Minimum Noseweight

[Turnbacktime]

I know the maximum nose weight for my car and tow ball is 90kg, and we ensure we don’t exceed that. But is there a minimum noise weight you should stay above? Or a typical allowance below the maximum?
My wife and I both attended club courses but can’t remember a minimum being mentioned. We normally set it at about 80 kg.

 

[Buckman]

I know the maximum nose weight for my car and tow ball is 90kg, and we ensure we don’t exceed that. But is there a minimum noise weight you should stay above? Or a typical allowance below the maximum?
My wife and I both attended club courses but can’t remember a minimum being mentioned. We normally set it at about 80 kg.

It is always better to go for the maximum. There is no minimum and a lower nose weight may indicate stuff too far back in the caravan which may make it unstable.

 

[Woodentop]

The general guideline is 5-7% of the MPTLM of what you are towing, but with modern vans that may be easier said than done. Our 2017 Bailey Unicorn S4 Seville is 1326Kg, or 1450Kg uprated, so 5-7% would be 66-93Kg standard and about 73-101Kg when uprated. When we collected it new from the dealer it was 31Kg on the nose, and no matter how we have tried (and we have been caravanners for 40+ years) we have never managed to get the noseweight above 54Kg!! It still tows OK though.

 

[ProfJohnL]

There is no enforced minimum nose load in the UK, but the EU's "construction and use" directive (which is still applicable in the UK) does say that tow bars should be designed to withstand an absolute minimum of 25Kg or 4% (whichever is greater) of the maximum towed weight the vehicle is rated for. This is not specific to caravans.

But the UK caravan industry is more specific and recommends aiming for between 5 and 7% of the caravans MTPLM. Again this is not enforceable, but care is needed becasue it can potentially exceed the limit for the cars tow ball.

Whilst there may not be a specific offence of (edit to simplify the wording) of being outside of the EU range it could be deemed as making the tow vehicle unroadworthy