As I am new to towing this might seem a silly question, but would I be right in assuming its best to load up the car boot with as much as the heavy stuff as poss before you start putting stuff in the caravan? Thereby keeping the caravan weigth down (and the car weight up) which as I understanding makes for the most stable towing.
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- Thread starter Alanjarvis
- Start date
Normally, yes, but take care not to overload the car. Don't forget that the car has both a maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) and a maximum permissible rear axle load which must not be exceeded and that the noseweight is included in both.
Ok, I don't think we will over load it as there is only 2 of us (plus dog). I see a lot of comments about noseweight. How can I tell what the noseweight of my caravan is? Surely this depends on how I load it?
Yes, it does depend on how you load it. You either buy a noseweight gauge or use a bathroom scales with a piece of wood under the hitch (probably more accurate but fiddly).
Generally, the noseweight should be 7% of the MTPLM (unloaded) weight of your caravan. However, if like me that is more than your car can take, use that lower value that your car is allowed.
You may well find (again, like I have) that your caravan unloaded has a higher noseweight (100kg in my case) than your car can take (82kg). To solve this, I have had to put some cargo behind the rear axle of the caravan, to lower the noseweight. BEWARE - back-loading like this can make your outfit more unstable, although I must admit, I didn't notice any difference.
Generally, the noseweight should be 7% of the MTPLM (unloaded) weight of your caravan. However, if like me that is more than your car can take, use that lower value that your car is allowed.
You may well find (again, like I have) that your caravan unloaded has a higher noseweight (100kg in my case) than your car can take (82kg). To solve this, I have had to put some cargo behind the rear axle of the caravan, to lower the noseweight. BEWARE - back-loading like this can make your outfit more unstable, although I must admit, I didn't notice any difference.
Hi,
If you are going to load heavy stuff in your car, it is better if you can put it in FRONT of your back axle. That way, your front wheels will take at least some of the weight.
602
If you are going to load heavy stuff in your car, it is better if you can put it in FRONT of your back axle. That way, your front wheels will take at least some of the weight.
602
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