thats assuming the rear springs aren't ready for replacement.
Besides i have always found normal road cars drop 1" to 1.5" on the rear, even new and not overloaded.

Of course, unless the car has self-levelling suspension, the back end will always drop down when a load is applied, regardless of whether the load is noseweight from the caravan or stuff in the boot.

 

[Cruzer]

The 'ideal' weight is supposed to be about 7% of the MTPLM, or the maximum for hitch or towbar, whichever is the lowest. But you will find that the van will tow differently depending how it's loaded. The bottom line is, don't exceed any of your maximum limits and try moving stuff around until you find a setup that tows well.

 

[Lutz]

The 7% formula is something that someone thought up a long time ago when caravans were, on the whole, a lot lighter than today and before there was such a thing as type approval of towbars which specify legal limits. The recommendation has just been passed on over the years without questioning whether it is still applicable today. Besides, there doesn't appear to be any proof that it is actually "ideal". I have certainly not seen anything conclusive to support the recommendation.
For the average family car towing the average family caravan, one would not be able to achieve 7% without exceeding the car's noseweight limit, anyway.

 

[xtrailman]

The recommendation is now 5% to 7%, with in limits.

 

[Lutz]

Why 5% and how was it arrived at? It seems to me to be just as arbitrary as the 7%, but someone realised that 7% is plainly not achievable in the majority of cases so 5% was drawn out of a hat as an easier target.
What's wrong with the 4% that the regulations specify?

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Never exceed


the MTPLM
. Remember that the weight of
any optional extras that you may have added will need to be
considered in your weight calculations, e.g. a caravan mover
•

In general, the higher the noseweight, the better the stability of
the combination. Experience has shown that a

noseweight in
the region of 5% to 7%



of the actual laden weight of the
caravan is

safest
. However, the maximum noseweight will always
be limited by the lowest of the car, towbar or caravan coupling
vertical load limits.
•

taken from :
THE NATIONAL CARAVAN COUNCIL in co-operation with THE CAMPING AND CARAVANNING CLUB and THE CARAVAN CLUB