Without trying to muddy any waters I can merely state there are issues on both sides. There's diplomacy for you.
It is indeed shortsighted, if not worse to embark on any new operation without trying to find out as much as you can about it first. John Wickersham has written an excellent book called 'The Caravan Manual' which explains everything in very simple language. I still refer to it after 30 years of caravanning. It seems silly to me to spend thousands of pounds on an outfit and not spend a few pounds on the 'book'. By the way, John, if you could see to slipping me some royalties for advertising your book, it would be appreciated. The Forum is also good for information but Hey, we are not here to save anyone not doing their own groundwork, plus the accuracy of whta you hear on the Forum cannot be guaranteed.
However, I also do not see the need to check everything as rigorously as mentioned by Euro. He is correct, but I feel there are other ways you can at least get a good 'feel' of what your outfit is telling you. There is the old way by which you lift the A Frame at the point just behing the hitch. An average male in normal condition should be able to lift 70 kgs and yes, you will know it. So, if you cannot move it at all, then check further. Please do not put out your back trying this one if you have problems there. I also look at the jockey wheel as I have a pneumatic tyre. If it is bulging excessively then i know something is not right. I also look at the outfit once hitched up. Is the back of the car down at heel, or riding level? I usually push down on the hitch to see whether the load is excessive, or if the suspension has a problem. I also have checked with a gauge and reckon that if I do not change what is in the front locker then things should remain fairly consistent on a trip. I also have a slight advantage on most of you. I have a EU van with a longer A Frame so i have a little extra weight allowance to play with to keep within the nose weight. Why the UK manufacturer's refuse to follow suit I do not know as it is obvious some vans have severe problems in this area. It also makes the van tow better as advised by the German Authorities, so who am I to argue.
Talking about front lockers and the items (OK,crap) that many people seem to put in there, why do the UK manufacturer's still insist on making such a small access hatch? Invariably you see a poor soul trying to get gas bottle into an opening that is narrow in width and also high off the ground with a large lip. He/she also has to try and get the support strut to catch to hold the hatch open. With all that hidden space no wonder things get 'lost' in there. A nice full width hatch with a gas strut that holds the hatch open at a high angle, and a lip of no more than 1 inch is wonderful, and you can clearly see what you have 'squirrelled' away, so can remove the excess. Yes, you guessed correct. Again the EU vans often have these.
Again, to diverge slightly if a van has an excessive noseweight what can one say about the general total weight of such an outfit? In my industry we had pads for taking load wieghts. I always wondered why no one had made one that you clould drive each van wheel onto, and it would give you the weight. Add both and you have your total weight. Even if it is within 10% accuracy that is better than nothing.
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