New Buccaneer Commodore

[Dexterdobe]

Hi folks,
We just traded our 20013 Schooner in for a new Commodore, after two years back into caravaning.
We are very pleased overall. The build quality is good apart from a couple of screws in a wall panel which have been over-tightened causing a tiny bit of distortion. The dealer repositioned the screws before we left and have noted the issue in case it causes problems down the line. The Commodore has less storage and kitchen work space, but otherwise it's better than the Schooner in every respect.
The nose weight was 167 kg fully packed, so I've had to do a fair bit of shuffling about to get it down below the 140 kg limit for my car. There must be lots of folk out there who tow these caravans with nose weights well in excess of their cars limits.

 

[Dodger524]

Congratulations on your new van.

I think nose weight is an issue that ought to be highlighted in reviews in order to warn purchasers of potential problems.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Congratulations on your new van.

I think nose weight is an issue that ought to be highlighted in reviews in order to warn purchasers of potential problems.

Hello both,

Firstly Dexterdobe, You should be made aware that both the car and the caravan do have nose load limits, Whilst you car may have 140kg limit, most caravans have hitches that are only rated to 100kg. so do please check yours.

I don't see any point in issuing warnings on some caravans just becasue they may have a large exworks nose load, becsaue Nose loading is always a variable and it is an issue for EVERY caravanner, becasue the caravanner must adjust the load within the caravan to bring the nose load within the limts for both the car and the caravan.

There have been numerous threads onhow to measure nose load so I wont repeat it here, suffice to say its not difficult to do, but it is important, as too little nose load will tend to make the outfit unstable when towing, and too much nose load will increase wear and tear on the tow car and the coupling. Excessive loading risks real damage to the car and coupling and can reduce steerage control.

 

[Dustydog]

The Al-Ko aks 3004 hitch stabiliser fitted to most caravans is rated at a nose load of 150 kgs whilst it’s much smaller sister the 1300 is 100kgs.