nose weight for bailey ranger 620/6

[garywilson]

Hi all,

bought one of these 6 months ago,whole family absolutely love it.However no matter how i load i always struggle to get 75/80kg on the nose.I am towing with a bmw x3 which will take 80kg on the ball,but to get anywhere near this spare wheelhas to go in the van just behind axle(not ideal i know)awning and poles similar place or in car(not easy with 3 kids and a dog).

Front locker has large bp gas lite and minimal odds n sods,front of van again has minimal weight,rear bathroom holds acqua roll n waste master.

Has its such a popular van and quite a few other postee's own the same van i wonder how other are going on.Any suggestions please.

Gary

ps apparently its essential the kids n dog remain in the car!

 

[Dave_374330759]

You could get an Alko wheel carrier (fits under the van behind the wheels) which would shift weight back and downwards, then you'd have space in the van for the awning & poles and you could shift them about a bit to adjust your nose weight.

Our previous Ranger 510/4 had a wheel carrier but we still had to do a bit of juggling to get the nose weight down - we had a Focus with a max nose weight of 50kg and I'm afraid we never quite made it 60kg was the best we managed by putting the gas in the rear wardrobe. We found we could get 75-80kg with out too much effort.

 

[Dave_374330759]

We've got a Series 6 Pageant Provence with a motor mover in front of the wheels and the spare wheel mounted in an underslung carrier behind them - totally empty (as supplied brand new) except for a 100a/h battery the nose weight is exactly 75kg so we always have to counteract the weight of gas or anything else in the front with something at the back. I'm not sure that the van manufacturers make allowances for the weight of gas, spare wheels or other essential habitation equipment when they balance the van - a bit on information from them on what the ex-factory nose weights for their vans might be quite revealing.

 

[RogerL]

Ex-works nose-weight is irrelevant - it's the noseweight after adding normal items that's important.

In theory, the noseweight should be acceptable IF items are put in designated places - gas in front locker, clothes in wardrobe, food/drink in fridge, etc - but it's clear from the high number of complaints that this doesn't often happen.

It's all very well using the awning position to get the noseweight correct - but what are you supposed to do if you don't take an awning?

 

[Dave_374330759]

Ex-works nose-weight is irrelevant - it's the noseweight after adding normal items that's important.

In theory, the noseweight should be acceptable IF items are put in designated places - gas in front locker, clothes in wardrobe, food/drink in fridge, etc - but it's clear from the high number of complaints that this doesn't often happen.

It's all very well using the awning position to get the noseweight correct - but what are you supposed to do if you don't take an awning?

That was my general point, an empty van really should have an almost negative noseweight so that when the battery, gas, spare wheel (in its designated place) and other essential equipment is loaded then the nose weight should then be be fairly close to optimum or a bit lighter. Then, just personal stuff (clothes, food, booze, awning etc) has to be balanced. If the nose weight is at optimum or above when the van is totally empty then by the time gas and batteries are installed you have got to counterbalance 50-60kg. In a lot of cases that means putting the equivalent weight right at the back of the van thus amplifying the see-saw effect which must affect the overall stability.

 

[Tapestry]

Hi

We have a S5 Pageant Bretangue, our spare wheel is in a carrier under the van, I think its in a similar position to the place you are putting your spare wheel, so a carrier under the van may be worth thinking about, it will free up space inside the van.

We like you have 3 kids and an awning, we have no dog.Awning usually travels in the car. If the boot is in use we put the awning on the axile inside the van. We put the wheel clamp towards the back of the van, its easily moveable to get the nose weight right, as is the holdall we have for things like swing ball, cricket bats etc. Our water carriers travel under the bunk at the back of the van.

Hope this helps

Annette

 

[Tapestry]

Hi

Another thought, what are you storing under the front seats of the van, in front of the axile. We have sleeping bags, pillows and fleece blankets and between the seats lightweight folding chairs, kids folding scooters towards the axile. The drawers in the front chest usually store our reading books when on site but they are moved for towing.

Hope this helps

Annette

 

[Dave_374330759]

For a bitof fun and to see how shifting the laod around, try the Baily Caravan Load Simulator game

http://www.towingstabilitystudies.co.uk/stability_studies_game.htm